I am still a bit jet-lagged, not to mention startstruck and still buzzing from cappuccinos served up at last week’s Venice Film Festival. It was my first time at Venice and, yes, it’s as glorious as it looks.

No matter where you are, there’s a hint of glamor to everything in and around the festival, also known as La Biennale di Venezia. Wandering the Lido, the barrier island off the main Venice island where the festival primarily takes place, was otherworldly — and hot. Waiting in long, winding lines and getting into packed screenings to be the first to see a film, alongside a group of rapt (and many famous) movie-watchers is indescribable.

At one point, while I was madly typing away at my Frankenstein review alongside dozens of other sleep-deprived journalists in the press room, Seth Rogen walked in. He roamed around, attentively taking in our humble surroundings — one that contrasts to, just a few yards over, celebrities disembarking from private yachts to walk the red carpet for their movie’s premiere. Naturally, he was doing research for the next season of his Apple TV+ show The Studio (he was apparently shadowing A24).

I only spotted a few celebrities, Rogen included, but even without the celebrity sightings — or maybe because of the respectful absence of them — the Venezia is still the best film festival I’ve ever been to. There’s the excitement of seeing some of the most anticipated movies of the year, and of being at the launchpoint of awards season, but also the camaraderie of being surrounded by fellow film lovers who just want to see good movies. (The abundance of good cappuccinos and aperol spritzes didn’t hurt either.)

I got to see some great and almost-great movies this year, and even reviewed a few. From Guillermo del Toro’s luxurious Gothic adaptation of Frankenstein, to Yorgos Lanthimos’ razor-sharp alien thriller, here’s the best of what I saw at the Venice Film Festival.

-Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse Senior Entertainment Editor