2024 Middleburg Film Festival Diary Days 1 and 2: ‘Blitz,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ ‘Better Man’

The Middleburg Film Festival is set against the picturesque backdrop of historic Virginia. The 12th edition of this wonderful event is taking place this weekend at the lush Salamander Hotel. Co-founded by Sheila Johnson, the visionary behind BET, the festival showcases a carefully curated selection of films, many of which are strong contenders in the Oscar race. The intimate atmosphere combines casual relaxation with the beauty of its sprawling horse ranch and charming Civil War-era architecture. Now in my third year of covering the gala, it has become an event I dare not miss.

This year’s impressive lineup features films such as Emilia Pérez, Conclave, Anora, Blitz, The Brutalist, The Room Next Door, and many more films in the awards race. In addition to screenings, the festival hosts a variety of engaging conversations with filmmakers, industry professionals, critics, and awards pundits, making it a prime venue to gauge the reactions of its audience – many of which are Academy members. In the three years since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expanded the Best Picture category to ten nominees, nearly half of the 30 films nominated have been screened at MFF.

Notable attendees this year include writer-director Steve McQueen (Blitz), who will receive the Visionary Director Award; RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys), who will accept the Special Achievement in Filmmaking Award; and Marielle Heller (Nightbitch).

Additional honorees include Danielle Deadwyler, a strong contender for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Piano Lesson, who will accept the Breakthrough Actor Award. Ed Lachman, the cinematographer for Pablo Larraín’s Maria, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Cinematography. The festival will also honor Sing Sing award contenders Colman Domingo (Lead) and Clarence Maclin (Supporting) with the Impact Award, while Jharrel Jerome, star of Unstoppable, will receive the Rising Star Award. The composers and songwriters for Emilia Pérez, Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol, will be presented with the Special Achievement in Music Award.

One of the festival’s highlights is the Distinguished Composer Award, which will honor Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna (Life of Pi). A concert featuring his work will be performed by a 60-piece orchestra, conducted by music director Kim Kluge. Last year, I had the pleasure of attending Kluge’s performance of Michael Giacchino’s iconic music, which remains one of the most memorable moments of any festival for me. 

The festival kicked off Thursday night with Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan. McQueen introduced the film, stating he came up with the idea when he came across a picture of a young Black boy evacuating London with a suitcase. The identity of the boy intrigued the writer-director, giving birth to the tale of 1940 German Blitzkrieg in London, told through the eyes of a child evacuating the city and leaving his single mother behind. 

Elliot Heffernan plays George, the 9-year-old boy sent by train to the outskirts of the city to be free from the brutal bombings. Saoirse Ronan plays the boy’s grief-stricken mother, Rita, whose heartache over sending her son away is upended when she discovers he defiantly escaped the train to the countryside. From there, Blitz tells a Mark Twain-esque odyssey of a boy befriending a variety of interesting characters on his journey to reunite with his mother.

Blitz is an expertly crafted film. From the opening scene we are immersed in the extraordinary sounds of fires crackling, men shouting, and bombs devastating the city. The chaos is intensified thanks to the pristine editing work by Peter Sciberras. 

Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock’s set designs are another outstanding accomplishment for the film, recapturing the beauty and ruination of a war-torn mid-century London. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also put an exclamation point on Jacqueline Durran’s opulent costume design. She is a legend in her craft, and Blitz fully displays the reason she is a two-time Oscar winner (and nine-time nominee).

While the craftsmanship of the film is top-notch, the film itself has a glaring weak point. For two hours, we follow George on his way home to his mother, avoiding pitfalls, coming to terms with his biracial heritage, discovering the good and evil of the world as he cheats death numerous times. As the film reaches its climax, it all hinges on the emotional payoff of its ending. And that is where Blitz comes up short. 

Blitz is a strong film, if not a tad too safe, something rather unconventional from the director who gave us Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave. While I was in for the journey, I was a tad let down by the ending.

Day Two of the Middleburg Film Festival brought the film I was most eagerly anticipating: Brady Corbet’s immigrant tale, The Brutalist. Based on a true story, it stars Adrien Brody as architect László Toth, a Hungarian Jew who escapes post-war Europe seeking to establish himself in the free world. His fortunes take a turn when he meets the wealthy business magnate Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who hires him to design a memorial community center.

Brody delivers a breathtaking performance that will likely be remembered as one of the best of the year. His Toth has a lean frame contrasting sharply with the architect’s intense ambition to create something beautiful and perfect. His unwavering determination is matched only by his brilliance. Pearce, as the millionaire who made his fortune through wartime manufacturing, expertly embodies a sense of arrogance that makes the audience question his motives. His portrayal is a volatile mix of fury and dominance, undermining Toth at every turn simply because he can. The chemistry between the two in the film’s first half is electric, especially as Toth yearns for the emigration of his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones).

However, the film begins to falter in the second half, feeling somewhat incoherent. I’ll need to revisit it, but my initial impression is a slight disappointment due to the lack of character arc for both Toth and Van Buren. The climax feels underwhelming, despite the film’s impressive craftsmanship.

The set designs, costumes, and performances are all top-notch, and Corbet’s direction represents a significant leap forward in his career. He takes his time with scenes, allowing actors the space to breathe life into their roles.

Running at over three and a half hours, The Brutalist is a colossal homage to immigration, and is as impressive in scope as it is ambitious in design. Just like the edifice Toth is commissioned to build for Van Buren, the film is grandiose in imagination and structure, as both architect and director strive to create something artistically unforgettable. Whether or not either really comes to its intended fruition is something to be discussed and debated for the foreseeable future.

I next watched Adam Elliott’s Memoir of a Snail, a poignant exploration of life that balances bittersweet themes with an unexpected optimism. This charming film comes to life through exquisite stop-motion claymation, a testament to the passion and dedication of its creators, who spent eight years bringing it to fruition. Its emotional depth is sure to resonate with those who seek out this enchanting gem.

I wrapped up the first day with Michael Gracey’s Better Man, a quirky take on the life of British pop sensation Robbie Williams. The choice to feature a CGI chimpanzee as Williams is certainly unconventional and serves to highlight the artist’s feelings of being a “performing monkey” for the masses. The film explores his tumultuous journey as a child star grappling with the pressures of fame, including struggles with drugs, womanizing, and a reckless lifestyle. Ultimately, it examines his quest for self-acceptance and the desire to become a better man. The father-son dynamic in the story is particularly moving and adds a profound layer to the narrative.

Other films to play at Middleburg the first two days include Anora, The Piano Lesson, September 5, A Real Pain, and Emilia Pérez, all of which I saw at Telluride and can’t wait to take in again. I missed Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, among a few other films, which speaks to the bountiful selection here at Middleburg.