Curzon Journal
ARTICLES BY Laura Venning
Julie Keeps Quiet Director on the Power of Silence
In conversation with Laura Venning, writer-director Leonardo Van Dijl discusses the deafening silence that drives his probing tennis drama.
24 Mar 2025
How Mike Leigh Presents the Interior Lives of Complex Women
In his many female-fronted character studies – like the BAFTA-nominated Hard Truths – the social-realist British director shapes the lead roles with his actresses to ensure authenticity, writes Laura Venning.
27 Jan 2025
The Outrun Gives Female Alcoholism its Due
Substance-abuse films typically use their thinly sketched female addicts as dramatic devices. Here, Laura Venning offers a brief history of the subgenre, and posits that the nuanced character study The Outrun provides a welcome counterpoint.
17 Sept 2024
Should Hollywood Movies Spread Conspiracy Theories?
As Fly Me to the Moon calls the Moon landing into question, Laura Venning asks whether cinema has a responsibility to uphold the truth – even in fiction.
8 Jul 2024
Sofia Coppola’s New Film Empowers Priscilla By Distancing Her From Elvis
The filmmaker gives the often sidelined Priscilla Presley a voice in a stylish, understated biopic that doesn’t have the approval of the Presley estate – and is all the better for it. By Laura Venning
9 Dec 2023
Cinematographer Linus Sandgren on Seeing Saltburn as a Vampire Story
Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren tells Laura Venning about the painterly shot compositions, Gothic inspirations and expressionist colour palette that underpin this deliciously dark dramedy.
6 Dec 2023
Why the Passages Sex Scenes are Important
The physical intimacy in Ira Sachs’ steamy love-triangle drama is essential to understanding the emotional intimacy between the characters, as well as the complexities of queer relationships, says Laura Venning.
21 Aug 2023
Festival Report: Berlinale 2023
Laura Venning shares her impressions of this year’s festival, which featured rousing political documentaries, women’s-rights protests and thoughtful European dramas.
23 Feb 2023
The Importance of Queer Communities in Blue Jean
With its emphasis on solidarity and camaraderie, Georgia Oakley’s emotionally resonant debut stands apart from recent arthouse films where LGBTQ characters are isolated for dramatic effect, writes Laura Venning.
9 Feb 2023