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

By George Kozera

To be perfectly frank, I had some trepidations and resisted seeing Anna Kendrick’s feature film directorial debut with WOMAN OF THE HOUR. When the subject matter deals with rape, a serial killer and is based on a true story, I would assume that even the most seasoned filmmakers would think twice about tackling such sensitive topics and I questioned whether Kendrick had the gravitas and skill to undertake such a project. I need not have worried. Not only has this Oscar-nominated Actress fashioned a formidable and accomplished thriller, she skillfully blends in flashback sequences as well as addressing women having to deal with misogynistic, toxic males, all the while she laces the Movie with some much-needed humour and thrills.

Kendrick plays Cheryl, a struggling actress whose agent books her work as a contestant on the popular television game show “The Dating Game” where she will have to question three gentlemen then choose one to go on a date, depending on how they answer her queries. Contestant Number Three is Rodney Alcala, a Photographer (a star-making role and performance from Daniel Zovatto). We have already seen him at his worst as WOMAN OF THE HOUR opens with Alcala brutally pushing his victim to the ground, strangle her before resuscitating then raping her (Kendrick shows amazing restraint filming this intense sequence). We also know that Alcala has extraordinary b.s. skills as we saw him tell one victim that he studied at NYU Film School with Roman Polanski and a group of men in an office environment that he partied with Warren Beatty.

After a technical mishap during the filming of the game show, Cheryl rewrites all the insipid questions and makes all three males squirm uncomfortably with their answers, except for Alcala who is quite proficient with saying just the right things. Cheryl chooses Rodney and they win a trip to Carmel. After the taping, we see Alcala wait in the parking lot of the TV studio, see Cheryl leave and charmingly suggests they go nearby for a cocktail to which she accepts the invitation.

That is when the Film brims with tension.

It’s best to see WOMAN OF THE HOUR without knowing the particulars of this true story. Ignorance of the facts will be bliss. Kendrick’s mastery in the Director’s chair is in full force as I did have all the information beforehand and still sat in my seat, shaking with anxiety and dread. KUDOS.

WOMAN OF THE HOUR screens st TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9, 9:00PM, Scotiabank

By David Baldwin

Luyanda Masinda (Noxolo Dlamini) is a South African investigative journalist who just watched her friend be murdered as he sat right beside her. He had been telling her about a story he was working on involving deep government corruption and secret chemical warfare tests dating back several decades. Luyanda starts digging to learn more about what he was researching and quickly finds herself in way over her head.

DEATH OF A WHISTLEBLOWER is a Political Thriller with a lot on its mind. It plays in the conspiracy space for a large chunk of the Film, extrapolating on genocide and apartheid allegories and the nose-to-the-grindstone brand of journalism exemplified by Oscar-winners like All the President’s Men and Spotlight. It becomes more horrifying and harrowing than I expected, made worse by the fact that this fictional film is very much based in truths of what actually happened – and continues to happen. The cinéma verité-style cinematography drives that point home and will keep you breathless for the first two acts.

Where the Film goes off the rails is in the third act, when it turns into a gritty revenge picture that bares little resemblance to the Film proceeding it. It is over-the-top and nowhere near as pulse pounding, trading real-world horror for something substantially more bombastic. I nearly lost the plot from the tonal whiplash. I do not fault Director Ian Gabriel nor his screenwriting team for making the pivot – as the Film is pretty explicit about what happens after the truth is exposed. I just wish it was more grounded. Thankfully, the Cast makes up for this, all uniformly solid no matter their length of screentime, Dlamini in particular. She soars through the Film, commanding your attention at every turn. The Film asks a lot of her and she more than delivers on it.

DEATH OF A WHISTLEBLOWER screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at 2:45 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Sunday, September 10 at 9:40 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sunday, September 17 at 3:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By George Kozera

After a 50-year career with the National Ballet of Canada (first as a dancer then as the company’s Artistic Director), Prima Ballerina Karen Kain chose Swan Lake as her retirement project. Under the skillful eye of Director Chelsea McMullan, SWAN SONG is an intimate and fascinating Documentary that takes the viewer into the world of Ballet; an artform that gets the cinematic short shrift when compared to other entertainment-based industries. Actress Neve Campbell has signed on as Executive Producer.

Karen Kain has been in the public eye since she received worldwide acclaimed for her performance in Swan Lake in 1971. Her ease and demeanour in front of the camera is impeccable, engaging the audience with the minutiae of choreographing and directing a classic piece. There also is an acknowledgment of the racial diversity within the ballerinas, and a decision for them not to wear the traditional pink tights but show their skin colours. I particularly loved Kain’s story of how Rudolf Nureyev whisked her off to a party where she was overwhelmed with being in the centre of celebrities and bowls of cocaine then taken aside by Andy Warhol who made her pose a certain way, snap a Polaroid and ultimately making her the first Canadian to be immortalized on canvas by the Artist.  

Kain is not the only focal point of SWAN SONG. Many young ballerinas talk about their dreams, insecurities, triumphs while we watch their gruelling rehearsals and preparations. The insight provided the Principal Ballerina for this production of the Ballet, Jurgita Dronina, is invaluable as it graphically shows us the toll dancing takes on the body.

I was transfixed throughout SWAN SONG and will admit to shedding a few tears of awe and wonderment.

SWAN SONG screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall, 2PM

Monday, September 11 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 8:30PM

Friday, September 15 at Scotiabank, 1PM

By Amanda Gilmore

Acclaimed Writer-Director Azazel Jacobs delivers a moving portrait of the complexities within sibling dynamics with His Three Daughters. The story follows three sisters, the eldest Katie (Carrie Coon), middle Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) and the youngest Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) who coverage to care for their father when his health declines.

Jacobs heartbreakingly captures the feeling of being in limbo while watching a loved one slowly die before your eyes. It’s the mental state of grieving something that hasn’t yet completely gone. Jacobs’ meticulously written and distinct characters handle this state of being in different ways. And it’s clear from the first shot that His Three Daughters is like attending a masterclass in acting.

Coon’s captivating performance as the tense Katie speaks a mile a minute and is quick to judge any matter. She’s constantly at the throat of Rachel who’s been the one living and caring for their ill father a year before his health took a turn for the worse. Lyonne delivers a nuanced performance as the middle sister who’s quietly carried her pain alone. Then there’s the quirky Christina who attempts to maintain her internal peace while appearing to be on the verge of breaking down. Olsen gives one of her finest performances to date.

The Script is loaded with monologues that showcase the powerhouse talent Jacobs has assembled which causes His Three Daughters to feel ‘stagey’ at times. But it’s these performances that enthral the viewer into the story. An affecting story that examines the bonds between siblings and how grieving takes many shapes and forms.

His Three Daughters screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at 12 PM at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sunday. September 10 at 2:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sunday. September 17 at 5:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By George Kozera

SUMMER QAMP take the audience to Camp fYrefly in rural Alberta, where queer, non-binary, and trans teens can spend a few days hanging out and just getting to be kids together “without any of the explanations.” As a group, these young adults are boisterous, adventurous and just thrilled to be in a safe environment where they won’t be judged or bullied; but in their one-on-one interviews with the Director Jen Markowitz, they are more subdued and reflective. They talk about their gender dysphoria, gender identity and sexuality issues with insight and honesty. They are also young. I had to giggle when one participant said they wanted to be either “a criminal justice lawyer or a film director.”

SUMMER QAMP is primarily a talking heads Documentary, and it must be commended for showing a world that may be foreign to some but I think the Director tried to tackle too many issues, some successfully and some redundant. I wish Markowitz had included more teenagers from different ends of the LGBTQ+ spectrum.  I found myself vacillating between fascinated and bored.

SUMMER QAMP screens at TIFF ’23:

 Saturday, September 9 at 12:15 PM at Scotiabank

Sunday, September 10 at 4:30 PM at Scotiabank

It’s Day Two and we’re already exhausted at TIFF ’23. Today was a very long intense day starting with the wonderful Hollywood Suite Annual Breakfast at OMNI King Edward Hotel where we learned about some of their SHOCKTOBER offerings coming next month.

It was a star-filled afternoon. Amazing once again seeing Patricia Arquette, Willem Dafoe and Camila Morrone out for GONZO GIRL. It didn’t stop here. Other sightings included Koji Yakusho, Bowen Yang, Guy Pearce, Neve Camp, Nickelback and so much more!

See our Day Two Albums:

Last but not least, we celebrated the first of two World Premieres for Atom Egoyan’s SEVEN VEILS. Its star Amanda Seyfried is standing in solidarity with her fellow Actors for this ACTRA-SAG Strike, but this didn’t prevent her Canadian Co-Stars and others from still supporting the film at the Four Season Centre for the Performing Arts!

Completely exhausted, but ready for another long day tomorrow!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By David Baldwin

Cheerleaders Riley (Devery Jacobs) and her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo, TIFF Rising Star ’23 and Share Her Journey Fellow) have just been selected to be part of an elite cheer squad. With a major competition coming up – not to mention needing to impress ice cold head coach Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood) – there is no room for either of them to mess up this opportunity. And Riley is starting to buckle under that pressure.

I am not a gymnast, nor have I ever tried to be. Thankfully, that does not matter because Director D.W. Waterson (in their feature-length debut) does everything they can to make it so that you feel all of the pain, excitement and fear Riley feels from start to finish. The camera is always moving, taking in Riley’s experiences, amd honing in frequently on shots utilizing a Go-Pro to really embed deep into her psyche. When she starts having a panic attack, you feel it with her. When she starts pulling out her eyebrow hairs, you feel it with her. It is frequently disorientating and intense, but that is deliberate. Waterson is not so much making BACKSPOT into a film so much as they are making a visceral experience.

Jacobs is revelatory here, excelling equally at the physical and emotional elements of her character. She dives fearlessly into every moment, with the extreme close-ups on her face brilliantly depicting the toil this training is having on her. Her innocent, intimate connection with Rutendo is terrific, as are the standard coming-of-age tropes Riley finds herself falling into. Where the Film falters is in what is happening in the background of Riley’s home life, and more specifically her school work. We only get to see fragments of it or nothing at all, with everything that is not just gymnastics (including Shannyn Sossamon’s thankless performance as Riley’s Mom) kind of fading into the background. The number of scenes taking place at Cineplex Mississauga gave me a giggle though.

All of that said, Wood is the Film’s not-so secret weapon. She relishes at playing such a fiendish and nasty character. But when Riley and Amanda refer to her as middle-aged, despite being in her mid-30s? That innocuous, throwaway of a line hit me square in the gut. I am not sure I will ever forget it.

BACKSPOT screens at TIFF’ 23:

Friday, September 8 at 8:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Monday, September 11 at 3:00 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Friday, September 15 at 9:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto