UPDATE: Serra has taken the wise decision of not rushing his next film for Cannes. Variety’s Elsa Keslassy is reporting that he has decided not to submit “Out of This World.” This means we might have to wait until 2027 for this one.
EARLIER: You gotta love Albert Serra. The Spanish filmmaker, and part-time press troll, has had his recent work catapult him to the ranks of top international filmmakers. After the Cannes competition breakout “Pacifiction” in 2022, the Spanish auteur returned with the extraordinary “Afternoons of Solitude,” a meditative bullfighting documentary — easily one of the best films I saw last year. Both films topped Cahiers du Cinéma’s year-end lists in their respective years.
Which now leads us to “Out of This World,” Serra’s latest film, his first one in English, and in all likelihood soon to be submitted for Cannes consideration — well over nine days after the submission deadline has passed. Word is that Cannes told Serra he had to shorten the runtime.
Why the delay? The edit is said to be “gargantuan.” Serra originally envisioned a four-hour cut for “Out of This World,” but was told it’s too long. Shot over four weeks last summer in Latvia with Forma Pro, Variety reported that Serra captured as much as 800 hours of footage — a Malickian move on his part.
We only have one still from the film, that of star Riley Keough holding onto a rolling ladder. It looks like she’s in a circus, which seems far removed from what the official synopsis had hinted at.
“Out of This World,” which tackles U.S.–Russia tensions during the ongoing war in Ukraine, follows an American delegation sent to Russia to resolve an economic dispute tied to sanctions. Serra describes it as a film exploring “the eternal rivalry” between Russia and the USA.
Originally announced in December 2023, the film was initially set to star Kristen Stewart, but she was replaced by Riley Keough this summer. According to Serra, Stewart had signed on early but backed out after he made changes to the script. “She changed her mind,” Serra explained, adding that the new direction of the film didn’t sit well with the actress.
Joining Keough in the ensemble cast are F. Murray Abraham, Liza Yankovskaya, Evgenyia Gromova, and Birte von Knoblauch. No other actors have been mentioned yet, but more announcements are expected soon.
With “Out of This World,” Serra seems poised to return to Cannes — but will he be able to assemble a coherent cut in time? Stay tuned.