The Big Picture

Veni Vidi Vici is a beautifully shot Austrian satire about class that lacks the necessary conflict to excel. The film showcases the Maynard family living a privileged and amoral life while the world suffers due to their evil acts. Despite lacking depth and failing to add anything new to the conversation about class and privilege, Veni Vidi Vici is an engaging, fun ride.

There have been countless “eat the rich” movies in recent years. From Triangle of Sadness to The Menu to Glass Onion, it’s delicious to watch the tides turn on the ultra-wealthy. But Veni Vidi Vici is not an eat the rich movie. While it can feel like what would happen if Yorgos Lanthimos directed an episode of Succession at times, its most related recent film might be The Zone of Interest, as the film is less concerned about giving billionaires their comeuppance and more focused on showcasing them living happy, relatively normal family lives while the rest of the world suffers due to their evil acts.

Veni Vidi Vici The Maynards and their children lead an almost perfect billionaire family life. Amon is a passionate hunter, but doesn’t shoot animals, as the family’s wealth allows them to live totally free from consequences. Release Date January 18, 2024 Director Daniel Hoesl Cast Laurence Rupp , Ursina Lardi , Markus Schleinzer , Olivia Goschler Runtime 86 minutes

What is ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ About?

The film revolves around the affluent Maynard family. There’s the charismatic patriarch, Amon (Laurence Rupp), who metaphorically kills people in business and literally kills them for sport — and does both with a disarming smile. He’s married to Viktoria (Ursina Lardi), who’s said to be slightly more concerned with morals and equality but is still very much complicit. Together, they are raising two young daughters and one 13-year-old, Paula (Olivia Goschler).

Paula acts as our narrator. She’s a sponge, soaking up all of her father’s dangerous wisdom. The film smartly shows how she’s becoming a carbon copy of her father from the get-go, proud of herself for pulling off a nasty foul to win a polo match because she’s “too creative” to play by the rules — a theme that’s later repeated when Amon believes that there’s inherent creativity in destruction.

Paula is troubled, though she doesn’t see it that way — and her parents don’t either. Not only is she overaggressive during sports, but she shoplifts for the thrill of it, getting off with the lightest of slaps on the wrist. And that’s the irony of it all — the entire point of the movie. Paula is filthy rich, having no need to steal, yet she does it for fun. No risk, no reward, she says, and if you can get away with it, you deserve it. Amon kills people for the same reasons. The movie is not subtle about this message. It even begins with a quote saying as much from Ayn Rand: “The point is, who will stop me?”

‘Veni Vidi Vici’ Picks Style Over Substance

While the Maynards may be fans of guns (lots and lots of guns), Veni Vidi Vici uses irony as its weapon of choice. Amon can’t bear to shoot animals and is distraught when a bird dies by flying into their mansion, yet he shoots entire families for the hell of it without batting an eye. They call their butler and au pair part of the family, which is almost always a red flag, and shop for surrogates as if they’re looking to buy a new pair of shoes. People outside their family are objects to them.

During a Q&A with filmmakers Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann, they stated that billionaires live in a parallel universe but control ours, which is exactly what we see unfolding in the film. But that doesn’t mean some people from “our” world don’t try to fight back. There are two main characters that attempt to bring Amon’s horrific deeds to light — two main heroes or antagonists, depending on how you look at it. There’s the gamekeeper (Haymon Maria Buttinger), an old man who has seen evidence of Amon’s murders for himself, and Volker (Dominik Warta), a journalist with what he sees as undeniable proof. Unfortunately, the two outlets they go to — the police and the news — are no help at all, writing them off and looking the other way.

While it’s interesting (and maybe even necessary) to see these outside forces attempt to expose the family, we never feel a real sense of danger that they’re going to succeed in their mission. Perhaps that’s an intentional choice on behalf of the filmmakers — we are in the Maynards’ world, after all, and in their heads, they’re invincible and unafraid — but it doesn’t make for a particularly compelling conflict.

‘Veni Vidi Vici’ Is a Satire Lacking in Tension

This could be excusable if the tension came from elsewhere, but that doesn’t happen either. Despite Viktoria struggling to get pregnant and trying to choose a surrogate, despite the background of Paula’s mother dying in childbirth, despite Paula’s irritation that she’s too young to shoot, and the hints we get that Viktoria might not be quite as cutthroat as the rest of them and the fact Paula is dating the son of a businessman Amon screws over, the Maynards all live in harmony for the most part. The rich are all about appearances, so if we felt like these things might be brewing animosity that everyone is simply suppressing to keep up the facade of their happiness, that would be one thing. But we get no indication that’s what’s occurring. Everything is surface-level and stated outright. Don’t get me wrong, the surface is beautiful, and the words are clever, but the film isn’t saying anything revolutionary or challenging. The lack of bite and almost blandness is the point, but it never feels like the scathing critique it’s meant to be, and the lack of transformation from any of the characters makes for a somewhat dull overall impact.

But just because Veni Vidi Vici doesn’t break any new ground doesn’t mean it’s not a good time. It’s a deliciously, wickedly fun ride. The performances are engaging across the board, with Goschler being the standout as the calm, cool, collected, and cold-blooded teen. The cinematography is stunning, with each frame feeling like a painting worthy of the Louvre, and the direction is smart, with wide shots making us feel distanced from these untouchable characters. We never see our characters actually committing violent acts either, which gives us an uneasy sense of plausible deniability. The music choices enhance the film greatly, with a mix of classical tunes that we associate with old money and pretentiousness combined with intense percussion and haunting vocals — sounds you might associate with a jungle.

Veni Vidi Vici is in good — some may even say too crowded — company with its reflection of privilege and class. While it’s far from the best of these films, it’s also far from the worst and refreshingly subverts some expectations. It’s never as deep as it thinks it is (or has the potential to be), but as long as you go in simply wanting a nasty, gorgeous, unhinged ride, you’ll leave the rollercoaster satisfied — and probably a little nauseous, too.

Veni Vidi Vici Veni Vidi Vici is a beautifully shot Austrian satire about class that lacks the conflict to soar. ProsStunning cinematography Clever music choices that enhance the story A powerhouse performance from Olivia Goschler ConsLack of essential conflict Nothing new to add to the conversation about class and privilege

Veni Vidi Vici had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.