Venezia 76: Assayas and Soderbergh Films Contrast in Quality at Lido

At the 76th Venice Film Festival, two films based on recent real-world events—Olivier Assayas's 'Wasp Network' and Steven Soderbergh's 'The Laundromat'—were presented, offering a stark contrast in narrative execution. 'Wasp Network' follows Cuban spies infiltrating anti-Castro terrorism networks supported by the US, but its convoluted storytelling, with multiple locations and five disjointed storylines, left audiences confused and disengaged. In contrast, Soderbergh's 'The Laundromat' tackles the Panama Papers scandal with a brilliant, enjoyable, and ironic tone, using comedic vignettes led by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. Meryl Streep appears as herself, delivering a direct-to-camera plea for tax compliance. The films were screened within hours of each other in the official selection, providing a case study in screenwriting quality.