Paul Schrader's 'The Card Counter' Premieres at Venice 78

Paul Schrader's film 'The Card Counter' premiered in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, with Martin Scorsese as executive producer. The film stars Oscar Isaac as William Tell, a solitary poker player who counts cards and lives a disciplined life, haunted by his past involvement in the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. The narrative explores themes of redemption, violence, and self-punishment, characteristic of Schrader's cinema. The film's style combines austere minimalism inspired by Bresson and Ozu with fish-eye flashbacks and death metal, distinguishing the protagonist's purgatorial present from hellish memories. However, the review criticizes the film for lacking the emotional depth and contemporary relevance of Schrader's earlier works like 'Taxi Driver', failing to capture the post-9/11 American spirit. The article was written by Carlotta Petracci for Artribune.