In 2016, Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes took awards season by storm with his film Son of Saul. The Holocaust drama won Best Foreign Language Film at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Therefore, it was no surprise that his follow-up Sunset (set in pre World War I Budapest) was one of the more eagerly titles screening at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend.
Critical reaction is out and it’s decidedly more mixed than the director’s previous effort. Both Roma and Cold War also debuted at Venice and each stand far better chances at recognition than this.
Bottom line: early buzz suggests Sunset will not match the acclaim that allowed Saul to triumph. Its inclusion in the Foreign Language Film race is very much a question mark.
My Oscar Watch posts will continue…
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