Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn’s new movie Hoard has earned some rave early reviews at the Venice Film Festival. The directorial debut of Luna Carmoon is a coming-of-age story, beginning in the mid-1980s with a young girl called Maria and her mother (Hayley Squires), who spends her time hoarding rubbish.
After a tragic accident, the movie cuts to a decade later during Maria’s teenage years (where she is now played by Saura Lightfoot Leon) living with a foster mother. When Michael (Quinn) comes to stay, she finds herself confronting the trauma of her past.
The movie has already been a hit with critics as the early film festival reviews have landed it a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is based on just five verdicts at the moment so may change as the film heads towards its release date, but it’s a great early indication.
Peter Bradshaw writes in his four-star Guardian review: "Everything and the kitchen sink is thrown into this deeply strange and emotionally extravagant story with its continuous top note of hysteria: and there’s a lot of storytelling substance. Hoard isn’t perfect but its pure vehemence and the commitment of its performances are arresting."
IndieWire’s Josh Slater-Williams compares the "confident, challenging feature" to Aftersun and Our Ladies as well as praising its central performance. "The sometimes-rapid shifts in tone, even within the same scene, are aided to tremendous effect by the magnetic, fearless performance from Saura Lightfoot Leon," he adds.
The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin gives it four stars, writing: "Two parts supernova to one part Vauxhall Nova: a strange and celestially pulled coming-of-age drama that plays out on enjoyably rattly retro turf."
"This is unfiltered filmmaking that indulges every storytelling whim, however uncomfortable it might turn out to be," writes Screen International’s Wendy Ide. Meanwhile, Serena Seghedoni argues in her four-star Loud and Clear Reviews piece: "Once in a while, you start watching a film and you’re immediately drawn into its world, even if you don’t fully understand it, as you know that it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before."
For what else is causing buzz at Venice, check out our reviews of Priscilla, The Killer, Poor Things, and Ferrari.
