VENICE DISPATCH
Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Words by JANE CROWTHER
As Greg Williams joins Liam and Noel Gallagher for their first trip to the Venice Film Festival with their documentary, Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, Hollywood Authentic unpacks what makes this movie an essential film of our times.
When the Gallagher brothers arrived on Venice’s Lido they were greeted with even more red carpet fervour than the usual festival hysteria, and their emotional documentary charting their 2025 reunion tour received an eight-minute standing ovation and Manchester City flag waving post premiere in the Sala Grande. Estranged for 15 years after a bust-up at a Paris gig in 2009, Liam and Noel raised their joined hands aloft in the feted cinema, echoing the reconciliatory move they pulled at each concert in their worldwide tour. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house…
Don’t Look Back in Anger may be the title of one of their hits, but the name of their documentary isn’t just a nod to the reunion of two brothers and artists, it’s a rallying cry to a polarised, beleaguered and warring world. In the film created by Steven Knight and co-directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, the gentle thawing of relations between the siblings which leads to newfound respect, enjoyment of each other and ultimately, forgiveness lies the optimism for any viewer (fan or not) that we are all capable of compassion and redemption. That in our dumpster-fire world which currently values cruelty, division and isolationism, the humanity and brotherly love shown in the documentary, on-stage and off, might be a promise of hope. If two lairy, sweary Manc rock stars can find a common ground, then couldn’t nations, governments, generations?
Mind you, it helps that Noel and ‘our kid’ are also exemplary musicians and showmen (Liam gives up cigarettes and alcohol for the tour, they polish their performance with diligent rehearsing and Liam’s tambourine posturing is undeniably cool by any measure) as well as the creators of anthemic hits that hold social relevance globally. The power of music and art to unite and move is also intrinsic to this film, the reaction of the crowds at the gigs healing the brother’s rift as much as any personal overtures, and giving audiences watching onscreen a front row ticket plus a profound sense of community and communion. Can AI do that?
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger is not only a superlative concert film (charting the 41 shows the band undertook around the world) it’s a shot of welcome nostalgia, and the film we probably need right now as much as want.
Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Words by JANE CROWTHER
Grooming by NATHAN JASZTAL
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger premiered at the 83rd Venice Film Festival and is in cinemas now
Read our review here
