Venice (AFP)

A social drama while restraint with Vincent Lindon and a mega-production by Ridley Scott, marrying #MeToo and medieval battles, shared the bill Friday in Venice, on the eve of the closing of the Mostra.

The stars of the day were Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and British actress Jodie Comer starring in the movie "The Last Duel".

Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in "Star Wars"), also in the cast, did not make the trip to Venice, held back by a shoot.

The film, set in medieval France during the reign of Charles VI, was screened out of competition.

"The Last Duel" marks the return to the writing of a duet, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who had made a name for themselves a quarter of a century ago with "Will Hunting", a project they had already co- written and that Gus Van Sant had realized.

This time they attempt an improbable marriage: the medieval film with great spectacle, around a duel between two knights played by Affleck and Adam Driver, and the contemporary debate linked to consent and the #MeToo movement.

The duel takes place to restore justice after the rape of the wife of one by the other.

Between two action scenes, the director of "Gladiator" and "Blade Runner" chooses to present the same facts from three successive points of view, that of the two rustic knights, then from the feminine point of view - for which they joined the services of a screenwriter, Nicole Holofcener.

The film shows a woman "who has suffered a great injustice and will fight for justice, at her own risk," said Ben Affleck at a press conference.

This big production is a further sign of the influence of the Venice Film Festival, which has made its success in recent years by mixing auteur cinema and films from the biggest studios, and by becoming a launching pad for the Oscars.

Rebecca Ferguson, Denis Villeneuve, Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya in Paris on September 6, 2021 Lucas BARIOULET AFP / Archives

This year, Venice also hosted the "Dune" fireworks display, a long-awaited new adaptation of the flagship science fiction novel, with Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem.

- Performance by Kristen Stewart -

The supreme award must be awarded on Saturday evening during the closing ceremony of this 78th Mostra.

The jury, chaired by the South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho, winner of the Palme d'Or 2019 in Cannes with "Parasite" and in which also sits the Chinese-American filmmaker Chloé Zhao, Oscar winner for "Nomadland", seen Friday the 21st and final film of the selection, "Another world".

Signed by Frenchman Stéphane Brizé, it is the third part of a social trilogy, the main role of which is entrusted to Vincent Lindon.

After having played a supermarket vigil in "The Law of the Market" (2015), then a union leader in "At War", the actor slips this time into the shoes of a senior executive.

Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain and Stéphane Brizé at the Venice festival on September 10, 2021 Marco BERTORELLO AFP

"We must get out of something too simplistic which systematically opposes the most modest employees" to their superiors, the director said at a press conference.

"The circle of suffering is widening: people who have beautiful cars, beautiful suits, shirts and ties are also in a state of suffering. To look at it head-on is to gain height, to signify that there is a systemic problem, ”he continued.

The film is added to the list of serious candidates for the Golden Lion.

According to international reviews compiled by the Festival daily, Jane Campion, already Palme d'Or at Cannes for "The Piano Lesson", the Russian film "Captain Volkonogov has escaped" or even Pedro's "Parallel Mothers" Almodovar are very well placed.

Russian directors Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov for "Kapitan Volkonogov Bezhal" at the Venice film festival September 8, 2021 Filippo MONTEFORTE AFP / Archives

And everyone agrees on Kristen Stewart's performance as Princess Diana in "Spencer," making her the top contender for the Best Actress award.

© 2021 AFP