‘Babygirl’ (Venice)

“Babygirl” is an erotic thriller about an especially taboo workplace affair. In the wake of last year’s “May December,” the film is buzzy for obvious reasons and has “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director Halina Reijn reteaming with A24 — only this time, she’s also writing the script. Reijn’s earlier credits make that a doubly promising endeavor. Her feature directorial debut from 2019, “Instinct,” was co-written with Esther Gerritsen. Similar in theme, that film centers on a psychosexual relationship between an imprisoned sex offender and his therapist.

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickerson star in ‘Babygirl,’ the Dutch filmmaker’s sordid tale of an extremely successful CEO getting involved with a much younger intern. The actors, who are 29 years apart in real life, each have experience creating slanted power dynamics onscreen. Kidman, of course, had everything from ‘Big Littles Lies’ to ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ for inspiration with her performance, but Dickerson didn’t need to look much further than ‘Triangle of Sadness’ when snapping his talents into focus for Reijn’s film. Antonio Banderas, Victor Slezak, Esther McGregor, and Sophie Wilde also appear in this Venice world premiere, which is already boasting a small reputation for a potentially controversial ending. —AF

‘Baby Invasion’ (Venice)

Anyone who thought Harmony Korine’s infrared “Aggro Dr1ft” was an insufficiently ambitious launch to his new EDGLRD art collective can rest easy. The auteur has been quite vocal about his growing fascination with video games in recent years, and his latest film under the EDGLRD banner represents a continuation of that ethos. Filmed in the style of a first person shooter game, “Baby Invasion” is a thriller that follows a group of home invaders who use AI to disguise their identities by replacing their faces with those of babies. Anchored by an original score by Burial, the film could offer Korine an opportunity to demonstrate the fusion of the interactive game experience with traditional moviegoing that he has opined about since founding EDGLRD. When it premieres in Venice, it seems destined to be one of the most talked-about films on the Lido. —CZ

‘Better Man’ (TIFF)

“The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey has been relatively quiet since realizing a million dreams at once with his debut feature back in 2017, but as the likes of Orson Welles and Jean-Luc Godard previously discovered before him, it’s not easy to follow a sui generis work of genius unlike anything people had ever seen before. Gracey helmed a P!nk concert film in 2021, but that didn’t make it on most people’s radars, and some of us were starting to get nervous that he might never get behind the camera for another scripted musical. And so there was great celebration across the land when it was announced that Gracey has made another movie — and that it actually sounds demented and spectacular enough to make good on his legacy so far. A satirical musical biopic of British pop star Robbie Williams, starring Robbie Williams (who is also played by Jonno Davies, and reportedly, a monkey), that promises to amplify his life story to P.T. Barnum-worthy levels of self-mythologizing grandiosity, “Better Man” sounds to be the perfect marriage between filmmaker and subject. Promising to err closer to “Aline” than “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Gracey’s latest sounds like a refreshing change for a sub-genre that’s been hammering the same flat notes for the last 20 years. —DE

‘Blitz’ (NYFF)

There is a not director alive better suited to capture the German bombing campaign of London during during World War II than Steve McQueen (“Widows,” “12 Years a Slave”). McQueen’s efficiency as a visual storyteller combined with his ability to deliver complex narratives makes his upcoming Apple film an early awards favorite. The film will by bolstered by a cast of incredible character actors anchored by Saoirse Ronan and supported by an A-list collection of artisans such as cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Adam Stockhausen, and composer Han Zimmer (with songs written by Nicholas Britell). The film is set to close out the New York Film Festival, and premiere on November 1. —CO

‘The Brutalist’ (Venice, TIFF)

It’s been six years since actor-turned-filmmaker Brady Corbet released his modern musical fantasia “Vox Lux,” a film with grand vision, but one that some felt only managed to deliver on a scene-by-scene basis and not as a whole. In the time since, it seems Corbet has been dedicating his attention to an even grander vision with “The Brutalist,” an epic historical drama that covers 30 years in the life of a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust. The architect is played by Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody and follows him as he emigrates to America with his wife (Felicity Jones), faces the indignity of poverty, then finally is given a chance to serve a wealthy client (Guy Pearce) who will change his life forever. 

The film features dialogue spoken in five different languages, including Yiddish, Hungarian, and Italian, and is said to have a runtime of three hours and thirty-five minutes. To add to the epicness, “The Brutalist” was also shot in VistaVision, so that it can be released and screened on 70mm film. Filming took place in Budapest, Hungary, as well as Tuscany, Italy. Based on the brief synopsis, it seems the film carries thematic influence from Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead,” another story revolving around an innovative architect who struggles with the tension between individualism and collectivism. —HR

‘By the Stream’ (TIFF, NYFF)

At this point, Hong Sang-soo movies are one of global cinema’s most established commodities — when a new one premieres, it’s not ridiculous to suspect that you know what you’re going to get. There will be long takes, characters who work in theatre or film, soju-induced revelations, and bifurcated story structures. Most people have had sufficient time to decide whether or not Hong’s work is for them, but for those of us who adore his not-so-secret sauce, the quantity only adds to the fun. The prolific auteur works at a breakneck pace, often releasing multiple films a year that form a massive tapestry of a life committed to developing a distinct style. 

His latest work, “By the Stream,” sounds like another quintessential addition to the Hong canon. His partner and frequent collaborator Kim Min-hee stars as an art professor who enlists her uncle to write and direct a play at her university. Given that Hong’s films are frequently cast with students from his own teaching career, ‘By the Stream’ could offer a meta look into the process that has given us one of the most distinct filmographies of the 21st century. —CZ

‘Conclave’ (TIFF)

Edward Berger returns to the screen after winning four Oscars for “All Quiet on the Western Front” with an English-language behind-the-scenes intrigue about the changing of a pope. Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 bestseller, the mystery thriller set in the Vatican over three days takes the point of view of the Dean of the Conclave (Ralph Fiennes), who spearheads the complex and intensely competitive electoral vote. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Sergio Castellito play rival cardinals; Isabella Rossellini also stars as an inquisitive nun. Did someone kill the old pope? And what are these ambitious men willing to do to become the most powerful patriarch in the Roman Catholic Church? —AT

‘Eden’ (TIFF)

Directed by Ron Howard, the upcoming survival thriller “Eden” was at one point titled “Origin of Species.” It’s not hard to see why when judging by its idyllic cast and an otherwise impenetrable logline. The film was written by Noah Pink (known lately for penning Apple TV+’s “Tetris”) and explores multiple accounts of the same supposedly true event. From Imagine Entertainment and AGC Studios, Howard’s 28th directed feature aims to expose “the lengths we will go to in pursuit of a better life” — which, yes, sounds grim. That said, those close to the film have promised a variety of tones, including vibrant pops of comedy.

Making its world premiere at TIFF, this suspense lover’s paradise stars Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, and Vanessa Kirby. The story behind this film reportedly involves a group of people moving to a remote island in the Galapagos and falling prey to a terrible mystery that’s still unsolved to this day. Per Deadline, Howard has wanted to make this movie for more than 15 years. —AF

‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’ (TIFF)

Actor Embeth Davidtz (“Schindler’s List,” “Junebug,” and perhaps mostly memorably for many as Miss Honey in “Matilda”) makes her feature directorial debut with the intriguingly titled “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.” It’s an adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s memoir about her life on a farm in Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe, with the story unfolding through the eyes of the eight-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter) as colonialism collapses around her family en route to the 1980 election that ended white rule. Davidtz brings her roots as a South African who was becoming an actor while the adjacent Zimbabwe underwent vast political change. Davidtz also stars in the film as Bobo’s mother, Nicola. —RL
 

‘The End’ (Venice)

How do you follow a couplet of the most harrowing documentaries ever made? If you’re “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence” director Joshua Oppenheimer, you wait 10 years before returning with a post-apocalyptic musical starring Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, and George MacKay as the all-singing, all-dancing members of a family who helped contribute to the end of the world. That might sound like a wild change of pace for Oppenheimer, but “The End” is poised to reflect on cataclysmic guilt in much the same capacity as the filmmaker’s earlier work — a bit more fun, perhaps, but similarly focused on using artifice to express feelings too horrible for words alone. Either way, we should be in store for the most unorthodox arthouse musical this side of “Annette.” —DE

‘Familiar Touch’ (Venice)

Sarah Friedland’s unsentimental dementia drama “Familiar Touch” stars Kathleen Chalfant as a Californian cook and mother, Ruth, who’s taken to a memory care facility by the son she’s starting to forget. Premiering in the Horizons section of Venice, Friedland’s film follows Ruth as she makes friends with a kindly nurse (Carolyn Michelle Smith) and takes stock of her circumstances and herself as an octogenarian readying for the end of life in an assisted living facility. It sounds like heavy stuff on paper, but “Amour” or “The Father” this is not, with Ruth finding her joie de vivre again despite a degenerative illness ungluing from the vibrant person she once was. —RL

‘From Darkness to Light’ (Venice)

In 1972, Jerry Lewis directed and starred in “The Day the Clown Cried,” a film about the Holocaust that he ultimately decided not to release, claiming that he didn’t pull off the film’s challenging tonal balance and that it was best left unseen. In the decades since, the movie has become an obsession for Lewis enthusiasts and an object of discussion, rumor, and controversy among cinephiles, none of whom have seen more than the handful of minutes that popped up on YouTube at one point. In “From Darkness to Light,” documentarians Michael Lurie and Eric Fiedler explore the making of the movie and provide a look at previously unreleased footage from the film, giving audiences a first look and the chance to decide for themselves whether Lewis’ self-criticism was warranted. Lewis donated a copy of “The Day the Clown Cried” to the Library of Congress but stipulated that it could not be shown until 2025; “From Darkness to Light” should be a great primer to prepare for the day when Lewis’ full vision emerges onto screens. —JH

‘The Last Showgirl’ (TIFF)

Coppola fans are in for a double dip at this year’s TIFF, where Francis Ford Coppola’s opus “Megalopolis” will play after its initial Cannes premiere and before upcoming theatrical rollout, plus the world premiere of his own granddaughter, Gia Coppola’s latest, the extremely anticipated “The Last Showgirl.” The younger Coppola’s latest stars Pamela Anderson in a role seemingly designed to reorient what audiences think the actress is capable of – the titular “last showgirl” – and in a film that’s among the most hyped of this fall season. Coppola’s third feature follows Shelley (Anderson), a “seasoned” Las Vegas showgirl who must evaluate both her past and her future when her long-running show suddenly closes. The supporting cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Brenda Song, and Kiernan Shipka. —KE

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (Venice)

Todd Phillips returns to the Venice Film Festival with this sequel to his Golden Lion-winning “Joker” — will the decision to play in competition once again yield another award? The word is that “Joker: Folie à Deux” is even more audacious than its predecessor, with Joaquin Phoenix’s title character joining Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in a musical. Given that “Joker” was Phillips’ riff on “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy,” one can only assume (hope?) that this might be his “New York, New York,” a delirious musical exploration of volatile, troubled lovers. Whatever it turns out to be, Phillips’ reunion with most of the first film’s creative team (including MVP Lawrence Sher as director of photography) and some promising new cast members (Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener) insure that it will be anything but a typical comic book movie. —JH

‘Kill the Jockey’ (Venice)

“Kill the Jockey” director Luis Ortega can build excruciating tension with the best of them. As expertly displayed in the Argentine filmmaker’s past projects (his portrait of a young serial killer, “El Angel,” comes to mind), the multi-hyphenate moviemaker has a special knack for presenting flawed characters within complex story structures and rarely (if ever) losing clarity. Ortega will need that keen vision to unravel the mess pro-jockey Remo (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) finds himself in for this much-discussed thriller set in the world of horse betting.  

Co-written by Ortega, Fabian Casas, and Rodolfo Palacios, “Kill the Jockey” follows Remo and his partner Abril (Úrsula Corberó), another jockey who is now pregnant, through events surrounding a bad accident at the track. When a prized horse dies as a result, Remo, who is an addict with his own problems, is pursued relentlessly by mobster Sirena (Daniel Giménez Cacho). Violence is to be expected in a movie like this, but early whispers of a noteworthy dance sequence come as a welcome and curiosity-piquing surprise. —AF

‘Maria’ (Venice, NYFF)

The story of American-born Greek opera singer Maria Callas is one of artistry being destroyed by the pressure of public image. Despite being hailed as “La Divina” (The Divine One) of the opera world, her career was overshadowed by failed romances and her temperamental behavior. It’s unfortunately fitting that in her upcoming biopic she will be played by Angelina Jolie, whose own career has been marred by tabloid intrigue, but feels destined for a comeback. Directed by Pablo Larrain, many are already viewing ‘Maria’ as the finale to an unofficial trilogy around powerful women trapped in harrowing personal circumstances, the other films being “Jackie” and “Spencer.”

The film is said to be set during the final, isolated years of Callas’ life in Paris before she died of a heart attack at age 53 and will involve her relationship and affair with Greek and Argentinian business magnate Aristotle Onassis. “Maria” is written by ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight, who also wrote “Spencer,” and was shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Edward Lachmann. —HR

‘Memoir of a Snail’ (TIFF)

This second stop-motion animated feature aimed at adults springs from the fertile imagination of Oscar-winning Australian animator Adam Elliot (“Harvey Krumoet”) and comprises Part Seven of his Trilogy of Trilogies (three short shorts, three long shorts, and three features). Lonely Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) narrates her memoir in the form of a letter to her favorite snail, Sylvia. Grace collects snails, among many other things. In fact. Grace is something of a hoarder, and tells us how she got there, from her childhood through a disastrous marriage. She was attached to her wheelchair-bound alcoholic father (Dominique Pinon) and twin brother (Kodi Smit-McPhee) but when the father suddenly keels over, she and her brother are shipped to separate foster homes on opposite sides of the country. An eccentric older woman named Pinky (Jackie Weaver) befriends Grace and makes her as happy as she can be until she is reunited with her brother. —AT

‘Nickel Boys’ (NYFF)

RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (2018) is one of the most significant nonfiction films of the last decade, a movie that avoided any convention of nonfiction storytelling and Black represention in cinema to create something entirely new. That Ross’ next project, and his first scripted narrative, is adapting the novelist Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, based on an infamous reform school in Florida, makes this one of the most anticipated films of 2024. New York Film Festival artistic director Dennis Lim, in announcing “Nickel Boys” as the Opening Night Film all but confirmed what Ross’ admirers are hoping to see. Said Lim, “’Nickel Boys’ signals the emergence of a major filmmaking voice. RaMell Ross’ fiction debut, like his previous work in photography and documentary, searches for new ways of seeing and, in so doing, expands the possibilities of visual language. It’s the most audacious American movie I have seen in some time, and we are excited and honored to open the New York Film Festival with it.” —CO

‘Nightbitch’ (TIFF)

In 2021, American author Rachel Yoder channeled her rage and confusion into what would become the novel “Nightbitch,” in which our protagonist (and Yoder avatar) discovers that her domestic disaffection has shocking consequences: at night, she becomes a dog, and a pissed-off one to boot. It’s a wily conceit for a story, and one that “Diary of a Teenage Girl” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” will next channel into a film version, starring Amy Adams as our eponymous nightbitch. The duo have been chatting up the charms of the feature for awhile now, which promises to pack both rage and catharsis into one wild package. You’d be barking mad to miss this one (sorry, not sorry). —KE 

‘Nutcrackers’ (TIFF)

David Gordon Green and Ben Stiller have each spent the past decade blazing unexpected creative trails for themselves. Green has established himself as Blumhouse’s go-to director for revivals of classic horror franchises, directing an acclaimed trilogy of “Halloween” movies and last year’s ill-fated “The Exorcist: Believer.” And Stiller has emerged as one of the most lauded TV auteurs of the 2020s thanks to his directorial work on “Severance.” But “Nutcrackers” sees both men returning to their roots in a sincere dramedy that nabbed a coveted slot as TIFF’s opening night selection. Stiller stars as a wealthy Chicago real estate developer who never expressed much interest in family. But when his sister and her husband suddenly die, he’s forced to relocate to rural Ohio to take care of his four nephews. While that premise might sound like the pitch for a cheesy sitcom, the seriousness of Stiller and Green’s recent work suggests that this one could have some real emotional heft to it. —CZ

‘The Order’ (Venice, TIFF)

Australian director Justin Kurzel (“Nitram,” “The Snowtown Murders”) paints on his biggest canvas yet with this historical thriller about an FBI probe into a domestic terrorist group determined to graft its racist ideologies onto the mainstream. “King Richard” screenwriter adapts the nonfiction book “The Silent Brotherhood,” by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, with a cast including Jude Law, Tye Sheridan, and Nicholas Hoult, he previously bared all for Kurzel in “True History of the Kelly Gang,” now here playing a charismatic cult leader. Set in 1983, “The Order” marks Kurzel’s first foray into exploring the American political consciousness — it’s set in the Pacific Northwest, far flung from his Aussie roots, and where he’s always explored fact-based national crises. Bank robberies, car heists, and a white supremacist organization unraveling, however, are the stuff of Kurzel canon. —RL

‘Pavements’ (Venice, NYFF)

Alex Ross Perry’s first feature in six years since “Her Smell” wrought havoc with Elisabeth Moss as a self-destructive punk rocker, “Pavements” finds the “Listen Up Philip” and “Queen of Earth” director still in a musical realm — namely, following the rise and late-career return of ‘90s slacker indie band Pavement. The experimental, meta documentary which features Perry himself is a triple bill: a behind-the-music-style doc about the band led by Stephen Malkmus, a behind-the-curtain look at an off-off-Broadway stage musical inspired by their 1992 Matador Records smash album “Slanted and Enchanted,” and a mockumentary about an awards-baiting biopic on Pavement starring Joe Keery, Fred Hechinger, Nat Wolff, and Logan Miller. The Venice Horizons premiere features rare stage footage of Pavement and archival of their heydays wending from Stockton, California to New York City. —RL

‘Piece by Piece’ (TIFF)

An animated documentary about Pharrell Williams from the Oscar-winning director of
“20 Feet from Stardom” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is one thing, but an animated documentary biopic told entirely through the lens of LEGO animation? That’s a first. Morgan Neville directs Pharrell along with a voice cast including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and more in this launch of Universal’s partnership with LEGO film rights. Neville interviewed Pharrell remotely during the pandemic before shooting live-action scenes with the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, who also writes original music for this film. After its festival run, “Piece by Piece” premieres in theaters from Focus Features on October 11, and looks headed for this year’s documentary and animated feature Oscar races. —RL

‘Queer’ (Venice, TIFF, NYFF)

Luca Guadagnino’s second film to be released in 2024 after “Challengers” reteams him with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes for a sexually reckless William S. Burroughs adaptation in post-World War II Mexico City. Daniel Craig, in his most explicitly gay role since playing painter Francis Bacon’s lover in “Love Is the Devil,” leads as a libertine fleeing a New Orleans drug bust and into the arms of a discharged Navy serviceman, played by Drew Starkey. ‘Queer’ reunites Guadagnino also with his regular cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and “Challengers” costumer and Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson. Venice Film Festival director has praised the world premiere as Craig’s best performance yet — and Guadagnino’s best film — with the promise of graphic sex and a hedonistic vibe as Craig’s infatuation with a young man takes him on a libidinous and addled existential adventure. —RL

‘The Room Next Door’ (Venice, TIFF, NYFF)

Academy Award-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar makes his English-language debut with an adaptation of American novelist Sigrid Nunez’s “What Are You Going Through.” Retitled “The Room Next Door,” Almodóvar’s upcoming film stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, who the writer/director collaborated with previously on the 2020 short film, “The Human Voice.” The plot of “The Room Next Door” revolves around Martha (Swinton), a war correspondent now dying of cancer, who rekindles a relationship with author and former co-worker Ingrid (Moore). 

Swinton described the film, shot in Madrid and New York, to IndieWire as “a natural successor, strangely, to ‘Pain and Glory,’ in that it’s about mature friendships and how they sustain us and what we need them for at this stage in our lives. So it’s going to be meaty.” —HR

‘Saturday Night’ (TIFF)

Canadian native Jason Reitman is no stranger to the fall festival circuit — everything from his debut “Thank You for Smoking” to his greatest hits like “Juno” and “Up in the Air” have made appearances at mainstays like Telluride and TIFF — and his latest seems poised to make a big splash with that same kind of rollout. He’s certainly got appealing material to make this one fly: his “Saturday Night” is a billed as a high-energy, real-time comedy-drama that often veers into thriller territory, all of it in service to telling the wild story of the making of the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live.” That’s an intriguing enough premise, but Reitman – always aces at casting – has also populated his film with an enviable assortment of rising stars, including Gabriel La Belle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Lamorne Morris, and many, many more (and many of them playing major “SNL” stars to boot). Mostly, it sounds like the most fun audiences will have at a festival this season, and that’s no small feat. —KE 

‘Separated’ (Venice)

It’s easy to recognize the hallmarks of an Errol Morris documentary: the Interrotron interviews with his voice asking questions from behind the camera, stylish reenactments, and humorous flights of visual fancy. “Separated,” based on the book by Jacob Soboroff, is no exception, but marks Morris’ most emotionally charged nonfiction film to date. That’s because he digs into why and how the Trump administration enacted a real (if not-quite-official) “zero tolerance” initiative of family separation at the U.S.-Mexican border between 2017 and 2018. While public opinion and a federal judge drove Trump to reverse the policy and reunite some 3000 families, to this day it’s estimated that some 1000 children have yet to rejoin their parents. Trump and his lieutenant Stephen Miller believed that this practice would deter Mexican migrants from coming to this country, with seemingly no thought to the psychological damage it would do to the families involved. Morris dramatizes one true story about a mother and son who make the arduous trek from Guatemala to the border, only to be separated. Gut-wrenching. —AT

‘Shell’ (TIFF)

The trend of physical perfection continues this fall, with the releases of “A Different Man,” “The Substance,” “Skincare,” “Uglies,” and Max Minghella’s “Shell,” which is debuting at TIFF. Billed as a body horror dark comedy, “Shell” is set in the near future where an actress (Elisabeth Moss) realizes her aging looks are keeping her from landing the roles she wants. So, she enlists a little medicinal intervention with a treatment from skincare company Shell, whose CEO (Kate Hudson) is living proof of just how well the products work. Yet add in some unexpected side effects, a missing woman (Kaia Gerber), and sketchy experiments, and the science behind Shell seems to be more than cracked. Actor/director Minghella returns to TIFF after his directorial debut “Teen Spirit” premiered at the 2018 festival. He reunites with his “The Handmaids Tale” co-star Moss for “Shell,” which is his sophomore directorial feature. —SB

‘Wolfs’ (Venice)

After a muted 2023 edition that saw many major stars skipping the festival circuit due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, this year’s Venice Film Festival is positioning itself as the starriest event of the season. Few moments will attract more eyeballs than the moment George Clooney and Brad Pitt hit the Lido for “Wolfs,” Jon Watts’ new movie that promises to offer A-list bromance in droves. The Apple film follows two fixers who make problems disappear — and each see themselves as a “lone wolf” who doesn’t take on partners. When they’re forced to tackle a job together, it’s safe to assume that their respective charms will forge a new friendship and carry the day. Apple has already greenlit a sequel, suggesting that expectations for the film are high. —CZ