14 August 2026
LOCARNO, 2026!
LOCARNO’s competition and certain Piazza films were somewhat mediocre this year. This festival is unfortunately squeezed in between two prestigious festival giants – Cannes and Venice – and other heavyweights such as Toronto and San Sebastián. So it tends to venture into experimental cinema from emerging countries. But it still has its charm of a yearly cinematic village that feels like home, with one’s favourite places and familiar faces, and the many stars invited with their films or to receive career awards.
As mentioned in my last column, Locarno’s main draws are its beautiful setting on the Lago Maggiore; its 8000-seat Piazza Grande nightly screenings; its unique open-to-the-public Q&A Forum events featuring top stars and the cast and crew of the films just screened; and its outstanding, yearly Retrospectives at the old Rex cinema. For the past two years, the Iranian film aficionado Ehsan Khoshbakht, based in London, has been curating brilliant classics from the 1930s-50s around important themes. This year’s focus was called “Red and Black”, cinema pertaining to the infamous McCarthy era blacklist and its political and artistic repression.
Beyond the important works at the Retrospective, two films that stayed with me were the documentary “Los Vencedores” (The Victors) by Pablo Aparo, from the Semaine de la Critique section, about an Argentine who dares to visit the Falkland Islands trying to find out about the “victorious” British settlers there. As both sides have been told the other is the enemy, this eye-opening, brave and amusing act of human connection deserves the top prize in its section.
The second was shown on the Piazza. This fascinating German film taking place in the 1950s, on a train to Oslo, had the strange title of “Ich ist ein Anderer” (I is Another). Beautifully filmed within the train, with flashbacks to WWII, it was about a man who claimed he had saved thousands of Jews while he was the masseur to Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the dreaded SS and close friend and follower of Hitler. Written and directed by Felix Randau, it is about the elusiveness of truth – was this Felix Karsten (played by the charismatic Dane, Claes Bang) a hero or an imposter? A skeptical female journalist tries to find out on this journey that covers both history and human foibles.
The two Hollywood biggies on the Piazza were a disappointment for me: Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” was not as sharp and illuminating as its French predecessor, “Et Plus Si Affinités” from 2024, itself based on the Spanish film, “Sentimental” from 2020. This oft-remade tale is an amusing and daring look at two neighbouring couples meeting for a meal, with one couple quite racy and the other especially uptight about their sexuality. This American version felt more prudish and vulgar than the others, except for the always scintillating Penelope Cruz.
Also, veteran James Gray’s latest “Paper Tiger” starring Adam Driver and an unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson, lacked his usual depth and finesse, after his many fine family dramas such as “The Yards” and “Two Lovers”. Gray received a Life Career Award on the Piazza.
Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for two the French films which look very promising: “Demain je tombe amoureux” with Fabrice Luchini and Chiara Mastroianni, and “Ni vue, ni connue” with Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain. Will catch their release in Geneva…
But back to nostalgia and classic excellence – two films from the Retrospective were especially memorable: Clifford Odets’ 1944 “None but the Lonely Heart”, with a heart-warming Cary Grant as a Cockney charmer and loser; and an important documentary about one of the most courageous black-listed writers and directors of the ‘50s era, “Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky”.
Just for such fare, I will remain true to our annual cinema gatherings in Locarno.
THE END OF OAK STREET **1/2
This is a typical summer thriller, in the vein of “Back to the Future” or “Jurassic Park”. It starts off as a happy family yarn in a typical suburban community, but slowly turns fearsome as dinosaurs start showing up around corners and the foliage starts changing to prehistorical dampness.
The husband and wife (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor), who are having marital problems, have to work together to survive this crazy situation with their two teenagers. It’s tense, it’s fun, sometimes bloody, then downright silly, but hey, it’s a popcorn flick. And there are primeval creatures in the suburbs – what would you do?!? Take it or leave it….
SOUDAIN **1/2 (vo French and Japanese)
Now here is just the opposite – a serious film about a woman (played by Virginie Efira, who won the Best Actress award in Cannes, along with her Japanese co-star, Tao Okamoto) who runs a home for the elderly. The residents are often suffering from dementia, and she has established a method to reach them with deeper patience and care, though her staff does not always agree. Her newfound friendship with a Japanese theatre director helps her in her quest for more understanding of life and her patients.
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, this is a tale of a deep relationship that crosses national boundaries, cultures and limited time. But the film’s debilitating 196-minute length distracts from its cinematic and human experience. Pity.
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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