Day Four of TIFF ’23 was epic! Though the excitement begins to reach a simmer in a day or two – when we actually will have time to start watching some more Films – we revel in the delight of all this starpower. I’ll be honest, I started off having lowered expectations, but I have yet to feel there’s been any lulls or dull moments yet this year. Still plenty enough to keep us busy.

Today started amazing, spotting Elliot Page and Hillary Baack out and about early with CLOSE TO YOU, a story about coming home as your authentic self.

Father-Daughter duo Ethan and Maya Hawke were out and about promoting the elder’s directorial effort WILDCAT and they brought along a commotion it seems everywhere they went!

Second try was a lot better with the younger Hawke! Along the way in this Album below, you’ll see other notable sightings including Simon Baker for LIMBO, Colman Domingo for SING SING, Sophie Nelisse, Charlie Plummer for NATIONAL ANTHEM and a group of TIFF ’23 Rising Stars!

Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn star in DADDIO and made quite the splash, drawing a huge crowd of fans outside TIFF BELL Lightbox for what was meant to be a low-key and quiet screening, opting against a big Red Carpet Gala. I am a huge fan of Johnson and was thrilled to see her again! So was beanie, fresh off her spa day!

Another action-packed day to come tomorrow!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Nicholas Porteous

In Jonathan Glazer‘s The Zone of Interest, we experience domestic life through the eyes of a wealthy Nazi family located just outside the perimeter of the Auschwitz concentration camp. This is a revelatory new entry into the already crowded field of agonizingly great movies about the holocaust, but the thing that pushes Zone past the line of excellent storytelling and into the realm of real profundity is not so much what Glazer shows us. It’s what he leaves out.

Zone revolves around humanity’s penchant for ignoring pain–particularly when it yields privilege and profit. The Hoss family live a seemingly idyllic life. They have a pool, a house staff, and a never-ending supply of gifts–jewelry, clothing, toys–brought home from work. The only catch is the neighborhood, which is intermittently filled with cries of agony, gun fire, and smoke. And yet they’re like most families: a father at the office all day, a mother tending to her wonderful garden, children playing games with toy soldiers. There’s romance, and the ambition for something a little better. All against a backdrop of pure evil, but no one seems to notice.

Glazer probes the cold organization and engineering prowess needed to carry out a genocide with an equally exacting aesthetic. Every angle is solid as concrete. The sound design is excruciatingly immersive. The performances are sharp and vivid. But the real star here is Glazer‘s uncompromising vision–muted, yet louder than a foghorn.

Zone is a needed, painfully resonant analogue for willful ignorance in the face of injustice–historical or otherwise, and like any great piece of Cinema, it must be experienced to be understood.

The Zone of Interest screens at TIFF ’23:

Sunday, September 10th at 8:30PM at The Royal Alexandria Theatre

Monday, September 11th at 8:45PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By George Kozera

SOLO takes us into the world of Montreal’s illustrious drag queen scene, where Simon (Theodore Pellerin) is a rising star. Simon is a make-up artist during the day and has a wonderful and loving relationship with his supportive family (his sister, a seamstress, even creates his outfits), though it’s been over 15 years since he last saw his estranged mother. Claire (Anne-Marie Cadieux) left the family to go to Europe to pursue a career as an opera singer and is now world renowned. One night at the club, Simon meets recent recruit from France, Olivier (Felix Maritaud), and before you can say “Mama Ru“, they embark on a steamy and drug-fuelled relationship, and, as a duet, they entertain the audience with highly charged and erotic performances at the club. Very quickly, their relationship turns toxic as Olivier becomes increasingly domineering. Meanwhile, Simon learns that Claire will be back to Montreal to perform for a short time, and he desperately wants to reconnect with her. Simon becomes stretched emotionally.

Writer/Director Sophie Dupuis’ unique vision is impressive, but the story is muddled and borderline overly melodramatic. The drag performances in the club are visually-compelling, but the poisonous relationships Simon has with his mother and his lover is presented in a bewildered and not fully formed fashion.

What takes SOLO to stratospheric heights is the magnetic performance from Canadian Screen Award winner, Theodore Pellerin. It is unabashedly hypnotic and compelling, and he almost obliterates everyone he shares the screen with. His drag performances are equally captivating.

SOLO screens at TIFF ’23:
Sunday September 10, Roy Thomson Hall, 9:30PM
Monday September 11, Scotiabank, 3:30PM

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Mahalia Belo makes an assured debut feature with this adaptation of Megan Hunter’s prophetic Novel of the same name.

Climate change has caused cataclysmic flooding in London causing residents to become houseless. This sends a new mother (Jodie Comer), her partner (Joel Fry), and their days-old newborn to flee to the English countryside to stay with his family. But when his parents die and the couple reaches the end of their food supply, the family must make the choice to separate. Sending the mother and infant into a shelter and the father to find his own way of survival.

The End We Start From is an Apocalyptic Drama that leaves room for hope. It’s a rounded examination of the effect an environmental disaster would have on humanity…possibly leading it to social collapse. Belo and Screenwriter Alice Birch (who also penned previous TIFF selections Lady Macbeth, Mothering Sunday and The Wonder) keep the climate disaster and cruelty off-screen. Allowing their Actors to show the anxiety, tension and trauma they’re experiencing.

We encounter the formidable ensemble through the new mother’s journey. Each stop she makes feels episodic as we’re introduced to different characters. These characters, for the most part, remain nameless just as our core family does. They include a moving performance from Katherine Waterston who befriends our mother in the shelter and the two travel together for a new home with their infants. And Benedict Cumberbatch (who also produced the Film) makes a brief appearance as a man mourning the loss of his entire family in the disaster.

This ensemble is led by Comer, who continues to prove herself to be one of the greatest Actresses of her generation. It’s a deeply affecting performance of a woman learning to be a mother during the impossible. She must provide for her child while there is no food, water or shelter and where the threat of attack lurks everywhere. Within the environment and humanity.

The End We Start From screens at TIFF ’23:

Sunday, September 10 at 1:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Monday, September 11 at 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 16 at 3:45 PM Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sunday, September 17 at 6:05 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Amanda Gilmore

Swedish Writer-Director Niclas Larsson makes his English language feature debut with this surreal familial drama starring a masterful Ewan McGregor. It follows three estranged siblings who reunite when their mother (Ellen Burstyn) refuses to get off a couch at a furniture store. Mother, Couch is a story about the immense impact a mother has on her children. For the sake of this story, her youngest son David (McGregor). It has a similar tone and themes as Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid from earlier this year. The two would make for one wacky double feature.

It starts off as a quirky Domestic Drama. David assumes something is wrong when his mother refuses to get off the couch. He’s got a million other things to worry about and wishes she would just tell him why. But soon we realize that things aren’t as straightforward as they seem. 

For one, his brother Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans) is more interested in flirting with the store owner’s daughter Bella (Taylor Russell) than worrying about his mother. Russell is outstanding as the enigma that is Bella. Giving her the immense mystery that gives us hints that this furniture shop, which has many homely rooms decorated, may not be what it seems. Then there’s the ominous Score by Christopher Bear that creates an atmosphere of horror and anxiety, sending us directly into the headspace of David. McGregor gives a momentous performance as a man stressed while attempting to hold it together. 

There’s ample amounts of mystery throughout Mother, Couch that will keep audiences guessing until the eccentric ending. And much like Beau Is Afraid, it’s an ending audiences will be dissecting long after viewing.

Mother, Couch screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at 2:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Monday, September 11 at 12:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sunday, September 17 at 3:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

TIFF ’23 Day Three was one for the books. Make no mistake, while there certainly are fewer stars in town than previous years, this doesn’t mean we’re putting-in less time and effort. With the Festival officially being in high gear, the sightings around the City were bountiful!

We started the day off with a Nicolas Cage sighting right away! He looked amazing in a turquoise corduroy outfit, so kind to stop for fans while promoting Toronto-shot DREAM SCENARIO.

After premiering Day Two at TIFF ’23 to raves, D.W. Waterson‘s BACKSPOT took to Festival Street mid-afternoon, surprising Festivalgoers with some cheer! No, literally, there were cheerleaders and all while Waterson and Canadian treasure Devery Jacobs handed-out promo items for the Film! Cheers could be heard echoing along the stretch from Simcoe to Peter.

Following its Premiere, Waterson, Jacobs and the Film’s Executive Producer celebrated with the team behind the BACKSPOT at Marbl‘s Cinema Centre on King Street West.

Sightings were plentiful around town, whether it be stars stopping at Cinema Centre, Deadline Studio or Soho House. Some key players at this year’s Festival, including TIFF Tribute Award winners Colman Domingo, Shawn Levy, Patricia Arquette and more were seen about. Strangers Things star Finn Wolfhard drew the biggest crowd on Festival Street‘s stage, performing a half-hour set with his band The Aubreys!

All that and more in the Album below:

Trying my best to get some sleep in! Should be another hectic one tomorrow, Day Four!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Mr. Will Wong

Robert McCallum directs MR. DRESSUP: THE MAGIC OF MAKE-BELIEVE and there will be tears shed watching this loving tribute to a national icon.

If like me, you grew-up in the ’80s and ’90s, chances are that Mr. Dressup (Ernie Coombs) babysat you weekday mornings. The former understudy of Fred Rogers found his way into the hearts of children across the country with his long-running series MR. DRESSUP airing on CBC from 1967 to 1996. This portrait captures his true essence as a devoted husband, entertainer and imperturble father figure to kids across Canada.

McCallum gets notable subjects to speak on the matter. Members of the Barenaked Ladies, Kids in the Hall, Eric McCorrmack, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, former Puppeteers on the Show and even Michael J. Fox appear with heartfelt recollections and anecdotes of what Mr. Dressup means to them. The Film also touches upon the deep friendship that Rogers and Coombs (both American) shared over the years through letters and footage.

The Documentary isn’t all sunshine. We hear from Coombs son Christopher how he used to get teased from schoolmates about his dad being a “sissy”, and tragedy strikes late in his life, making Mr. Dressup‘s story bittersweet. We could not help but feel affected and left teary-eyed. Thank you, Mr. Dressup, we will never forget you and this is your story told the way it was meant to be told.

MR. DRESSUP: THE POWER OF MAKE-BELIEVE screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9
TIFF Bell Lightbox
9:00 PM

Sunday, September 10
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
8:45 PM

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Molly McGlynn delivers an honest, touching and hopeful film about gender, sexuality and what makes a woman a woman.

High schooler Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) is planning on losing her virginity to her boyfriend Adam (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai). During a doctor’s visit to get birth control, she learns she has a rare reproductive condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome. This means she doesn’t have a uterus or cervix and has a shortened vaginal canal. As she navigates her diagnosis, her relationships become challenged with everyone, but especially herself.

Fitting In is a raw coming-of-age story. Lindy is full of angst and anxiety all while being genuinely funny. It’s clear from the jump that Lindy wants to have children. This diagnosis is life-altering for her, sending her into crisis. As she navigates what this diagnosis might mean for her future, McGlynn questions sexuality and what makes a woman a woman while never becoming preachy. Ziegler solidifies her talent and range in this nuanced performance.

One of the highlights is the bond explored between mother and daughter. Lindy’s single mother Rita (a fantastic Emily Hampshire) has recently undergone a mastectomy and is still reconciling with this change to her body. Possibly the most beautiful narrative in Fitting In is having two women make steps to accept and embrace the uncontrollable within their bodies. It’s a joy watching Ziegler and Hampshire ebb and flow in an authentic mother-daughter relationship.

Fitting In screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at 8 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Tuesday, September 12 at 11:30 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

As the inaugural Sloan Science on Film Showcase selection, Fitting In tells a coming-of-age story shaped by medical science. Following the September 12 screening, the Sloan Science on Film Showcase will feature a Q&A with writer-director Molly McGlynn and an expert in reproductive health.

By George Kozera

In NORTH STAR, three sisters reunite at their family home set in the visually sumptuous Itchen Hampshire England area to attend their mother’s third marriage. Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is a Royal Navy officer, recently promoted to a new position and is ignoring many calls from her partner Jack. Middle sister Victoria (Sienna Miller) is a Hollywood Actress, single again with a 14-year-old son. Georgina (Emily Beecham) is the youngest and is quite emotional as she suspects her husband is having an affair. The mother Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas, who also directs and co-wrote the script) tragically lost two husbands, who were Navy pilots, while in action. We are now deeply entrenched with the world of one sub plot, to a second subplot, to a third subplot ad infinitum.

Don’t mistake the last comment as a negative as I enjoyed NORTH STAR for the most part. Johansson nails the British accent with aplomb and the big reveal as to who Jack is was a surprise. Miller oozes charisma and plays the Hollywood star, always getting what she wants, effectively and likability. I found Beecham’s character overly emotional and mopey, but I’d be mopey as well if I was the baby of the family with more established siblings and am married to someone who may have issues keeping it in his pants. Ever since “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, Scott Thomas has mastered the all-knowing, velvet-fisted character, yet hers was my favourite performance in the movie and I basked in her radiant smile and wisdom. Furthermore, her real-life mother did lose two husbands in combat so this may have contributed to her performance and making this her directorial debut.

Multiple storylines have enhanced many movies (think “Love Actually”) but in NORTH STAR it caused more head scratching than needed. Don’t get me started on the character who crashes the outdoor wedding reception in a helicopter, trying to win Victoria’s affection. Or why did Victoria’s teenaged son get drunk, then get stuck in a tree? Oh, then there’s the private detective that Victoria hired while still in Hollywood by interviewing candidates attending AA meetings in the U.K. So much is needless fodder. The critic in me was irritated while the audience member in me accepted the ride I was being taken on.

NORTH STAR won’t make any dents during the awards season, but there is nothing wrong with just sitting in a darkened theatre and be entertained by a talented ensemble.

NORTH STAR screens TIFF ’23 as follows:

Friday, September 15, 2:45PM, Scotiabank

Saturday, September 16, 2:00PM, Royal Alexandra Theatre

THE PEASANTS is one of the most visually astonishing movies I have seen in recent memory. Utilizing hundreds of painters and animators, each frame of this movie is an oil painting over the filmed scene. I cannot oversell how truly remarkable the finished product is and I was in complete awe as the story progressed.

Real life husband and wife, DK & Hugh Welchman directed and co-wrote this movie based on the Nobel Prize-winning set of books by the same name. Set in a tiny village in Poland in the 19^th century, it centers around Jagna (Kamila Urzedowska), the stunningly beautiful young girl who has men wrapped around her finger. She is basically sold to the recently widowed rich landowner Boryna (Miroslaw Baka) by her mother for acres of land that Boryna still refuses to give to his children. His volatile oldest son, Antek (Robert Gulaczyk), is angry and combative. As much as he hates that his father has remarried, it doesn’t stop him from having a torrid affair with Jagna.

Being of Polish descent, THE PEASANTS resonated with me for a variety of reasons. The wild abandonment the villagers exhibit when singing and dancing erupts on the screen as it did at Polish events (zabawas) I attended throughout my youth and adulthood. Watching, and most importantly, hearing the elderly ladies in the village viciously and profoundly gossiping (especially about Jagna and her alleged past, present and potentially future sexual trysts) just reminded me of listening to my mother and her friends doing the same. We call that ‘plotki’. Everything in THE PEASANTS is authentic to my upbringing.

This Movie is of epic, emotional proportions and I will be totally shocked if it is not nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

THE PEASANTS screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 16, 5:30PM, Scotiabank