The Idiot(s) draws critical attention following Telluride premiere
Gold Rush Pictures’ The Idiot(s) has received its first reviews following its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival. Writing in The Hollywood Reporter, critic Angie Han describes Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s film as a sharp, playful reimagining of the Dostoevskys’ marriage, praising Aimee Lou Wood and Johnny Flynn for performances that “sparkle”.
The review particularly celebrates Wood’s portrayal of Anna Dostoevskaya, highlighting the brightness, strength and agency she brings to a woman too often left in her famous husband’s shadow. Flynn is praised for embracing Fyodor’s contradictory nature -a volatile combination of confidence, self-pity, creative brilliance and self-destruction.
Rather than following the conventions of a reverential literary biopic, The Idiot(s) approaches its subjects with irreverent humour, imaginative flourishes and a contemporary sensibility. At its heart is the complicated affection between Anna and Fyodor and the often invisible labour that enabled his work.
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The Hollywood Reporter’s verdict calls the film “sharp and fun”, while recognising its deliberately expansive and indulgent style.
ScreenDaily has also highlighted Wood and Flynn’s chemistry and the film’s adventurous shifts between farce, tragedy, satire and melodrama, describing The Idiot(s) as an audacious and eccentric portrait of the couple behind one of literature’s most enduring novels.
The Idiot(s) is directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert and stars Aimee Lou Wood, Johnny Flynn, Vicky Krieps and Christian Friedel. Following Telluride, the film continues its international festival journey at Toronto, Filmfest Hamburg and the BFI London Film Festival.
Read the full review in The Hollywood Reporter here
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