Overview

• The film premiered in Venice’s main competition on Sept. 1, where Johnson grew tearful during an ovation reported at about 15 minutes.
• Critics from outlets including Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter offered broadly positive assessments, prompting immediate awards-season chatter.
• Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Johnson and Emily Blunt enter next year’s Oscar race.
• Johnson underwent an extensive physical transformation to play MMA pioneer Mark Kerr, spending three to four hours in makeup with more than a dozen prosthetics by Kazu Hiro.
• The biopic, Safdie’s first solo feature for A24, highlights Kerr’s rise and personal struggles and is slated for a North American theatrical release on Oct. 3, with festival prizes due Sept. 6.