Wife of a Spy

It's an average, feel-good film at best with a very good universal message. How the Jury of Venice 2020 film festival headed by Cate Blanchett bestowed this film with the Best Director Award beats logic. Was it because the lead character was a film director? That must have pleased jury member Joanna Hogg. This incredible jury thought that Konchalovsky did not deserve the Best Director award for "Dear Comrades!" a vastly superior work but instead bestowed it the Jury's Special Prize as a consolation. This same jury gave another below par film from Mexico's Michel Franco called "The New Order" the Grand Jury Prize. The Bosnian film "Quo vadi, Aida?" was overlooked but thankfully it is in the Oscar race. Look closely at the awards and the jury seemed to give some award or other to all the nominees, often having questionable merit. Luckily, for us the Gold Lion went to a deserving work "Nomadland."

The script will make you recall "The Shawshank Redemption" though the tales are in different settings.

"Wife of a spy" is a good vehicle for the Kill Bill 1 and 2 actor Issey Takahashi. Little else.