High drama impresses critics at Venice film festival

Four days in to the Venice film festival and critics are happy. There have been some good films and, crucially, an interesting mix. The competition, to be judged by a jury chaired by Quentin Tarantino, opened with Darren Aranofsky's psychosexual ballet thriller, Black Swan. The film features a central performance from Natalie Portman, which is already being talked about as having Oscar potential. Artist Julian Schnabel showcased Miral, an arguably simplistic drama addressing 40 years of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which could do well in the US. The event's first French entry, Anthony Cordier's Happy Few, with its repeated devil-may-care sex and nudity, had journalists falling over themselves in praise of its nouvelle vague 2010 artistry.