Venezia 76: Gloria Mundi and Nevia Compete at Venice Film Festival

At the 76th Venice International Film Festival, two films in the official selection offer compelling social portraits. Robert Guédiguian's 'Gloria Mundi' follows a family living on the margins in the outskirts of Marseille, struggling with precarious work and survival. The director paraphrases Marx to critique neocapitalism for crushing fraternal bonds. Nunzia De Stefano's debut 'Nevia,' produced by her former husband Matteo Garrone, tells the story of an adolescent girl in a container camp in Ponticelli, near Naples, established after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. De Stefano draws on her own experience of living in a container for ten years. The film uses long takes to immerse viewers in the protagonist's daily life and her desire for escape, symbolized by a circus. Both films succeed in holding audience attention in an age of smartphone distraction.