Venice Film Festival 2021From The Power of the Dog to Dune, we review this year’s highlightsAbortion drama wins top prize at Venice Film FestivalAudrey Diwan scoops Golden Lion for harrowing and timely tale of a 1960s schoolgirl driven to desperate measuresOlivia Colman is mesmerising in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost DaughterHer trip to a Greek island turns out to be less than idyllic when a terrifying family arrivesDune is a stellar crowd-pleaser on a vast scaleDirector Denis Villeneuve ramps up the production values in an epic sci-fi adventure starring Timothée Chalamet and Oscar IsaacSpencer — Kristen Stewart captures the unhappy privilege of a tormented royalPablo Larraín’s unconventional biopic documents Princess Diana’s angst and mental frailtiesBenedict Cumberbatch’s unbridled nastiness shines in The Power of the DogDirector Jane Campion creates a palpable sense of mystery and menace in this atmospheric westernPedro Almodóvar probes Spain’s scars in Parallel MothersVenice Film Festival 2021 began with a women-driven drama, starring an impressive Penélope Cruz, and Promises, starring Isabelle HuppertMore from this SeriesThe Hand of God — an artistic tale of life’s cruel and colourful carnivalPaolo Sorrentino’s loosely autobiographical latest looks back to adolescent fantasy and painful personal trauma
