Dissecting This Year’s Telluride Lineup, from ‘Anora’ to ‘Maria’ and More

With Ryan Lattanzio wandering around the Lido in Venice, IndieWire chief critic David Ehrlich stepped in to co-host a special Telluride edition of “Screen Talk.” This year’s festival is replete with musicals, biopics, and documentaries.

Early word, said Ehrlich, is that Edward Berger’s behind-the-scenes pope drama “Conclave” (Focus) might be a lighter take than “The Two Popes.”

I’m more excited than David is about “Saturday Night” (Sony), Jason Reitman’s look at the last hours before the launch of “SNL.” That may be because I was around to watch that show from the start.

We agree that the movie with the most rapturous early buzz — if not hype— is documentary filmmaker RaMell Ross’ Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys” (Amazon/MGM), his first narrative feature, which was also picked for opening night at NYFF.

Ehrlich has seen musical “The End,” another transition to fiction filmmaking from documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer (“The Act of Killing”): “It’s a natural continuation of the themes he’s been focusing on, the way people live with guilt.”

Another musical is Silver Medallion tributee Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” (Netflix), which I adored at Cannes, where it won two prizes. Ehrlich is not a fan. He’s excited to see “The Great Showman” director Michael Gracey’s “Better Man,” a satirical musical biopic starring Robbie Williams as himself.

Netflix pickup “Maria” showcases Angelina Jolie in a comeback role as opera singer Maria Callas, the conclusion of the Pablo Larrain real-women trilogy (“Jackie,” “Spencer”). Ehrlich reviews the Venice debut here.

Also on the list of potential Best Actress nominees is “The Outrun” (Sony Pictures Classics) starring tributee Saorise Ronan as a recovering alcoholic in the Orkney Islands, her first contemporary role in a decade. Mikey Madison in Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winner “Anora” (Neon) is another candidate.

August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) is a family affair produced by Denzel Washington, directed by Malcolm Washington, and starring John David Washington.

Morgan Neville’s Pharrell WIlliams Lego animated “Piece by Piece” (Focus) is among the documentaries dominating the program in this year impacted by strikes.

Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.

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