‘The Killer’s post-premiere reception at Venice Film Festival leaves David Fincher looking confused

David Fincher has reportedly been left scratching his head following the premiere of his new film at the Venice Film Festival. The director, who attended the festival to debut his latest Netflix thriller The Killer, was said to have been puzzled by the five-minute standing ovation it received after its screening at the Lido.

Fincher was one of only a few of The Killer contributors to appear at Venice, with co-stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton skipping the festival amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. The director walked the carpet alongside a small group of Netflix executives, and signed posters of his previous films like Fight Club and Seven.

The praise continued following The Killer’s premiere, though it was reportedly lost on Fincher. According to Variety, Fincher was seen fidgeting uncomfortably as the audience applauded the film, before flailing his arms in the air and mouthing: “what is this?” Fincher ducked out of the theatre quickly before returning to the stage for the rest of the standing ovation.

The Killer’s positive reception at Venice aligns with critical praise it has received since its Venice debut, with pundits describing the film as “terrific” and particularly lauding Fassbender’s performance.

The film, which sees Fincher enlist frequent collaborators and scorers Trent Reznor and Atticus, marks the director’s latest Netflix venture, having previously worked with the streamer for the titles Mindhunter and Mank, as well as co-producing House of Cards.

The Killer is one of multiple films to receive praise at this year’s Venice Film Festival, with the Emma Stone-starring Poor Things and Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar also tipped as favourites. The Adam Driver vehicle Ferrari, meanwhile, was met with a lukewarm reception by some critics.

“It’s a really provocative and interesting movie,” Netflix chief Scott Stuber said of The Killer. “It’s a really fun, big movie in the hands of one of the best filmmakers.” The Killer will be released on Netflix on Nov. 10.