At long last, we now have at least one festival premiere set for one of our most-anticipated films of the year. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Serpent’s Path, a remake of his superb, bad-vibes 1998 thriller that stars Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Ko Shibasaki, and Drive My Car‘s Hidetoshi Nishijima (previously of Kurosawa’s Loft, Creepy, and License to Live), is now set for a premiere as part of San Sebastián Film Festival’s Official Selection.
Taking place September 20-28, the lineup also features the latest from Edward Berger, Gia Coppola, Costa-Gavras, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, Diego Lerman, Joshua Oppenheimer, and François Ozon. While we could see Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Serpent’s Path pop up at other fall fests (following Chime, his other 2024 feature Cloud will be at Venice Film Festival), it’s exciting to know it’s finally seeing the light of day.
Check out the full lineup below.
BOUND IN HEAVEN
XIN HUO (CHINA)
Country(ies) of production: China
Cast: Ni Ni, You Zhou
This film narrates the poignant tale of a terminally ill man and a woman caught in violence, weaving through their fugitive journey after an unforeseen incident. It is a story of a love that survives the ravages of death and a fleeting revelry of life amidst the shadows of death.
CONCLAVE
EDWARD BERGER (GERMANY)
Country(ies) of production: UK – USA
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto
Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.
EL LUGAR DE LA OTRA
MAITE ALBERDI (CHILE)
Country(ies) of production: Chile
Cast: Elisa Zulueta, Francisca Lewin, Marcial Tagle, Pablo Macaya, Gabriel Urzúa
Chile, 1955. When the popular writer María Carolina Geel kills her lover, the case captivates Mercedes, the shy secretary of the judge in charge of the case. After visiting the writer’s apartment, Mercedes begins to question her life, identity, and the role of women in society as she finds an oasis of freedom in that home.
HARD TRUTHS
MIKE LEIGH (UNITED KINGDOM)
Country(ies) of production: UK – Spain
Cast: Mariane Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown, Tuwaine Barrett
Life’s a constant struggle for Pansy. Racked with physical and mental pain, her dealings with the world are channeled through anger and confrontation: she argues with her family, her dentist, her doctor, the girl at the supermarket checkout… Curtley, her husband, has been at a loss as to how to deal with her for a long time while Moses, her son, lives in his own world, hardly says a word and spends his days aimlessly wandering the streets of the city. Only her loving sister Chantelle understands her and is able to help her.
HEBI NO MICHI / SERPENT’S PATH
KIYOSHI KUROSAWA (JAPAN)
Country(ies) of production: Japan – France
Cast: Ko Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric
In the suburbs of Paris, Albert, a freelance reporter, vows to take revenge for the brutal murder of his young daughter while Sayoko, a Japanese female doctor, assists him in his quest for revenge. With Sayoko’s skillful guidance, the two get closer to the truth behind Albert’s daughter’s death, but it turns out that a mysterious cult and human traffickers are involved in the case. When they finally get close to the truth, Sayoko’s real intention is revealed…
LE DERNIER SOUFFLE / LAST BREATH
COSTA-GAVRAS (GREECE)
Country(ies) of production: France
Cast: Denis Podalydès, Kad Merad, Angela Molina, Charlotte Rampling, Hiam Abbass, Karin Viard, Marilyne Canto, Agathe Bonitzer
In a kind of philosophical dialogue, Doctor Augustin Masset and renowned writer Fabrice Toussaint discuss life and death… A whirlwind of encounters in which the doctor is the guide and the writer, his passenger, led to confront his own fears and anxieties… A poetic ballet, where each patient is a tome of emotions, laughter and tears… A journey to the throbbing heart of our lives.
ON FALLING
LAURA CARREIRA (PORTUGAL)
Country(ies) of production: UK – Portugal
Cast: Joana Santos
On Falling tells the story of Aurora, a Portuguese warehouse picker working in a vast fulfilment centre in Scotland. Trapped between the confines of her workplace and the solitude of her flat share, Aurora seeks to resist the loneliness, alienation and ensuing small talk which begin to threaten her sense of self. Set against a landscape dominated by an algorithm-driven gig economy, designed to keep us apart, On Falling explores the silent, vital struggle to find meaning and connection.
QUAND VIENT L’AUTOMNE / WHEN FALL IS COMING
FRANÇOIS OZON (FRANCE)
Country(ies) of production: France
Cast: Hélène Vincent, Josiane Balasko, Ludivine Sagnier, Pierre Lottin
Michelle, a model grandmother, is enjoying peaceful retirement in a Burgundy village, close to her best friend Marie-Claude. On All Saints’ Day, her daughter Valérie arrives to drop off her grandson Lucas for the school holiday week. But nothing will go to plan.
THE END
JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER (USA)
Country(ies) of production: Denmark – Germany – Ireland – Italy
Cast: Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Michael Shannon
The End is a Golden Age musical about one of the last families on earth. After the sudden arrival of a stranger, Girl, threatens Mother and Father’s family’s luxurious compound deep underground, Son begins to question their seemingly perfect existence.
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
GIA COPPOLA (USA)
Country(ies) of production: USA
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Schwartzman
A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show closes abruptly after a 30-year run. As a dancer in her fifties, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she strives to repair a strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat.
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