The Damned (2024 Minervini film)

Last updated
The Damned
Directed by Roberto Minervini
Screenplay byRoberto Minervini
Produced byPaolo Benzi
Denise Ping Lee
Starring
  • René W. Solomon
  • Jeremiah Knupp
  • Noah Carlson
  • Tim Carlson
CinematographyCarlos Alfonso Corral
Edited byMarie-Hélène Dozo
Music byCarlos Alfonso Corral
Production
companies
  • Okta Film
  • Pupa Film
  • Michigan Films
  • Rai Cinema
  • BeTV
  • Moonduckling Films
Distributed byLes Films du Losange
Release date
Running time
88 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • United States
  • Belgium
LanguageEnglish

The Damned is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Roberto Minervini. Set in 1862 against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the film follows a group of volunteer Union soldiers. [1]

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, on 16 May 2024.

Plot

The Damned follows a group of volunteer Union soldiers as they patrol territory in the western United States. [2]

Cast

Production

Although director Minervini was born in Italy and lives in New York City, he resided in Texas for a decade and created a number of films about the region that blur the lines between documentary and narrative filmmaking. [3] The Damned serves as Minervini's first traditional narrative feature. [4]

Minervini began developing The Damned in 2020. He travelled to Helena, Montana the following year and spoke to members of the National Guard about participating in the film. He also involved previous collaborators such as Tim Carson. [5]

The cast and crew established a campground in Montana and allowed locals to come and go to be a part of the film. The team worked without a script and shot in chronological order. [5]

Release

The Damned premiered on 16 May 2024 in the Un Certain Regard portion of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. [1]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 67% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. [6] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [7]

Film critic Carlo Valeri on Sentieri Selvaggi  [ it ] described it as "an ambitious counter-history of the United States carried out by the Italian director all along," [8] while Elisa Battistini on Quinlan points out that it is "a work that with great brilliance deals with war and its absurdity." [9] Gian Luca Pisacane on Cinematografo.it  [ it ] also notes that "Minervini abandons the documentary, but does not lose the political, social gaze that has always characterized him." [10]

Accolades

AwardCeremony dateCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Cannes Film Festival 24 May 2024 Un Certain Regard Roberto Minervini Nominated [1]
Un Certain Regard – Best Director [lower-alpha 1] Won [11]

Notes

Related Research Articles

Damned or The Damned may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elio Petri</span> Italian filmmaker (1929–1982)

Eraclio Petri, commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film and theatre director, screenwriter and film critic. The Museum of Modern Art described him as "one of the preeminent political and social satirists of 1960s and early 1970s Italian cinema". His film Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion won the 1971 Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, and his subsequent film The Working Class Goes to Heaven received the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Fiances</i> 1963 Italian film

The Fiancés is a 1963 Italian drama film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi. It tells the story of a young Milanese worker who moves to Sicily for a job, leaving behind his long-time fiancée. The film was shown in competition at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Tullio Giordana</span> Italian director and screenwriter (born 1950)

Marco Tullio Giordana is an Italian director and screenwriter.

<i>The Working Class Goes to Heaven</i> 1971 Italian film

The Working Class Goes to Heaven, released in the US as Lulu the Tool, is a 1971 Italian satirical political drama film directed by Elio Petri. It depicts a factory worker's realisation of his own condition as a simple tool in the process of production. The film was awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film at the 25th Cannes Film Festival, sharing it with Francesco Rosi's The Mattei Affair.

<i>Escape by Night</i> (1960 film) 1960 film by Roberto Rossellini

Escape by Night, also titled Blackout in Rome, is a 1960 Italian–French war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival edition

The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, directed by Cristian Mungiu, was awarded with the Palme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renato Castellani</span> Italian film director and screenwriter

Renato Castellani was an Italian film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 1998. American director, producer, screenwriter, and film historian Martin Scorsese was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film Mia aioniotita kai mia mera by Theo Angelopoulos.

<i>The Shortest Day</i> 1963 Italian war movie parody

The Shortest Day is a 1963 Italian comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie The Longest Day and stars the popular duo Franco and Ciccio in the leading roles. Dozens of other well-known actors, from both European and American cinema, agreed to appear in the movie in cameo roles for free to avert the bankruptcy of the production company, Titanus.

Come un uomo sulla terra is an Italian 2008 documentary film. The film premiered at the 2008 Milano Film Festival and later was shown during the 2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

<i>His Days Are Numbered</i> 1962 Italian film

His Days Are Numbered, also titled Numbered Days, is a 1962 Italian drama film directed by Elio Petri.

<i>Stop the Pounding Heart</i> 2013 film

Stop the Pounding Heart is a 2013 documentary drama film written and directed by Roberto Minervini. It is a co-production between the United States, Italy and France and had a special screening at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>The Mystery of Dante</i> 2014 Italian film

The Mystery of Dante is a 2014 Italian independent film written and directed by Louis Nero that explores The Divine Comedy though a documentary-style look at the life and philosophy of Dante Alighieri.

<i>How Strange to Be Named Federico</i> 2013 Italian film

How Strange to Be Named Federico is a 2013 documentary film directed by Ettore Scola. The film documents Scola's relationship with his friend and inspiration, film director Federico Fellini. Scola has described it as "the little portrait of a great man".

<i>The Other Side</i> (2015 film) 2015 film

The Other Side is a 2015 French-Italian documentary film directed by Roberto Minervini. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Rebekah Fortune is a British film director and screenwriter.

Compulsion, also known as Sadie, is a 2016 internationally co-produced erotic thriller film directed by Craig Goodwill. It stars Lio Tipton, Jakob Cedergren and Marta Gastini. It premiered at the Torino Film Festival in November 2016.

Roberto Minervini is an Italian film director, screenwriter, photographer, and Music Producer. His recent films, focusing on American rural life and marginalized populations, have been praised for their "disarming directness." Minervini's films are notable for their use of both documentary observation and dramatized elements, sometimes in combination.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a 2024 comedy drama film written and directed by Rungano Nyoni.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Damned". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  2. Vivarelli, Nicj. "Roberto Minervini on Making His Naturalistic U.S. Civil War Drama 'The Damned' While the 'Rust' Shooting Tragedy Broke – Trailer". Variety. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  3. Vestby, Ethan. "The Films of Roberto Minervini: Capturing a Complicated Portrait of the American South". The Film Stage. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. Ntim, Zac. "Veteran Documentary Filmmaker Roberto Minervini On Making His First Narrative Feature With Civil War Drama 'The Damned' & How Sociopolical "Division" In The U.S. Fuels His Work – Cannes Studio". Deadline. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 Rapold, Nicholas. ""We Question Together Hyper-Masculinity in Life as Well As In the War Movie Genre": Roberto Minervini on The Damned". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  6. "The Damned". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  7. "The Damned". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. Carlo Valeri (16 May 2024). "I dannati, di Roberto Minervini". Sentieri selvaggi (in Italian).
  9. Elisa Battistini (16 May 2024). "I DANNATI". Quinlan (in Italian).
  10. Gian Luca Pisacane (16 May 2024). "I dannati". Cinematografo.it (in Italian).
  11. Lodge, Guy (24 May 2023). "Cannes Film Festival: 'Black Dog' Wins Un Certain Regard Award". Variety . Retrieved 24 May 2023.