Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Jul 27
Venice Accepts 17-Minute Flesh Impact as Ellen Burstyn, 93, Lands Golden Lion Honor
Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Jul 27

Venice Accepts 17-Minute Flesh Impact as Ellen Burstyn, 93, Lands Golden Lion Honor

3 articles · Updated · Vanity Fair · Jul 27

Summary

  • Venice Film Festival accepted Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 17-minute short “Flesh Impact,” a rare short-film addition to the festival’s lineup.
  • Genesis Motor America commissioned the film to mark what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, and Gyllenhaal built it around an imagined question: what Monroe’s life and work might have become.
  • Dakota Johnson and Ellen Burstyn play younger and older versions of Monroe, with Gyllenhaal framing the film as both a tribute to Monroe and a broader reflection on actresses’ vulnerability and power.
  • Burstyn, 93, also will receive Venice’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, giving the short an added spotlight at one of cinema’s highest-profile festivals.

Insights

How do Ellen Burstyn and Dakota Johnson reinvent Marilyn Monroe in Flesh Impact without relying on exact resemblance or imitation?
Can a brand-commissioned short at Venice reveal something new about Marilyn Monroe, or does it deepen the legend around her?