By Amanda Gilmore

Bones of Crows is important, powerful and necessary while also being incredibly well-made.

This powerful Film tells the story of Cree matriarch Aline Spears (played at different ages by Summer Testawich, Grace Dove, and Carla Rae) who was born in Canada in the 1920s. It follows her from her childhood, being taken away from her family and thrust into the residential school system, her time in the military during WWII, and her inspiring determination to bring her oppressors’ crimes to light.

It’s through Spears’ story that Writer-Director Marie Clements highlights the centuries of abuse and oppression by the Canadian Government and Institutions. The Canadian Residential School System has been a topic on our news a lot recently. However, Clements brings you to this heinous place. This, and other scenes, make for a tough viewing experience, but an essential one.

Bones of Crows tells an important story, while stunning to watch. The Cinematography by Vince Arvidson captivates and works seamlessly with Clements’ direction. And the Cast of women who bring Spears to the screen gives affecting performances.

Warning: Bones of Crows does come with a warning both before the Film and on the TIFF website. It reads, “This programme contains scenes that may distress some viewers, especially those who have experienced harm, abuse, violence, and/or intergenerational trauma due to colonial practices.”

Bones of Crows screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 5:45 pm

Thu, Sep 15 IN-PERSON at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 11:00 am

By Amanda Gilmore

Ren (Carmen Madonia) reluctantly joins her younger sister Siena (Paige Evans) and her parents on a family summer vacation. Throughout the week-long holiday, the family butt heads over many things. But mostly because no one seems remotely interested in spending quality time together other than the matriarch, Mona (Ramona Milano). Ren spends the majority of her days vaping and scrolling social media. Siena’s always out with her vacation fling partying until the early hours of the morning. And the girls’ father Guido (Joey Parro) constantly has his eyes glued to the television in their room.

Something You Said Last Night captures an intimate family portrait. Immediately, Writer-Director Luis De Fillippis introduces us to the nuanced characters while on their car ride to their accommodation. From that point forward, we understand who each of them is. They are all flawed and lovable at the same time. There is something special about De Fillippis’ ability to write such rich characters which allows us to see each situation from all four points of view.

These characters are brought to the screen with a talented Cast. The chemistry between all four is strong. Particularly between the sisters played by Madonia and Evans. They weave between nurturing one another to using words like daggers. The standout in the Cast is Milano who plays the worrying, caring, sometimes overbearing Mona. While her family sits in utter silence either looking at their phones or the television, she’s talking to her parents or her son back home. When she’s not doing this, she’s trying her hardest to start a conversation with her family or get them to do something together. Even in Mona’s harsh bluntness, Milano’s endearing personality allows the audience to sympathize with her.

There’s a nostalgia for a summertime beachside vacation that De Fillippis creates. We are taken to the beach with this family and to the carpark where Siena spends her late nights and early mornings partying. Although there isn’t a major buildup or climax in Something You Said Last Night’s climax is a quiet one, much like the film as a whole. But the Film works because of the lovable, nuanced characters and intimate look at a family that resonates.

SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 12:30pm

Tue, Sep 13 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 7:30pm

It was an incredibly star-studded second day of TIFF ’22 with various Premieres kicking-off around the City ahead of what will be a busy weekend with mega-watt power at the Festival. See who spotted around town premiering their Films and doing their rounds!

We started out day early with an appearance on CP24 Breakfast with Sonia Mangat! Sbe actually has a Short Film premering at the Festival! So amazing! Thanks to those who tuned-in and sent their supportive messages!

THE WOMAN KING

Such an honour being invited to this event in celebration of Gina Prince-Blythewood‘s film. The Cast really brought home the message of the importance of supporting this black female-led Action Film starring Viola Davis, on its opening weekend, at the #TakeUpSpace event presented by Twitter at Mademoiselle.

TAYLOR SWIFT – IN-CONVERSATION

BROTHER

EMILY

BUTCHER’S CROSSING

ON THE COME UP

THE INSPECTION

BROS

While we’re expecting to see more of the Cast tomorrow, how cool is this moment between Comedy icons Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow? Rogen is here for THE FABELMANS and reunited with his Knocked Up collaborator Apatow at this Premiere for BROS. So happy we met Joel Kim-Booster, who was seen this past Summer in FIRE ISLAND!

It’s 3 AM, time for bed and yet another early rise tomorrow! We were a little slow to start and hoping to get into our rhythm finally on Day Three. I know this sounds a little absurd since we had so many sightings but trust me, this even is a little off our usual pace. See you again in a few hours!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Frances O’Connor’s Feature Debut mixes fact and speculation to give us an atmospheric portrait of Wuthering Heights Author Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey).

At the heart of Emily is a story of a girl on her journey toward self-actualization. The overt sexism and patriarchy which was prevalent in 19th-century England caused many upheavals for Emily. She was a young woman whose imagination ran wondrously wild and free. O’Connor reminds us of the restraints put on women at this time. How they should be teachers, rather than follow their creative endeavours. She does this through the demands and comments made by her Father and sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling).

There was one sibling, her brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), who encourages her to be creative. Branwell was considered the black sheep because of his wild behaviour and desire to become a writer. The way Emily is treated by those in their family and the townspeople, who call her “the strange one”, thrusts the two closer together. This relationship is tangible on the screen thanks to the strong chemistry between Mackey and Whitehead. Whitehead shines in showing Branwell burying his insecurities in alcohol and opium.

O’Connor doesn’t shy away from exposing Emily’s flaws. This aids the story, giving a well-rounded view of a woman who was bold enough to live her truth. Mackey is the perfect choice to bring the provocative, brilliant author to the screen. She revels in Emily’s free spirit and indifference to social niceties. Whether she’s telling stories to herself in a wild, open English field or on an opium trip with her brother, Mackey fully embodies the daring author on her journey toward self-actualization.

Just like any coming-of-age tale, Emily depicts the subject’s first love with her French tutor, Mr Weightman (Olivier Jackson-Cohen). It’s also this relationship that becomes closely tied to Emily’s writing. In showing this, O’Connor connects creativity with passion. Mackey stuns in Emily’s heartbreak and grief when this relationship does come to an end. She gives a performance that’s so piercingly authentic it penetrates the soul.

Emily screensat TIFF ’22 as follows:

Fri, Sep 9 IN-PERSON at Royal Alexandra Theatre at 8:30 pm

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 12:20 pm

By Mr. Will Wong

Director Christian Carion delivers us something heartfelt at TIFF ’22 with DRIVING MADELEINE. While the unlikely buddy Drama feels familiar at times, this doesn’t mean it isn’t impactful, affecting and good for the soul.

The Film centers around Madeline (renowned Chanteuse Line Renaud) as a woman who is about to enter a care facility for the elderly. She encounters Charles (Dany Boon), her Taxi Driver, asking him to make multiple stops along the way to the home. She revisits places that held important signficance in her life, and this just might be her final jaunt throughout Paris. Charles is down on his luck, dealing with debt and a crumbling marriage, and though he isn’t receptive to the banter at first, like him, we are drawn into Madeline‘s storied life, witnessing her painful traumas and her glories.

DRIVING MADELINE explores how some of the most meaningful crossing of paths in our lives can be those fateful chance encounters and Madeline was meant to come into Charles‘ life at a time he needed it most. It is beautiful storytelling that tugs on the heartstrings. Be warned there may be sobbing. Lots of it.

DRIVING MADELINE screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 6:30pm

Sun, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 5:30pm

By Mr. Will Wong

Based on David Charlandy‘s acclaimed Novel of the same name, Clement Virgo‘s BROTHER takes us back to the ’90s in Scarborough. We meet two brothers, raised by their single mother (Marsha Stephanie Blake), and despite her best efforts to shield them, ultimately they are unable to avoid becoming a product of the violence abound, whether it be in the news or the gangs who fight for territory in their economically-depressed neighbourhood.

A mild-mannered Michael (Lamar Johnson) looks-up to his older brother Francis (Aaron Pierre), who acts as a big brother and father figure in the absence of their dad. And told in a non-linear manner, we see tragedy unfold as they and we continue to live in a time today where the value of a black life still is at the forefront of discussion.

Virgo, sans melodrama, captures a fly-on-the-wall feel with stunning Cinematography by Guy Godfree that evokes a darkness that casts a shadow over the hope of youth and coming-of-age for these young men. A beautiful, heartbreaking piece that at once looks at the strength of one family’s love in a dire place and time.

BROTHER screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Fri, Sep 09 IN-PERSON Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 6:30pm

Fri, Sep 16IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 6:00pm

By David Baldwin

High school senior Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) likes movies. Scratch that, he is obsessed with movies. He watches them endlessly, riffing on his love for Stanley Kubrick to anyone who will listen. He is ambitious and just knows he is going to get into NYU’s film program where he will be taught by the likes of Todd Solondz. But this is the early 2000s – or more specifically, early 2000s era Burlington, Ontario – and Lawrence needs $90,000 to attend. So he gets a job at the local video store Sequels and quickly discovers that the movies are far different than reality.

After reading the Film’s description, I knew I was going to love I LIKE MOVIES. I just did not know just how much I would love I LIKE MOVIES. Writer/Director Chandler Levack hones in on an era of innocence and social naivety that feels so foreign in the modern day, yet rings true for someone like me whose life long obsession with film kicked off around the same time the film takes place. While I hope I was less of a pretentious asshole than Lawrence is, Lehtinen portrays the budding Cinephile brilliantly. Just thinking about him going off on why he cannot in good faith promote the new edition of Shrek on DVD is making me chuckle, as is a recurring joke around him needing to return an overdue VHS copy of Wild Things. No doubt it is this side of his personality that is going to speak to an entire generation of older Millennials.

All of that said, the Film is substantially darker than I thought it would be and does a great job of humanizing Lawrence in a way that setting the Film in the age of Social Media would have felt disingenuous. There is some genuine tragedy on display here, and watching Lehtinen weave through the tonal pivots like a seasoned professional is a truly beautiful experience. The Supporting Cast is great too, especially Romina D’Ugo as Sequels’ manager Alana. The Film does a terrific job juxtaposing her reality to Lawrence’s fantasy, and her mid-film monologue is dynamite.

While I can overlook some anachronisms (such as the updated Cineplex seating) more so than others (Tanner Zipchen as a hot customer is not a sentence I thought I would ever be writing), I think this is a fantastic directorial debut from Levack and is easily one of my favourite films of the Festival already.

Oh and shooting/framing the film in 4:3? Well played, Ms. Levack. Well played.

I LIKE MOVIES screens as follows at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Fri, Sept 9 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 6:15pm

Wed, Sept 14 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 6:30pm

Fri, Sept 16 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:45pm

By Amanda Gilmore

This Film tells the true story of swimming sisters Yusra (Nathalie Issa) and Sara Mardini (Manal Issa), who fled their home in war-torn Damascus to start a new life in Europe. Their goal was to make it to Germany, apply for an application to get their family to join them and earn a chance to compete in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

The Swimmers is an inspirational story that has the ability to change people’s minds. Director Sally El Hosaini brings us into the life of the sisters during their time in Syria. They go to nightclubs and compete in their local swimming competitions. However, these scenes quickly turn. At the nightclub bombs go off in the distance and while Yusra is competing a bomb lands inside the pool. The striking imagery that Hosaini creates shows us the daily, constant threat posed to the people of Syria.

The strongest part of the Film is the journey the sisters take with their cousin (Ahmed Malek). Here, audiences see the horrors refugees endure on their quests for a better life. We watch as the sisters and their cousin, along with a group of refugees, must put their trust in strangers and the dangers of their journeys. The refugee story doesn’t end when the sisters arrive in Germany. We are taken into a camp and shown how they must live there.

The chemistry between real-life sisters Nathalie and Manal brings this inspirational story to the screen. When we get to the third act, the Mardini sisters begin chasing different dreams. Yusra still lives and breathes swimming. However, Sara goes in search of her true calling. Nathalie and Manal’s real sisterhood translates into their emotionally rich intimacy on screen.

The Swimmers screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Thu, Sep 8 IN-PERSON at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 6:00 pm

Thu, Sep 8 IN-PERSON at Roy Thompson Hall at 8:00 pm

Fri, Sep 9 IN-PERSON at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 12:00 pm

Sat, Sep 17 IN-PERSON at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 3:00 pm

This is what we signed-up for! TIFF ’22 festivities are in full force an it was an epic Day One! This is only the start as we reach peak-TIFF Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!

Some.sightings:

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE, Recipient of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media at the TIFF Tribute Gala

SALLY EL HOSEINI – Director of THE SWIMMERS – Recipient of the TIFF Emerging Talent Award

THE HANDMAID’S TALE – SEASON FIVE

ON THE COME UP

WEIRD

Its only Day One and we’re already tired!

Check back daily for more sightings!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Amanda Gilmore

El agua follows mature 17-year-old Ana (Luna Pamies) who lives with her mother (Bárbara Lennie) and grandmother (Nieve De Medina) in a small Spanish town near the Segura River. The town legend is that when the river floods every few decades it takes a woman who has recently fallen in love with it. During this hot summer, a storm is on the horizon warning of a flood. And when Ana falls in love, she begins feeling the water within her.

Director Elena López Riera shoots with realism while telling a story weaved in the surreal. The true legend López Riera uses in her narrative brings in the realist aspect. There are times when people are interviewed, Documentary style, and they speak of their experiences with the water. This feeds into the realist style she’s going for. However, these stories aid in making the surrealist aspects of the story feel natural to the narrative.

At the Film’s core is a story about gender and power. What first feels like a story of young summer love turns into a powerful coming-of-age story about a woman claiming her power. We are strapped into Ana’s summer of discovery, whether she be working at her mother’s bar or spending time with her friends and romantic interest. First-time Actor Pamies turns in a performance of a seasoned actor. Making her one to watch.

El agua screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Thu, Sep 8 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 6:30 pm

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 6:35 pm