May el-Toukhy's "Woman Unknown" Wins Golden Lion at Venice 83, Exploring Women's Bodies as Battlegrounds
"Woman Unknown," directed by May el-Toukhy, secured the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, marking it as the sole female-directed film in Competition. Mathilde Arcel received the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her role. Set in Denmark in 1945, the story centers on Marie, a maid preparing to wed her affluent employer, Christian, while concealing her prior involvement with a Nazi soldier. The film delves into issues of women's rights and the societal repercussions of such relationships, illustrating the degradation endured by women in Denmark and across Europe. Marie's quest for autonomy is fraught with guilt and punishment, ultimately leaving her an "unknown" woman, scrutinized for her decisions.
Fatti principali
- "Woman Unknown" directed by May el-Toukhy won the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival.
- The film also received the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, awarded to Mathilde Arcel.
- May el-Toukhy was the only female director in Competition at Venice 83.
- The story is set in 1945 Denmark and follows Marie, a maid and nanny who is about to marry her wealthy widower employer, Christian, a glove maker.
- Marie had a relationship with a Nazi soldier during the German occupation, a secret that carries extreme punishment for women like her.
- Historically, women in Denmark and Europe who had relations with German soldiers were publicly humiliated, shaved, beaten, and marked with a swastika on their backs.
- The film explores the female body as a battlefield, a territory to mortify, possess, and punish, and speaks to contemporary issues of bodily autonomy.
- The narrative draws parallels to "Hiroshima mon amour" and "Rebecca," using the house as a metaphor for control and identity imposed by men.
Entità
Artisti
- May el-Toukhy
- Mathilde Arcel
- Alain Resnais
- Daphne du Maurier
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Barbara Frigerio
- Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Lee Chang-dong
- Rachel Szor
- Yuval Abraham
- Johnnie To
- Francesco Casetti
- Kaouther Ben Hania
- Daniel Blumberg
- Xavier Giannoli
- Shahrbanu Sadat
- Marco Bechis
- Alba Rohrwacher
- Tim Burton
- Quentin Tarantino
- Michael Moore
- Sofia Coppola
- Julianne Moore
- Annette Bening
- Guillermo Del Toro
- Elena Ferrante
- Andrea Pallaoro
- Paolo Strippoli
Istituzioni
- Venice Film Festival
- Artribune
- Mostra del cinema di Venezia
- Biennale
- Hamas
- IMDb
Luoghi
- Venice
- Italy
- Denmark
- Europe
- South Korea
- Gaza
- United States
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- France
- Thailand
Fonti
- Il Post Cultura —
- Artribune —
- El Hype —