The Venice Film Festival on Tuesday debuted several high-profile films, including Alex Gibney’s documentary about Elon Musk, a psychological thriller featuring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and a drama from director Casey Affleck.
Gibney’s nearly four-hour film, titled “Musk,” is described as a portrait of the world’s richest man and an examination of his influence. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for profiling figures like Enron and Elizabeth Holmes, initially hoped Musk would participate in the documentary. However, Musk ultimately declined an interview.
"Ultimately he didn’t want to talk to me,” Gibney told The Associated Press. “Then you start digging into the facts and you follow them where they lead. And where they led for me was to a place that upended the myth, I would say, of Elon Musk as a kind of modern Leonardo da Vinci.”
The film is slated for release in North American theaters in October.
Real-life couple Cruz and Bardem star in "Bunker," directed by Florian Zeller. The film centers on an architect who agrees to build a survivalist bunker for a billionaire, a decision that creates complications in his marriage. Zeller stated he wrote the film specifically for the actors, who have a long history of appearing together onscreen.
"‘Bunker’ touches on several times contemporary themes – fear of the future, ecological threats, rising social inequality, and rampant individualism–but it does so through a deeply personal lens: a couple struggling with each other,” Zeller said in his director’s statement. “I wanted to explore love, fidelity and forgiveness while placing the audience in a position of deliberate ambiguity.”
The film, which also features Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, is scheduled for a theatrical release by Searchlight Pictures early next year. "Bunker" is competing for the Golden Lion award and is considered a potential awards contender, with a qualifying run expected in 2026. Zeller’s previous film, “The Father,” earned Anthony Hopkins an Oscar for best actor and for the screenplay.
Also premiering is “Company,” a drama directed by and co-written by Casey Affleck, which explores themes of grief and compassion. Set in the winter of 1975, the story unfolds when a mysterious woman interrupts a holiday gathering, leading to a moral debate.
"I spent a lot of my life looking over the ledger, keeping score, frustrated by the debt of kindness. Somewhere along the way I began to realize that the ledger is never balanced by the world. It’s balanced by what you contribute,” Affleck said in his director’s statement. “That’s what this film is reaching for.”
“Company,” which is also in competition for the Golden Lion, stars Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn, and includes appearances by Affleck’s children, Atticus and Indiana Affleck. The jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will announce the winners on Saturday.