It was the busiest year ever for this film fan, and my co-writer Paul Gratton were on the ground hitting as many movies. I know I was even more hardcore than he was as I was doing 5-6 movies a day and risking my health, sleep and coffee addiction to the max! But this is our gameplay at TIFF to see as much as humanly possible, and
We will have more to say over the coming week from this overall experience but for now, we are presenting our respective Top 10’s of TIFF.
As always, note that my Top 10 is only from what I saw at the festival this year so if you wonder “Hey, why isn’t THIS movie on this list”, it’s likely because Paul and I just couldn’t fit it in our crazy schedules! Nevertheless, here we go…..
Jason’s Top Ten of TIFF 2026:
#1. I Play Rocky
Not only was I PLAY ROCKY the most satisfying TIFF experience that I saw at the festival, but this is a strong contender for my favourite movie of 2026. I’m also thrilled to have TWO films from filmmaker Peter Farrelly as my favourite of the festival, as I also awarded GREEN BOOK the best movie of TIFF 2018, where it won the audience award. Sadly the movie didn’t earn that honour this year (it was the first runner up to LA BOLA NEGRA, which I missed at the festival). But anyway. The sheer FUN of experiencing this movie, about the creation of ROCKY with Stallone going up against the studio, its producers and Sly wanting to make his script HIS way features one moving, brilliant scene after another that gets you completely hooked from the start of Anthony Ippolito’s flawless performance, who captures a young Stallone flawessly. He is aided by a terrific supporting cast including AnnaSophia Robb as his encouraging girlfriend, Tracy Letts, Matt Dillon and many more, and I especially want to champion Jay Duplass who has a lot of fun as filmmaker John G. Avildsen. While I feel this should have won the audience award, I’m awarding it my #1 spot as no movie this year has left me more entertained and inspired than this one. It comes out in November, and I can’t wait to see it all over again. And maybe a few more times after that.
#2. Wild Horse Nine
Two aging CIA agents are sent to Easter Island for a mission…but the mission mostly involves Chris (John Malkovich in an Oscar worth performance) in the very last chapter of his life battling an illness, and encouraging his partner Lee (Sam Rockwell) to get rid of him as he’s diagnosed with an illness. This is from filmmaker Martin McDonagh, a favourite of mine, who has also made IN BRUGES, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSIOURI (the last two of which I saw here at previous TIFF’s) and brings his profane, unfiltered approach once again here that adds very easily to his outstanding resume. In the best possible way and as a compliment, I’d also like to see a National Theatre Live production of this material as well. While the movie does take place on an island and that itself is beautiful, the story is ALL talk and about the code of ethics between men who have worked together, and especially asks bigger questions about man’s mortality when he knows a man has little time left in the world. It’s profane, politically incorrect and as always a triumph from McDonagh and another great film to add to his list.
#3. The Only Living Pickpocket In New York
The coolest movie I saw at TIFF this year was Noah Segen’s outstanding second feature (after Blood Relatives in 2002) that makes great comments on the major differences in generations, as an aging pickpocket (John Tuturro) runs into hot water when he steals the wallet of a younger man whose wallet not only is traceable but also contains some pretty binding info to a local crime organization, and the movie is two-fold in how it depicts Tuturro trying to get out of this with his limited experience of newer technology, but also makes great comments on generational divides – and all of this is captured in a beautifully filmed and presented presentation that has a lot of old-school film vibes, from it’s gorgeous lived-in look to just letting Tuturro work is magic along with a terrific and diverse cast. Noah is known to me not just as a solid director, but also a terrific actor that starred in a lot of Rian Johnson pictures and I got to visit with him many years ago at Fantastic Fest, as he was a regular there. He gets tons of great mileage out of this material and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
(This is also TWO in a row for Steve Buscemi, who is also a pivotal character in Wild Horse Nine!)
#4. Club Kid
Jonathan Firstman is a revelation in his debut feature about a club promoter who refuses to grow up and suddenly has a bomb dropped on him in the way of a 10 year old kid who turns out to be his son. Firstman is terrific here in how he lets this all play; as he is also a gay man he keeps trying to reflect on his past and how this could have happened, all the while building a new relationship (a terrific Diego Calva who you may recall from BABYLON). It looks and feels real throughout, all of the characters in and around his life have three dimensions, and it’s absolutely beautiful in the way that both the new father and son dynamic get challenged in both directions. There are many great areas of humour here (an F-bomb shout by th new son is a highlight), and there’s a courtroom scene here that rivals IN THE FAMILY by Patrick Wang as exactly the right way to bring a speech to the big screen, in one of the movie’s final but unforgettable moments. Absolutely not a movie to miss when it comes out this November.
#5. Look Back
The latest film from prolific filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-Eda (Nobody Knows, Broker, Shoplifters just to name a few) delivers one of his very best works here in the story of two young girls from Tokyo who are big into manga and drawing, and strive to be animators in a very competitive society. The movie is beautiful in more ways that one with the relationship between the two girls and where it goes, and I dare not spoil some of the surprises. This is adapted by Manga animator Tatsuki Fujimoto, this was already made as an animated feature (unseen by me) and here, Kore-Eda really brings the friendship to the forefront in a way that even is original for him. It’s a delicate movie with pacing to match, and features some of the most stunning images I have seen all year in this quite original coming-or-age story. I hope this finds an audience with its eventual release from GKIDS.
#6. Love Of Your Life
Featuring one of the best performances of the year by Margaret Qualley in what could arguably be her strongest role to date, the new movie by Rachel Morrison focuses on Qualley as (name here) as she deals with growing up as a nurse and losing her partner due to COVID. At first I was worried the whole movie was going to be set in this era but the movie strongly progresses after this and shows how she deals with coping and loss by “running away”, as it were, to Europe and leaving a lot of people behind. Morrison, who is also known as a gifted cinematographer, completely breaks through here with not letting (name here) off the hook easy, showing the problems she created but also learning from them, and I was also pleased to see all of her male counterparts also have three dimensions and not fall to the male “idiot plot” of some other TIFF entries I saw here this year. Qualley is also wonderfully matched here with the likes of Catherine Keener, Gabriel Basso and Patrick Schwarzenegger in stellar supporting performances as well. My only gripe is not with the movie itself, but the fact this goes straight to Amazon Prime streaming on October 14th; I saw this at the Bell Lightbox in a world class presentation and it demands a big screen presentation.
#7. Tender Loving Care
There were a few rumours circulating that Mike Leigh’s new movie TENDER LOVING CARE could very well be the last movie in his filmography. I certainly hope not, as he is still cranking out one memorable movie every couple of years, and his latest is no exception; this is a quiet but assured drama that a social worker and the relationship with her ailing father and connecting with her best friend, all in Leigh fashion where you feel like you are just dropping in on all of these characters and are allowed to just observe them. Leigh doesn’t pull any stops making comments on the lower and middle class of society, including a stellar opening involving a homeless man trying to use the medical services in London, which leads to a stunning payoff. All of Leigh’s wonderful trademarks are here, from the use of his lead characters to supporting, how his small but notable filmmaking techniques like his quiet but assured music score to the quiet but powerful edits, leading to a stunning finale that left me speechless at the credits rolled. Let’s hope Leigh has a few more movies in him!
#8. Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend
This was the closing gala title of TIFF this year and a true love letter to racing in the vein of FORD V. FERRARI, F1 or even GRAND PRIX – in fact, one of the movie’s opening shots is very similar to the John Frankenheimer classic! Unknown outside of Quebec, Villeneuve was truly a passionate soul who worked his way up from doing snowmobile racing until he desperately wanted to do Formula One racing. Not only are the racing sequences wonderful but even early in the picture you get the added bonus of thrilling snowmobile racing scenes that could have been its own movie. The filmmakers here – Quebec’s Yan Lanouette Turgeon (I remember seeing his title ROCK PAPER SCISSORS many years ago) and producer Christian Larouche (who has a great written coda at the end) among many brilliant minds have created a race picture and rags-to-riches story among the best of them. My only hope is that this becomes accessible to the rest of Canada upon its release and people actually get to see it!
#9. The Debut
A true comedy of manners between two power-houses of Julianne Moore & Paul Giamatti, The Debut asks just how far will you truly go for a great performance? Mona (Julianne Moore) is a woman who gets sucked into theatre as an amateur, and through a bossy theatre director (Giamatti) puts her to the test. What results is one of my favourite sequences in a movie this year where the two have a battle of wits for “training” how Moore should perform, and I overheard a moviegoer shouting “OSCAR!” after that sequence. The levels that Mona goes through to capture this performance, from changing her hair, personal lifestyle and even her overall appearance, all the while distancing herself from her husband and kids is somewhat of a mental breakdown, and after thinking about it for a while this isn’t AS good as director Jesse Eisenberg’s previous feature A REAL PAIN which was on my list of the year’s best films. Still, there’s an incredible amount of talent on display here and some pretty funny messages about how far one will go for a performance.
#10. Fjord
Not just at TIFF, but FJORD has been one of the most debated movies at TIFF this year. For this film fan, I felt Christin Mungiu’s new movie about a conservative family being thrown through an emotional rollercoaster in a new town that does not share their values, especially when one of their kids makes a very religious pass at someone else’s sexual orientation, is a slow-burn but very engrossing piece of work where you don’t have to agree with either side, but simply get involved in the proceedings. Speaking of which; there’s a long and extended courtroom sequence that takes place with the Norwegian coastline and mountains behind them and I felt oddly relaxed watching it with all of the surroundings behind them. It’s an odd comment, sure, but we get to bask in this beautiful back-drop that reminded me of the beauty of my home province of British Columbia at the same time. It didn’t make my Top 10 for THAT, however. It made the list because I didn’t even know a totally unrecognizable Sebastian Stan was in the movie until the credits rolled.
Paul Gratton’s Top 10 of TIFF:
Paul Gratton’s Top 10 is posted below, but in alphabetical order! I agree with all of his picks (although I did not get to see Minotaur, Possible Love or Elsinore due to my crazy schedule) and he too had a very prolific festival and checking out many movies from all different backgrounds:
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been
Barry Avrich delivers an infectious and affectionate tribute to a largely unsung singer whose career was essentially sabotaged by the egotistical machinations of Phil Spector. He kept her under contract and gave credit to others for her incredible voice work over many years as part of his “wall of sound” shtick. She did get to front the successful Crystals group for some years, but saw very few financial returns from such songs as “River Deep, Mountain High” which she helped create. She successfully sued Spector late in life for a tiny fraction of what he owed her but this feature helps restore her rightful place in music history as well as celebrating her indomitable spirit. Clip-rich, as always with Avrich musical docs (Oscar Peterson: Black+ White). Winner of the People’s Choice Award for Best documentary.
The Debut
Over-praised third feature from Jesse Eisenberg tells the story of a mousy mother of two who finds her inner power when she gets a role in a local playhouse musical. Her immediate transformation into an annoying method actor after a kumbaya moment during rehearsal never rings true and is painted in overly broad comic strokes. However, the scene of Julianne Moore unleashing a lifetime of repressed inner rage at being taken for granted will probably get her another Oscar nomination. But the truly great performance in this one is by Paul Giamatti who is note perfect as the director who brings out the best in his troupe. The parody scenes of musicals is cleverly written by Eisenberg himself. Too bad he did not allow the mother’s transformation to evolve more credibly.
Elsinore
An Oscar nomination for Best Actor is almost guaranteed for Andrew Scott, who plays actor Ian Charleson (of Chariots of Fire fame) courageously portraying Hamlet in the weeks leading up to his passing away from AIDS. He had replaced Daniel Day-Lewis who famously stomped off stage mid-scene during a performance at the National Theatre. Very moving. Winner of the International People’s Award.
Fjord
Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, this is a film that smacks you right dab in the middle of the culture wars. A deeply religious family emigrates to Norway with five children. They do not let their children engage in social media and believe in spanking as a form of discipline, when the one of the girls shows up at school with some bruising, the state intervenes and takes the children from the parents, resulting in a very public courtroom battle. Both sides are shown as being stubborn, didactic and self-righteous, but taking kids away from obviously loving parents does tilt the argument against the well intentioned but busy-body progressives. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are very believable as the aggrieved parents, and the film obviously cuts to the core of the essence of the culture wars raging in the States. A film that will elicit much debate, but is essential viewing from master director Cristian Mungiu.
I Play Rocky
A total crowd-pleasing retelling of how Sly Stallone turned Rocky into a surprise low-budget success story by insisting that he star in his own script, about a loser who believes in himself and takes a chance trying to become a champion boxer. Very funny and fast-paced script and an amazing Oscar-bound performance by Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone. Some critics have dismissed this as being overly sentimental, but that is the whole point. It’s like attacking a comedy because it’s funny. Just as audiences rooted for Rocky Balboa to beat the odds in the ring, audiences will cheer on Sly as he tries to beat the gate-keepers in Hollywood. A film about the little guy winning, against all odds.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney
This is a hilarious pastiche of clips from tv news, campaign ads, game shows and convention floors, as Canadian provocateur Matthew Rankin takes another skewed journey though Canadian history (see The Twentieth Century) this time showing how charm and sheer Irish blarney helped Brian Mulroney, the boy from Baie-Comeau, unite the conservatives from Quebec with the western wing of the party. Diefenbaker’s profound disdain for Mulroney, seeing him as little more than a bull-shit artist is very amusing. People over 40 who remember the era will love this. What the younger generation/midnight madness crowd will make of any of this is anybody’s guess. Who says Canadian politics are dull? Winner of the People’s Choice Midnight Madness award.
Minotaur
This remake of Claude Chabrol’s La femme infidèle is simply brilliant. Chabrol dispassionately dissected the amorality of the bourgeoisie by telling the story of a man who gets away with murder when he discovers his wife has been cheating on him. Winner of the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, ex-pat Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev transplants the story to Putin’s Russia, as an influential industrialist suspects his beautiful wife of cheating. At the same time, he must deal with Putin’s forced conscription, having to identify a fixed quota of his workers (he gets to choose the most expendable, for his operations to continue to succeed) for service on the front lines in the war in Ukraine. A brilliant indictment of the Russian ruling class, but a more general broadside against any system that perpetuates a ruling class based on cronyism and self-interest. Trump’s America is equally explained by this film. A TIFF highlight.
Possible Love
Winner of the Silver Bear Award at the Venice Film Festival and Korea’s entry in the Oscars, this is a wise but slow-building contemplation of two couples from different socio-economic strata who unite when the upper-class wife decides to do a documentary on the labour movement and strike action when workers are laid off at a heavy industrial firm. She befriends a working class couple that have gone through hard times, with the laid-off husband especially damaged from his inability to fend for his family. The poor couple and their son are invited to spend a vacation at the rich couple’s family home in the country, and the holiday devolves as deep truths are revealed. The film is astute and accurate in its observations and builds to a moving climax. At two hours and forty-five minutes, non festival audiences may find it slow.
Tender Loving Care
Movingly human kitchen sink British drama may be Mike Leigh’s final film, as it looks at the difficult lives of two social workers in middle age, one of who has to cope with a father’s onset of dementia. The actors are allowed to live and breathe their characters in richly detailed scenes and the final shot of the film explains the title in uncompromising terms.
The Violinist
If you can overlook some of the choppy body movements, this is a lovely animation film that won the Best Feature award at the Annecy Animation festival earlier this year. An aging violinist explains why she insists on playing the same old instrument as she flashes back to her youthful friendship with Fei in 1930s Singapore. When the Japanese invade Singapore, the two friends are separated by fate and history, but Kai has never given up hope of reuniting with her long-lost soul-mate. A moving final concert scene is beautifully rendered.
