I watch so many movies at the Toronto International Film Festival that I hardly have time to write in-depth about them….but I DO take my notes! For the 2026 edition, along with our feature reactions and my Top 10 of the fest along with Paul, I also present my notes of (nearly) everything I am seeing! Read below and watch for updates throughout and after TIFF 2026!
TIFF Reactions from A to Z:
Alpha Gang
The TIFF Lowdown: Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, and Cate Blanchett star in the Zellner brothers’ look at an alien gang coming to Earth to conquer, but finding the human world has a plague they weren’t ready for.
Reaction: Reaction: As with David Zellner’s recent Sasquatch Sunset, the movies that he makes with brother Nathan Zellner have really went from cool SxSW indie to bewildering over the last few years. For ME? I couldn’t stand a single frame of this noisy, overstuffed and confusing Alien invasion comedy that seems like it wants to irritate more than entertain. The premise of an “Alpha Gang” being outsmarted by a “Beta Gang” (led by Cate Blanchett of all people) just didn’t grab my attention and the garish look of the costumes and planet is like a mixture of 50’s Greaser uniforms and crazy amounts of makeup.
I know there’s an audience out there. It just isn’t me. ALPHA GANG only has one kinda-cool dance sequence with Cate Blanchett and a scant few funny lines here and there. And I really admire the grand, diverse cast giving their best. And yet none of this worked for me and I left the auditorium feeling cheated by an overblown and incredibly hyper-violent finale. Still, this might find a small but dedicated cult following for all of its oddities. Just don’t invite me to come watch it again if it does.
Bedford Park
The TIFF Lowdown: This powerful and raw feature debut from writer-director Stephanie Ahn explores the complexities of diasporic experience through a chance encounter between two thirtysomething, second-generation Korean Americans. Tracking their relationship as it moves from circumstantial to friendly to romantic, Bedford Park brings deeper insight to what it means to self-actualize between cultures.
Reaction: I had a somewhat mixed reaction to BEDFORD PARK as the first act played out. I was thinking to myself where this was going? Some of the sexually suggestive scenes involving BDSM and even more casual sexual encounters threw me at the start. Slowly but surely, the characters started to grow on me and a lot of the storyline about moving forward despite a difficult past feels authentic as filmmaker Stephanie Ahn isn’t afraid to take risks in showing the faults, but also the good parts, of all of her characters.
Overall it worked for me VERY well even after getting to a somewhat rough start; the two leads, Son Sukku & Moon Choi are really solid here and effective. Some of the extreme language and sexual content, which MIGHT be a little strong for some viewers, really worked for me as I felt we were peeking behind the curtain. In addition, the New Jersey setting also has a strong character of its own too and I feel like we rarely see this part of the world with New York so close by and featured in so many movies at Toronto this year. That it also has a perfect use of a Fleetwood Mac song at the end was also a highlight for me. Sony Pictures Classics has this title and I believe is coming out early next year, and I really want to see it again just to appreciate all of the lovely little details.
The Betrayers
The TIFF Lowdown: In adapting his own literary prize-winner, Toronto’s David Bezmozgis delivers a deft political thriller about the limits of love and loyalty.
Reaction: At first I thought this was going to be a documentary about the Ukraine invasion by Russia based on the very real footage we see at the start and then cutting to actual footage of the time right before the Russian invasion, and then the movie takes us to a dramatic narrative that is very close to that time, which comes off as a bit unsettling. For the most part, this is a character study of a politician facing his problems before a much more major event is going to happen. I felt the pacing was pretty good and some of the acting especially is solid, and it has some solid political messages. I’m not sure where this movie is headed after TIFF and feel it might go straight to a streamer, but check this out if it opens near you.
Bitter Christmas
The TIFF Lowdown: With noirish hues and telenovela twists, the latest from Oscar-winning maestro Pedro Almodóvar (TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door) follows a pair of self-centred film directors exploring grief, love, and the perils of unchecked artistic license.
Reaction: A kind of a lighter, smaller Almodovar movie, especially considering he was here a few years ago with the english language The Room Next Door with Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton & John Tuturro. Here, he is back on his own turf with more of a soap opera drama involving the addiction and mental health issues with two women (one of whom who is getting back into the screenwriting vibe), and another writer who is putting together a story. The movie cuts back and forth from him writing a book and the flashback sequences, not all it totally working on every front, but there are some good performances and the standard Pedro look of pushed colors and widescreen framing is effective here. Not sure if I would see this again and it may need a different title to work in its eventual release, but if you are an Almodovar fan this is obviously required viewing.
Bucking Fastard
The TIFF Lowdown: Director Werner Herzog and real-life sisters Kate and Rooney Mara enliven the story of siblings who speak as one, fall in love with the same person, and eventually spiral.
Reaction: Werner Herzog has usually been a pretty safe bet with this director-loving moviegoer and yet with this wacko movie about two sisters who speak almost entirely at the same time and have such a bizarre world around them, including a strange landlord. The movie picks up a bit when it turns into a variation on his CAVES OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS doc at the end, but then the film ends so abruptly that it just left me underwhelmed. The Mara sisters seem to be having a lot of fun here (and I seemed to always be staring at Rooney more than Kate) and you may find more out of this than I did, and more power to you of course. And perhaps I was just exhausted as I saw this at the end of the festival. That said, I’m also not sure who the intended audience is here and feel that no one will come to see it when it eventually does get a theatrical release, but might find some sort of weird cult following.
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been
The TIFF Lowdown: Stars like Bruce Springsteen, Cher, and Dionne Warwick sing the praises of an underappreciated musical icon in this high-spirited and warm-hearted portrait from Canadian director Barry Avrich (Oscar Peterson: Black + White, TIFF ’21).
Reaction: Filmmaker Barry Avarich is no stranger to TIFF and the documentary front, with his latest doc THE ROAD BETWEEN US earning the documentary audience award at the Festival last year. He never seems to stop as he already has a new doc this year, this time a loving tribute to Darlene Love, one of my all time favourite singers who was one of the legendary backup vocals that brought much love to me as a kid. Then she was also Mrs. Murtaugh in the LETHAL WEAPON series!
Throughout, you can feel Avrich’s passion for Darlene Love here as he fully breaks down her life story, right from her early years as a backup singer. The movie also wisely mentions 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, Morgan Neville’s terrific doc about Love and other background singers of her time that should have been in the limelight. Some of my favourite sequences in this documentary involve Love’s return to fame, especially in a sequence where she once appears on David Letterman singing her famous Christmas song “Baby Please Come Home”…then doing it again for the next 28 years. This is just one of the many joys of her career and I even held back a few tears seeing her inducted into the Rock ’N Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Avrich is no stranger to closely following his subjects, with the likes of David Foster, Oscar Petersen and even Cineplex Odeon’s Garth Drabinsky as topics. The movie is very much a talking head/clip show style of documentary but in a GOOD way, as we get a treasure trove of old Darlene Love clips with really passionate interviews and background, showcasing the very difficult but eventually legendary life of a great woman. This nearly two hour doc is VERY in-depth and even overwhelming at times, but not in a bad way. I do see a successful run for this one when it does get released, and this is absolutely best experienced with an audience!
Everest: The Other Side
The TIFF Lowdown: Professional ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson seek to ski down the North Face of Mount Everest, a feat never achieved, as the Oscar-winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, TIFF ’18) follow their journey, shooting for the IMAX screen.
Reaction: From the filmmakers behind Free Solo, this is a pretty entertaining and somewhat fascinating doc on Mr. Morrison and his team peaking Everest….and then skiing DOWN Everest right after. A pretty easy task, right? A lot of this works as we learn about how Morrison lost his family in a tragic aircraft accident and all of the struggles that he had to endure and coming back to climbing again after a long break from the action. All of the challenges of doing the Everest climb are presented with beautiful mountain cinematography along with intimate POV footage from Morrison and Chin’s perspectives which keeps it interesting, although if I can offer a criticism, it’s that some of the POV footage along with the personal interviews (which really should have been shot wider and more at a distance) can also be disorienting if seen from too close in an IMAX presentation. Still, if you are a fan of the filmmaker’s output (I remember meeting Chai Varslethyi at SxSW many years ago and she is one of the kindest filmmakers you will meet on the circuit) and like how it balances the intimate along with the grand, this can be a very satisfying experience. This is coming out in late October from National Geographic Films.
The Final Act
The TIFF Lowdown: Quebec’s Sophie Deraspe returns to the Festival with a philosophical and intimate look at the many profound issues surrounding both death and medically assisted dying in an extraordinary documentary.
Reaction: WOW! Another outstanding film from WFF favourite Sophie Deraspe, who is no stranger to this festival for winning four awards for ANTIGONE and VITAL SIGNS (both WFF titles) and the more recent SHEPHERDS. This can be a very hard movie to watch for anyone who has experienced loss and especially with the controversy over MAID and its pros and cons, but this can also open some pretty tough discussion on the subject. And yet Deraspe takes a really beautiful, lyrical approach to the entire setting and looks at many perspectives, from the patients themselves (some of whom do not even mind being filmed by Deraspe and her filmmakers, one even remarks that it’s better than being alone) to the palliative care workers and care-givers. After going through many slow-burn submissions over many subjects and backgrounds, it is wonderful to see such a fully realized movie that takes beautiful time and care on its subject. Some of the shot selections, use of music and transitions here are absolutely world-class and some of the best I have seen in Canadian cinema all year. A true masterwork.
God Bless You, Mr. Kopu
The TIFF Lowdown: A charismatic salesman promises wealth, success, and a fresh start — but at what cost? Alex Liu’s wildly entertaining debut blends dark comedy, social satire, and a propulsive thriller into a sharp exploration of ambition and identity.
Reaction: Reaction: A New Zealand comedy with teeth, God Bless You Mr. Kopu starts off tough with a man who is trying to find work and eventually finds it in a door to door salesman. He then takes on a “mentor” of sorts who takes his life in a very different direction with quite unusual twists.
This works really well thanks to the lead performance from Simon Rex (who was also great in Sean Baker’s Red Rocket from a few years ago) and who balances off our lead Mofu, who is also played very well here by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi; he starts out very nervous and awkward but then builds his own confidence. The final act involving trying to win over an older man in a mansion goes kind of wildly out of control for a bit too long, but the twists and turns here are quite funny and make up for it.
Where this movie goes next, especially to North American cinemas, is a bit of a mystery to me but it might do well in a limited release in North America.
Half
The TIFF Lowdown: Twin half-blooded vampires (Ranjith Sajeev and Aiswarya Raj) wage war with desert highway hijackers in a gory martial arts curry western from writer-director Samjad and choreographer Very Tri Yulisman (The Raid 2, The Night Comes for Us).
Reaction: One of the Midnight Madness titles at TIFF this year, this Mad Max lite story mostly takes place in a desert with, as the description also notes, two half-blooded vampires trying to get back at a bunch of hijackers. The movie definitely earns its R/18a rating with a crazy amount of gore, dismemberment and some pretty graphic fight scenes not for the squeamish. Having it mostly set in the desert gives it that George Miller vibe like I mentioned earlier, and that’s not a bad thing. And even though this is from India this movie does not fall under the tradition of being a long epic with an interval; this is a lean, mean 95 minutes action movie including credits that doesn’t totally overstay its welcome.
Head To Head
The TIFF Lowdown: Iranian filmmaker Ghasideh Golmakani’s absurd and sharply satirical debut feature explores what happens when a female director forces male actors to wear skirts and headscarves.
Reaction: The funny opening few shots of Head To Head immediately grabbed me because it set the tone for something that I was not expecting – a “cross dressing” parody of sorts that puts a group of men to dress in women’s clothes in Iran, and simply records them interacting and living their day to day lives. The movie takes quite a bit of time “out on the road” as it were as the lead female filmmaker and her male subjects have quite the extended match of wits. The main subject of the movie in how women are portrayed by male Iranian filmmakers will probably stir up discussion; it gets a little too honest, if you know what I mean…..but it’s necessary.
Head To Head mixes some light comedy with good drama here and even with the low budget and more consumer grade cameras used and featured here, it still looks stunning on the big screen. I know the foreign film audiences at TIFF will find something to admire here, and at a quick 78 minutes the movie has a good pace that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Ladies & Gentelmen, Brian Mulroney
The TIFF Lowdown: This kaleidoscopic culture jam from visionary filmmaker Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century, Universal Language) details the rise of Canada’s 18th prime minister through a satirical collage of archival footage, television nostalgia, and national mythmaking.
Reaction: To me, Matthew Rankin is a Canadian treasure and should be on the same level as Matt Johnson (Tony, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie) right now. From the brilliant UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE a few years ago to the TIFF Midnight Madness favourite THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, and even a few great short films, this National Film Board of Canada doc presents Conservative Leader Mr. Mulroney in a delirious mix of archival footage, 16mm animation (by Rankin himself), and spot-on spoofs of Can-Con culture to show a very different time of our political climate that can echo into the current structure of our government today.
Premiering at Midnight Madness here at TIFF is absolutely wild to me, but Rankin’s The Twentieth Century also showed in the Madness series many years ago to acclaim so he’s welcome back here anytime. I’m also thrilled that it is with the National Film Board of Canada, who Rankin gives a LOT of love here with what I think is every NFB logo ever featured in one way or another throughout this documentary.
Whenever it comes out in Canada, find it, take friends and have a great time. I can’t believe I had this reaction, but here we are!
Long Long Night
The TIFF Lowdown: This deeply moving debut from Kyu Bock Youm is a radiantly detailed animation chronicling the peripatetic lives of a rhino and a penguin as they traverse a vast, ever-changing wilderness brimming with natural beauty and human-generated danger.
Reaction: I wanted to see this one on a whim as I love seeing animated titles while at TIFF (remember that FLOW is my favourite movie of 2024 and I saw that here), and this import from South Korea features a rather unique relationship between the last rhino of his kind and the relationship he builds with an adorable penguin. It’s a solid road trip meets coming of age story between the two, and the animation here has such a fluent effect with the humans having a photo-realistic look along with eye popping colors and visuals throughout. I would feel that if this ever made it to North American cinemas that an English dubbed version would have to be made available, and some of the subject matter in here IS rather intense and not sure if it will entirely be suitable for younger kids; there is quite a bit of fart and poop humour that might not work with the younger set, but I also think kids will love the look and feel, and adult animation fans like myself will love it.
Mr Nelson: Did You Kill People?
The TIFF Lowdown: Cult Japanese filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto directs acclaimed Broadway actor Rodney Hicks and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush in a harrowing, visceral, and morally urgent portrait of Vietnam veteran Allen Nelson.
Reaction: I admit I am unfamiliar with the directors work as much as I should be, but one thing I noticed is the jarring and somewhat uncomfortable depiction of the violence amidst the great acting work. This might be his intention but I found it a bit too much at times.
Still, this is worth seeing just for the presence of Rodney Hicks (MIGHTY OAKS) as he is a revelation. He deeply channels the soul of a Vietnam vet and the absolute hell he had to go through, along with the repercussions of what he must live with and the aftermath. One scene that stands out involves him going to his son’s classroom to talk about the war, and the decision was made to just have score play and watch the reactions of the students. There’s also solid support from Geoffrey Rush as a therapist (just his presence alone is welcome) and was surprised to see Tatyana Ali (from Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame!) as the wife.
That was great and while I felt not all of it worked – some of the gore in the movie felt unnecessary and there are some odd transitions between scenes – the movie works thanks to Rodney Hicks’ incredible performance and the tough subject. This movie is in acquisition phase as of right now (and may I suggest changing the title) and not sure where it is headed next, but we will update this page when it does.
Nobody’s Violence
The TIFF Lowdown: Larissa Corriveau delivers a striking performance as an enigmatic death-dealer in this bold, bracing, and Buñuelian feature by Denis Côté.
Reaction: A decidedly slow burn of a movie that has such a grungy, lived in film look (right down to the excessive film grain and dirt in the gate), this has a really stunning lead performance by Larissas Corriveau, who I believe I have never seen before in a movie but I hope to see more of, as a really mysterious woman who helps people out with euthanasia! The movie gets very odd and more strange as she moves to each different person, and the pacing of the movie stays somewhat the same. The movie comes from acclaimed Quebec filmmaker Denis Cote, who is a bit unfamiliar to me but here has a complete focus on character and showing the really odd parts of life (I don’t know why, but a sequence of a dog eating his food really close up made me miss my dog of many years). I really had to stick with it as this is mostly a movie that watches and absorbs our lead, but as the movie progressed and we learn more of Mira as the movie goes along, it becomes pretty rewarding viewing for Quebec cinema fans.
Once Upon A Time In Harlem
The TIFF Lowdown: Conceived in 1972 by legendary filmmaker William Greaves and completed 50 years later by his son David, Once Upon a Time in Harlem is an essential work of living archive, documenting a lively gathering of luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance during a cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s home.
Reaction: Watching this doc is something of a miracle and a delight that just slowly reveals itself with its intentions and ultimately keeps building and building. The viewer is taken on a journey of a dinner party but it’s the idea we are in jazz legend Duke Ellingtons home makes it all the more fascinating.
Watching all of these people in one room interacting is such fascinating material on itself. You see intellectuals connecting on a real level in the way that I don’t feel people would anymore. Everyone would just be on their phones or doing things for social media. More, at times when we are listening to conversations I also was looking around the house and fascinated with all the history of what was around them in the apartment. How much history, articles, books and items were really there? If time travel existed I’d want to crash this party just to look around and maybe borrow a book or two.
A complete time capsule of history that is such required viewing, and it’s true amazing that David Greaves was also able to pull it off in such a fascinating and entertaining fashion. Neon has this in the US and Photon in Canada and I see a nice little release with this one! Check it out when it opens in your city.
Paradise Lost
The TIFF Lowdown: A bus full of children mysteriously vanishes. When an altered version of a grieving mother’s son returns years later, she must grapple with the technologically revised reality she has created in this sharp thriller from Yeon Sang-ho.
Reaction: From the director of Train To Busan, one of my favourite South Korean titles of the last few years, comes back with a slightly more intimate story about creating an AI version of your child after he died in a bus accident. The program itself is called Children of Paradise, which is what I feel the title of the movie should be although that IS the title of a classic film so maybe it’s better not to get the classic movie buffs confused. But getting back to Paradise Lost; this is quite a fascinating subject to consider as the technology is so photo-realistic and something that could actually come down the pipeline into reality, and the movie has quite a few things to say about technology along with some pretty creative twists and turns throughout. WellGo USA has this one for distribution and I see a very good small release in North America for this one. Even though I mentioned it isn’t as intense as the Yeon Sang-Ho’s Train To Busan, this is still rewarding viewing that takes a chance.
Phoolan
The TIFF Lowdown: In the heartland of India, a young Phoolan Devi becomes one of the most famous outlaws in Indian history and the target of 2,000 heavily armed men sent to kill her over a gruelling 48-hour siege.
Reaction: Canadian-Indian filmmaker Richie Mehta, forever a fan from the likes of AMAL and Siddharth, is back with a Hindi-language action feature that is based on a true story of Phoolan (played well here by NAME HERE) who, along with two other helpers escape the Indian police on foot. Lead actress Sneha is terrific here and so are the two men accompanying her on her mission. The movie jumps over several time frames from 1979 to 1981 throughout the conflict, and I knew the movie had me when the leads could not find any water and the resolution to this made me gasp out loud.
This movie has Amazon/MGM behind it and appears to be an Amazon Prime original, and as always I wish these movies get theatrical release even if it’s a few theatres before its streaming debut. Though I was thrown all over the place with the story framing I was still very engaged at this very pro-woman story that I hope audiences get to discover.
Rogue Trooper
The TIFF Lowdown: Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Warcraft), this outlandish animated adaptation of the influential British comic book follows a clone soldier bred for an interstellar forever-war and his fallen comrades whose personalities live on within his gun, helmet, and backpack.
Reaction: While I have loved Duncan Jones’ earlier works like Moon and Source Code, over the years his gaming ways tended to stand out a bit more and I was underwhelmed by WARCRAFT. Nothing prepared me for Rogue Trooper which is another entry in the “not for me, but probably for you if you’re a gamer” series of films. I actually quite appreciated what was on screen visually – it has a lot of big widescreen spectacle (an early shot of an explosion and a crane flying towards a character was a real exciting highlight) and I can tell from the VERY long credits that Jones had a big team behind him in full support, I also just kind of lost interest at one point. There’s a big action scene with guns shooting everywhere and not seeming to actually HIT anything, and it even has a surprising level of violence and gore that will put off younger gamers (I see it with a VERY heavy 18a rating where I live). Again, this is a movie I appreciate and I congratulate all of the filmmakers for a technically well crafted movie, but one that I think is for gamers and gamer-movie fans only.
Run Terry Run
The TIFF Lowdown: This intimate and inspiring portrait from filmmaker Sean Menard (TIFF ’17’s The Carter Effect) draws upon never-before-seen footage to reveal the arduous process and profound commitment behind Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
Reaction: It’s quite fitting to think that there is both a documentary on both Terry Fox AND Rick Hansen at TIFF this year, as both feature terrific Canadians out to change the world in accessibility, a subject that is STILL an issue today. Whereas the Rick Hansen doc is a satisfying experience that feels a bit more traditional in its approach (NOT a bad thing, see my reaction to that one), filmmaker Sean Menard uses a similar approach in his terrific 299 QUEEN STREET WEST doc (about the history of the long-gone MuchMusic right around the corner from the place I am writing this) where it is primarily featuring ONLY footage from Terry Fox’s life and work with interviews where you only hear the participant and see their title on screen as it plays. I love the approach here as you can focus on the footage and let it wash over you, and in the case of Terry Fox it is truly a fascinating way to experience his life in complete form in the very short time before his sad death in 1981 after his run across Canada ended in Ontario. I absolutely loved seeing the restored footage and especially how his journey inspired the entire country, and it’s a loving tribute to a deeply passionate man who is still known by all ages to this very day.
Seventeen
The TIFF Lowdown: Seventeen follows the intersecting lives of three young, queer, Indigenous sex workers in gritty downtown Vancouver over 17 hours as they face significant challenges. First-time feature director and writer Justin Ducharme handles each character with care and sensitivity, and the authenticity radiates off the screen.
Reaction: This indigenous feature I feel could actually help people, especially for Canadian film audiences as it realistically features a group of characters all searching for something in Vancouver and a system that is all against them, especially in this expensive economic climate. The movie features many characters all trying to break through and make change but both the city and economy are all up against them.
As someone very familiar with Vancouver and its city core, Seventeen is very authentic in its lower-ecomonic lives in a VERY expensive economy. The young boy trying to survive with rent and doing school work at the same time feels all too real for me growing up, and another story of a woman getting her passport back actually got me involved. This is a much smaller film playing at TIFF and I do know this may fall through the cracks with audiences searching for bigger movies here, but I am hoping that it finds a small but dedicated audience here at the festival.
Smudge The Blades
The TIFF Lowdown: A fresh take on the underdog sports film, centring on an Indigenous hockey team in Northern Alberta, from actor and director Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, TIFF ’23) and starring Ed Helms, Jana Schmieding, and Paulina Alexis.
Reaction: A pretty decent underdog story from the guy who impressed a couple of years ago with Hey, Viktor! a couple of years ago. In that movie, Cody Lightning was trying to get in on the success of Smoke Signals and here he’s pretty delightful as a Zamboni driver that lucks into become the coach of a struggling team. It takes a while to get going, but once we see the team actually try and make something of themselves and we see a lot of the hardships around their lives and families, the movie surprisingly becomes something more, about living in a small town and people with bigger dreams than what they are given. Many of the kids in the movie feel all too real with actual struggles, which is refreshing to see. Cody Lightning leads a terrific cast of misfit players, and Ed Helms has a small but notable role here as the disgraced coach. I don’t know if I like the title, however, and DO think that should be changed before this movie eventually makes its way to a more limited release in Canada.
Still Night, Burning House
The TIFF Lowdown: A once-close family comes together to say goodbye to an uncle who struggled with mental health issues, in award-winning short filmmaker Carol Nguyen’s tender and emotional feature-length documentary debut.
Reaction: A telling look at what happens after a family’s uncle dies, Still Night, Burning House has a kind of Edward Yang style of documentary filming here as it’s so natural and beautiful on the effect a family’s death has on several generations. Filmmaker Carol Nguyen carefully shows us still photos, hand-written notes, narration and scenes of family bonding that is a dedicated slow-burn that is absolutely stunning throughout, leading to a beautiful finale on a beach that has this low-light effect that is beyond stunning and left a great impression on me as the credits rolled. I loved how it showed a delicate balance on generations reacting to this particular loss and where it will lead them down the road. Even at its 75 minute run-time this movie has a grand scope and I even wish it would go on a little bit longer just so I could stay with these subjects.
As always, my concern for National Film Board documentaries is to get these seen by people in Canada and I’m hoping there can be some kind of light release into specially cinemas down the road so people can see it. I always admire these personal stories of family strife and getting through loss, and even though some of the material here can be really hard to watch at times, it does come off as very rewarding.
Strong Son
The TIFF Lowdown: A bodybuilder struggles to keep it together as he cares for his elderly father in this perceptive and deeply felt drama by Winnipeg’s Ian Bawa.
Reaction: A surprisingly effective, Winnipeg based drama about a man named Harvey (Mandeep Sodhi) who looks to be big and strong on the outside but has a crippling mental health condition on the inside, all the while having to care for his father. Harvey is trying to be a professional wrestler while also being a security guard and the cracks certainly show on the surface as he tries to be better. Everyone around him tries to help including a co-worker (played here by Canadian favourite Micheala Kurminsky from FIRECRACKERS & SWEET ANGEL BABY) despite problems persisting.
I even liked the technical aspect of condensing the aspect ratio once Harvey realizes he has to care for his father, the image goes to 4×3 which boxes in our protagonist and his struggle to fight his way out, and the movie does not take any easy turns or lets Harvey off the hook with his dad. As with most Canadian movies at this or any festival, I really hope this one finds an audience; it’s a smaller title for sure but worth seeking out.
Turtle Island Rap
The TIFF Lowdown: The bumpy road to success experienced by three aspiring Indigenous hip-hop artists is the focus of Alexandra Lazarowich’s (Fast Horse) verité-style feature documentary debut.
Reaction: A fun and lively documentary which also has some tough moments at times; TURTLE ISLAND RAP follows three up and coming artists as well as their personal upbringing through their respective families. It’s really interesting to see the process here and how it impacts those around them, and even shows rejection and how people go through their own personal demons to make the next step. I was also pleased to see the filmmaker, Alexandra Lazarowhich, take the approach in a natural way and I was so pleased to see so much natural connection on screen when the cameras are running, from looking at both the positives and negatives of this industry from a coming-of-age standpoint, arriving at a very positive final few notes featuring hope for its struggling subjects. This is a Crave Original also released by Photon in Canada, a solid doc that I also hope sees a few special theatrical screenings to get audiences engaged and spread the word.
Union Town
The TIFF Lowdown: Barbara Kopple (TIFF ’76’s Harlan County, U.S.A.) looks at three crucial labour battles as they unfold in New York City involving workers from UPS, Amazon, and deliveristas for DoorDash and GrubHub.
Reaction: Reaction: This doc hit me very hard as I truly care about the working class and striving to do good work with a livable wage – something that shouldn’t be so hard to come by, but it is. It focuses on the New York section of delivery drivers from UPS, Amazon to even app-based drivers and all of their problems with their respective unions and trying to figure out an ever-changing future. This is not an easy topic and it really made me feel for all the people living paycheque to paycheque. I loved how Kopple (a veteran filmmaker who has everything from music docs to narrative features AND an Oscar under her belt) flawlessly breaks down all the situations in ways that really made me connect with all the material. The frustrations I have with people just trying to do their work to provide is so strong here, and I also liked how it also focuses on Amazon’s issues with their delivery drivers and how automation is slowly starting to replace everything.
Note that there is another doc out there on the festival circuit I have also seen called WHO MOVES AMERICA which is also about a UPS strike but focuses on unions in central US. If you are in Vancouver and attending the Vancouver International Film Festival, this doc is playing here and worth seeing!
The Ultra Runner
The TIFF Lowdown: For Tiberiu Uşeriu, every step that he takes when competing in some of the world’s most gruelling sports events is part of a longer journey. Indeed, however astonishing it is to witness an exhausted, frost-bitten Uşeriu pushing forward for days without sleep and testing the limits of human endurance as an ultramarathon competitor, The Ultra Runner presents a life story that may be even more incredible.
Reaction: A visually solid doc that can also pair with other docs at TIFF including Rick Hansen and Terry Fox, this is a beautiful widescreen presentation and one of the most involving documentaries I saw at the festival this year. Mixing gorgeous photography with intimate footage of the lead subject, Tibi, he pushes himself very hard as an endurance test (I just couldn’t believe the lengths he went to), this mixes stunning doc footage with flashback footage showing this man’s really bizarre and unpredictable story that I dare not reveal here and want audiences to discover for themselves. There are some really shocking scenes here, including one in particular where he loses a toe, but it is a showcase of a man whose destiny, as one interview mentions, “is to run”. I am hoping this continues down the fest circuit to awards and acclaim as this really needs to find an audience. And do NOT miss this on the big screen if you can.
Up Against It
The TIFF Lowdown: Post-marital acrimony and parental devotion make strange bedfellows in Trudie Styler’s wicked comedy, starring Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas (TIFF ’19’s Pain and Glory) and Eva Birthistle (TIFF ’05’s Imagine Me & You) as co-parenting divorcees faced with an indecent proposal.
Reaction: Though at first this screamed “Illness TV movie of the week”, there’s a truly wonderful performance by young Eden Hamilton who is so no-nonsense and a firecracker as a young girl who has a horrible illness that can only be cured by her parents (Antonio Banderas and name here) having another child, even though they are currently separated. Many of the young cancer cliches are here including a scene of shaving your head, but thankfully the entire cast here is game to elevate the material, and even I will admit I was emotionally wrung out by the drama. It’s not perfect and far from a Top 10 of the festival, but an entertaining family drama that I think will do well when it eventually hits cinemas.
The Violinist
The TIFF Lowdown: Winner of this year’s Annecy Cristal award, this intimate animation about two violinists in Singapore circa WWII highlights the healing power of music while pulling heartstrings.
Reaction: The animation style here is a simple effect that looks hand-drawn but possibly made through Blender, and it takes a while to get used to but ultimately has such a smoothing, relaxing effect as it also tells a pretty haunting story of people trying to survive in the Japanese-Sino war prior to WWII. For animation fans, this is wonderful and even a good history film for younger animation fans to discover.
This is a tough story to tell, so animation is essential here. I loved the transitions that drew red over a war map as the movie progressed through its time to symbolize the occupation, and there are some haunting moments of war also present. I was particularly impressed with a scene of one of the leads running away from a bombing where you felt the connection deeply.
And of course, the MUSIC! I sure hope whatever theatre you see it in takes care of its sound system, and ask to play it loud. The film’s final moments, which I dare not reveal, shed a few tears as it brings everything together in a cinematic, visual and aural presentation that is near perfect. I know this will have a successful release even if in limited markets, and I just hope that theatres will pump up their sound systems for maximum impact. This is a winner in every way.
We Are All Strangers
The TIFF Lowdown: Anthony Chen, a Festival favourite and the helmer behind Ilo Ilo, reunites with muses Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler in an emotionally charged drama about a constructed family to close his “Growing Up” trilogy.
Reaction: Reaction: I never thought I would use the term “relaxing” for such an epic character study, but here we are. Moment after moment, Chen’s look and design is stunning in how it lets just feel like we are right in the moment with the characters. A nice moment early in the picture involves taking transit in a way I have never seen before. A young couple have limited financial means but manage to make an escape in a world class hotel. Later, there’s a planned wedding after a pregnancy that has a lot of crazy music interludes.
The entire movie is awash with beautiful moments. I loved how a husband and wife can take transit and find beauty out of all of it. An earlier scene between the pair actually had me appreciate public transit, and even later, the wife has a moment eating an apple and I adored how the camera just stays on her in the middle of a bus, refusing to move. As a fan of trains, transit and getting around like this in my home city, it was oddly “relaxing” as I noted before.
This is also not a brief movie at all – at a towering 157 minutes (which can be a chore for many hardcore festival-goers like me especially during a full day of screenings) this is a movie that takes its time but in a lovely way. We get really wrapped up in all of these characters, flawed and all, and we’re in a deep journey with them throughout. I admit I have not seen Anthony Chen’s previous two movies in the trilogy and I would love to see how these characters got to their point in life. It looks simple at the start, but We Are All Strangers is an ultimately moving and powerful experience.
Our HUGE thanks to TIFF, the media department as well as all of the in-film publicity teams for assistance with this review article! For more information on TIFF and the films playing at the festival, point your browser to www.tiff.net!