Discovered and Rediscovered Constellations: The 70th Locarno Festival

One is a gaudy, high-octane action-thriller adapted from a graphic novel, starring a Hollywood A-lister, directed by a former stuntman and financed by Universal Pictures. The other is a black-and-white, austere drama based on an anti--fascist novel from 1941, featuring a cast of nonprofessionals and helmed by two auteurs who once proclaimed that there is no artistic freedom in the capitalist system. Writing in his column in the festival's daily newsletter, artistic director Carlo Chatrian admitted he would once have objected if anybody were to suggest such a mix. But now I think that Locarno's strength lies precisely in these impossible pairings, he said. Not because of wanting to unify extremes, but because diversity must be exalted at all costs. The next day, Chatrian explained further how the double bill "was not made to impress or provoke, but just because sometimes, juxtaposing visions this different, can declare one's love for the cinema in all its variants.