Horvát's 'My Notes on Mars' Opens Directors' Fortnight at Venice

Lili Horvát's science fiction relationship drama "My Notes on Mars" opened the Directors' Fortnight section of the Venice Film Festival, drawing what the Hungarian filmmaker described as an overwhelmingly affectionate and warm response.

The film, Horvát's first English-language feature, stars Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend. Davis plays Margot, a brilliant scientist who vanishes during a hike with her husband, Sam, played by Friend, and then reappears on the day of her memorial service weeks later. She retains no memory of her life apart from her research into Mars, work she now wants to destroy. Sam, meanwhile, greets her return as a second chance at their troubled marriage.

Speaking at the festival, Horvát said the reaction exceeded her expectations, noting that audiences approached her to discuss their own marriages and relationships. "I didn't expect this at all," she said, adding that she was happy the film appeared to evoke such thoughts and feelings.

Davis said viewers had been deeply moved, with a surprising number reporting that the film brought them to tears. Friend observed that audiences immediately applied the story to their own circumstances, describing cinema's ability to prompt the question of what one would do in such a situation. He welcomed the fact that the film starts conversations and develops ideas rather than closing them with a verdict.

Horvát credited planetary scientist and MIT scholar Gaia Stucky-de-Cray as an exceptional collaborator. The director said the team first approached her over her articles and a podcast, then sent her the script. Stucky-de-Cray went on to supply content for Margot's notebook, which became a prominent prop in the film, and advised on its scientific aspects. Horvát called her a North Star for both herself and Davis.

Asked about the prospect of reaching Mars, Horvát said she would rather remain on Earth, describing herself as no bold pioneer and citing her attachment to her life, the people around her and the places she knows. Davis called the idea of leaving Earth perverse while acknowledging the beauty of curiosity, and Friend said the planet offers plenty to focus on, adding that he would direct a billion dollars elsewhere first.

Horvát has won several awards for her debut feature "The Wednesday Child" and her second film, "Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time."