#SPOTTED: JULIA FOX IN TORONTO FOR “SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT”

After its premiere at TIFF ’22, Luis De Filippis’ debut feature SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT has patiently waited in the wings for its moment. In late June, it was announced that Actress/Model Julia Fox would come aboard as Executive Producer of the Film which centers on 20-something aspiring trans Writer Ren (Carmen Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Paige Evans), reluctantly joining their parents on a family vacation. The Drama already has swept awards on the Festival Circuit, including the Shawn Mendes Change Maker Award at TIFF.

Toronto is so incredibly lucky to have Fox in-town appearing two nights at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Friday night was a screening of the Film, moderated by Fox with De Filippis and the Film’s Principal Cast. Saturday night is an extended one-hour conversation following the Film with Fox and De Filippis.

So thrilled to catch-up with Fox after meeting her in L.A. during Awards Season for her breakout role UNCUT GEMS. The New Yorker attended a dinner with Cast, Crew and influencers at new Financial District Hotspot DAPHNE. She wore an eye-catching ensemble, sporting her daring signature style and was so sweet to stop for a couple Snaps. Adore her, and am waiting for her next power play, but this is huge that she came to town to support this important Film from Elevation Pictures. It is playing right now exclusively at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Some Snaps. What an Ensemble! Check-out the Bible Bag made from actual re-purposed bibles, by Aylah Gallardo!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Elevation Pictures/The Image Direct)

#FIRSTLOOK: “SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT” TRAILER

From Writer/Director Luis De Filippis and starring Carmen Madonia, Paige Evans, Ramona Milano and Joey Parro. SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT looks at being transgender in a new light. In theatres July 7, 2023.

Synopsis:

In Luis De Filippis’ resonant debut, twentysomething aspiring writer Ren (Carmen Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Paige Evans) reluctantly accompany their parents on a family vacation. They aren’t exactly excited, and it doesn’t help that their wildly nostalgic mother Mona (Ramona Milano) cranks up Italian pop tunes, old family favourites, and demands everyone sing along. Once there, Siena drinks and carouses all night long. The more reserved Ren, who is trans, is left to her own devices. Just fired and woefully short of cash, she is forced to spend time with her deliriously happy parents, hang around the apartment vaping, and utilize the free activities the resort offers — all targeted towards children or seniors.

While perfectly capturing the tenor of a summer vacation where sun, watered-down booze, boredom, and embarrassment are the standard amenities, De Filippis goes much further. Percolating underneath everything is a slight uneasiness, reflecting Ren’s discomfort at being in a conservative beach town. And then there are the secrets (hers and Siena’s) Ren’s carrying. Her mother’s penchant for bluntness, meanwhile, means that offhand remarks carry extraordinary weight and cut like a knife.

Something You Said Last Night tells a different kind of transgender story. The melodramatic clichés that have marred even sympathetic portrayals of the trans community are completely foreign to the world that writer-director De Filippis and her team create. The film also bucks tired stereotypes about Italian families being culturally conservative. Norm Li’s sensitive cinematography perfectly captures Ren’s unease and her writer’s observational mindset. And the principal cast (including Joey Parro as loving father Guido) is uniformly excellent. Even so, the movie would be inconceivable without Madonia, who delivers a magnificent performance certain to be seen as a gamechanger in years to come. Ditto the film itself.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

#TIFF22: “SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT”

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