Having recently returned from Thessaloniki, Greece attending the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival I was snagged by “Across the River” in this film’s title. I watched the short “Acheron” at the festival which is the river in Greek mythology crossed when traversing to the world beyond and hopefully not to Hades but the point is as a human on the banks of the Acheron you are dead waiting for the ferry that transports you to the other world. Digest this big hint while I review the film.
Colonel Richard Cantwell (Liev Schreiber) at 51 years of age is a veteran of two World Wars. He is a legend for bravery and leadership. The film opens with him being diagnosed by a military doctor in Trieste as having cardiac thrombosis. He could drop like a sack of dirt at any moment so his physician urges him to immediately hospitalize himself. Strangely insists he must first go to Venice for the weekend to “duck hunt”. The Second World War is ending and Venice has been liberated from the black shirts but there are two of them hovering around Cantwell.
Cantwell is a grizzled heavy drinker and smoker and barely standing had not been for the nitro he downs with a copious amount of martinis and the contents of his ubiquitous flask. He is a tough guy but a man of dignity and honour haunted by implementing an order from an “army politician” that has never killed anyone except by his telephone. He is also haunted by the death of his son in the Italian campaign.
He meets Renata Contarini (Matilda DeAngelis) in Venice and she falls for this very much older man but being a man of honor, you know what doesn’t happen.
What does happen is Cantwell is shadowed by a couple of black shirts who beat him severely.
Near death after suffering a heart attack prior to his beating he meets a partisan who survived a Nazi mass execution who informs him of how his son died.
Back in Venice he nobly spurns the young girl Renata with her “pre-wedding jitters” and heads out in a small boat in a cinematographic moment of brilliance as he crosses the river to duck hunt. Is he crossing a mythological river to the other side which means you know what?
Schreiber is the grizzled military man infused with a deep sense of decency remarkably portrayed. DeAngelis excels as the starstruck Renata. Enzo Cilenti as the Gran Maestro is outstanding in his supporting role.
You may watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPHEG2x6YXA
Directed by Paula Ortiz.
Written by Peter Flannery.
Now available On Demand.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 88/100. The cinematography of Venice is more than worth the price of admission.
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