One of the joys of the Film Festival is getting to drive a car from the Acura family. For TIFF ’23, we had the honour of being paired with the gorgeous 2023 Acura TLX TYPE S in a gorgeous Performance Red Pearl. We literally paint the town red! I was floored by its looks right away, with a flashy trunk spoiler and exposed dual-rectangle exhaust finishers. There also is a diamond pentagon grille which makes it stand out.

In what was a more low-key Festival this year with TIFF working around the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. we found we were still working the usual long hours and there was still plenty of talent in and around town to capture. In fact, we were out and about every single day of the Festival, whether it be doing press ahead of the Festival at CP24 or eTalk‘s TIFF Studio, right up to the announcement of the People’s Choice Winner on closing day. Even with limitations, we made the best of it all and couldn’t have done it without the Acura TLX Type S!

Because we had a downtown presence, a sleek, compact ride was necessary – weaving through narrow alleyways and underground parking lots. The 2023 Acura TLX Type S is as much style as it is performance, packed with gorgeous details. It is powered by a 3.0-litre, 24-valve, Direct Injection, turbocharged V6 engine with 355 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque. Its Fuel Economy tallies in at a combined city/highway 11 litres/100 km which actually took us a long way per tank of gas.

The Driver gets a 16-way power adjustable seat and front passenger’s seat include 4-way power lumbar support, seats in Ebony Leather with Ultrasuede. Drives, especially at night were ambient with Acura‘s IconicDrive™ Selectable LED Ambient Lighting allowing you to light-up up to ten different areas. Simply stunning.

Safety is a priority with Acura and this ride contains all the features to protect you including lane assist system, lane departure warning system, plus blind spot and forward collision warning systems as well. You also get ABS Brakes, Stability Control, Front-impact Airbags, Side-impact Airbags, Overheard Airbags, Knee Airbags, Pretensioners and Anti-Whiplash. As car theft is very much at the top of all our minds, the TLX is equipped with a way to anticipate and detecting unwanted vehicle intrusion. It is armed with an ignition disable device that prevents the engine from starting if the correct original key isn’t being used. We love that also within seconds, the car locks on its own after we walk away from it. Above this, it is hyper-sensitive and aware of your surroundings, especially when backing out of a spot – with the help of its rearview camera – giving you very prevalent audio warnings to keep you out of trouble.

While it takes a bit of getting used to in navigating the Acura TLX‘s touchpad which enables you to navigate the car’s setup, including audio entertainment. Bluetooth connectivity is simple to set-up and it is enabled for SiriusXM satellite radio, with a 10.2″ touchscreen display, plus an abundance of USB charging ports and a wireless charger.

The audio system is next-level, coming with an ELS Studio® 3D Premium Audio System, complete with a 17-speaker surround system, including 4 ultra-slim Highline™ overhead speakers. This is an audiophile’s dream.

Take a walk with us down memory lane as we painted the town red with the 2023 Acura TLX Type S.

The 2023 Acura TLX Type S starts at $64,226.00 CAN. More here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By David Baldwin

South Korea, circa the 1970s. The shellfish game is not what it used to be in the seaside town of Guncheon. Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo), Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah) and their band of haenyeo (female free divers) are running out of options and turn to smuggling a plethora of goods in order to make ends meet. Two years after a turbulent episode, Choon-ja has a run-in with Sergeant Kwon (Zo In-sung), the nation’s smuggling king. He initially plans to kill her but relents when she makes him an offer to keep his operation running smoothly.

Would you guess that SMUGGLERS is a whole lot of fun from that description? Co-Writer/Director Ryoo Seung-wan has crafted a Crime Thriller that somehow balances tonal swings of light-hearted humour and brutal violence. That may not sound like it should work, yet it manages to entertain and delight for much of its 129-minute running time. The ’70s aesthetic lends itself to a wonderful colour palette, filled with brilliantly vivid costumes, sets and gorgeous underwater photography. The funky Score by Chang Kiha is pretty great too as is the chaotic fight choreography employed in two specific scenes.

SMUGGLERS is not without its problems though. The pacing is a little muddled in some areas, with a lengthy prologue introducing most of the players chief amongst them. Some scenes could have easily been tightened instead of having so much time to breathe. And while it makes sense given the genres Ryoo is juggling, the number of double, triple and quadruple crosses gets to be more than just slightly absurd and convoluted.

That said, the acting more than makes up for these issues. The duo of Kim and Yum is terrific, deftly carrying the film and its many tonal pivots. SMUGGLERS only works because of the strength of their performances and their command of the screen. Supporting work from Zo, Park Jeong-min, Go Min-si and especially Kim Jong-soo, who plays a slimy customs chief, are excellent; each one getting a number of moments to shine. It is a great ensemble overall, all in service of helping make SMUGGLERS more wildly entertaining than I ever imagined.

SMUGGLERS screens at TIFF ’23:

Wednesday, September 13 at 9:30 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Thursday, September 14 at 3:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 16 at 2:45 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Sunday, September 17 at 8:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

By Mr. Will Wong

Premiering as part of TIFF‘s Primetime Programme dedicated to Television, Channel 4‘s ALICE & JACK stars Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson as two lovers who meet online and despite not having much in common initially, the sparks fly.

Alice however, is cold and adamant that Jack should never call her again, though they both cannot stop thinking about one another. This goes off and on for several years and amidst the gaps, Jack is forced to move on with his life and this poses problems with mysterious Alice suddenly resurfacing again in his life. Why is she so afraid to let him in?

Victor Levin writes and Juho Kuosmanen directs, with some phenomenal work by our two leads, particularly Riseborough who keeps us hanging with her outbursts of anger, which are balanced by sudden acts of kindness that keep us guessing what her deal is.

The limitations of the television format push the pacing along too rapidly and things unfold and get resolved some times a little too conveniently despite the Series never backing away from exploring the complex messiness of love. In fact, we are seeing a recurring theme among some of the biggest titles at TIFF ’23 – an exploration of dynamics between men and women and also the psychological impacts of trauma. Our attention was kept throughout the 83-minute runtime.

ALICE & JACK screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 16
Royal Alexandra Theatre
5:00 PM

Sunday, September 17
TIFF Bell Lightbox
9:15 AM

By David Baldwin

Not that long ago, Sylvester Stallone was one of the biggest Hollywood movie stars on the planet. He was action movie royalty and the man who breathed life into Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, two of the most iconic characters in film history. Director Thom Zimny explores these elements in his documentary SLY, where he sets out to explore Stallone’s career from the beginning until now.

Zimny’s portrait of the legendary Action Star is enjoyable for the most part. He charts Stallone’s tumultuous home life with his abusive father, his struggles to get Rocky made with him as the lead, the immediate critical and financial evisceration he received after, and how he ended up carving out his own path as an Actor/Writer/Director; all the while speaking to Stallone in the present as movers pack up his memorabilia for a big move. Stallone is a refreshingly honest interview subject which makes the Film much less fluffy than it could have been.

And while I question why Quentin Tarantino is a talking head here, it was fun hearing Talia Shire, Frank Stallone Jr., John Herzfeld and Arnold Schwarzenegger all talk about their histories with Stallone.

Zimny’s Documentary is not without its faults. For one, Sly spends a long amount of time leading up to Rocky and the aftermath. Then it whips through the rest of the ’80s and practically sprints through the remaining years with very little time for reflection. I get the reason for the early focus and appreciated the self-deprecating comments about Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, but if this is supposed to be about his full career, then why not spread the love a bit better? And no, Barney Ross from The Expendables is nowhere near as iconic or comparable to Rocky or Rambo despite what the Film may suggest.

More egregious is how Zimny discusses Stallone’s son Sage who passed away in 2012. He is shown a handful of times and mentioned in passing, yet not treated with the same amount of emphasis as Stallone’s father. I am sure Zimny has his reasons for not including Sage more; it just comes at the cost of brushing away a pretty pivotal moment in Stallone’s saga. Much like everything else in the second half of Sly, there should have been way more time for reflection.

SLY screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 16 at 6:30 PM at Princess of Wales Theatre

Saturday, September 16 at 8:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Sunday, September 17 at 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

An earthquake has ripped through Seoul leaving mass devastation in its wake. Millions are dead and buildings and roads have been reduced to rubble. The only thing left standing is the Hwang Gung apartment complex, where the residents continue to wait for a rescue that is not coming anytime soon. With groups of survivors desperately seeking food and shelter daily, the residents join together to decide on the next course of action and how they will survive the harsh winter ahead.

The title of this film may be CONCRETE UTOPIA, but it resembles more of a dystopic nightmare. Co-Writer/Director Um Tae-hwa’s Social Thriller (based off a Webtoon) is an unsettling and shocking experience that becomes gradually more disturbing as it progresses. It is incredibly bleak and brutal yet feels restrained – I certainly thought it was going to devolve into something much more repulsive than it does. The Film reminded me a lot of George A. Romero’s legendary Dawn of the Dead as well as the video game/TV series The Last of Us in its look, feel and themes. Um does not rip off either source wholesale, rather he uses them as more of a blueprint for the hellscape Seoul has become. The CGI and horrific set design work are both quite stellar as well.

While there is one specific reveal I wish Um used closer to the finale as opposed to early on, my only other gripe with CONCRETE UTOPIA is the sheer amount of characters and exposition they have to deliver. He wisely only returns to life seconds prior to the earthquake twice and confidently leaves some questions and plot threads unresolved. But Um gets bogged down in some of the specifics and relies a bit too heavily on montages. Worse, he does not do nearly enough to differentiate the characters beyond the leads played by Park Seo-jun, Park Bo-young and an absolutely deplorable Lee Byung-hun. They each do a great job in their roles and terrifically handle the moral quandaries that are endlessly thrown at them. A tighter line of sight from Um could have made their work even stronger.

CONCRETE UTOPIA screens at TIFF’23:

Sunday, September 10 at 5:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Monday, September 11 at 10:50 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Friday, September 15 at 9:00 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Saturday, September 16 at 8:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

The Toronto International Film Festival® ― which concluded last evening with the Closing Night screening of Thom Zimny’s Sly at the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall ― has announced its award recipients for the 48th edition of the Festival.

“We’re grateful to all the audience members, artists, industry professionals, and supporters who graced Toronto’s cinemas, red carpets, meeting spaces, and streets,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “As we recognize award winners today, we thank everyone who contributed to this glorious, collective gift.”

“From the most revered veterans to the freshest new voices, this year’s Festival played host to the diverse range of filmmakers Toronto is known for,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “And Toronto’s filmgoers turned up in huge numbers to be a part of the celebration. We’re grateful to our film jurors for their invaluable contributions, for championing emerging talent, and for enriching the film community with their expertise and passion.”

SHORT CUTS AWARDS

Short Cuts Awards are for Best Film, Best Canadian Film, and the Share Her Journey Award for best film by a woman. Each winning film will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD. The winners of the three awards are:

Short Cuts Award for Best Film: Electra, dir. Daria Kashcheeva
Jury’s statement: “Singular and accomplished, this sickly sweet nightmare of a film packs a mighty final punch. Visceral and infinitely textured, it leads us down a contorted rabbit hole with thematic and visual prowess. With great pleasure, the jury presents the Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film to Electra, directed by Daria Kashcheeva. Electra resonates with under-the-skin discomfort long after the film is over.”

Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Motherland, dir. Jasmin Mozaffari
Jury’s statement: “Displaying great mastery of craft, this incredibly ambitious film excels in its direction, performances, sound, and picture, with every frame exhibiting love and intention. The jury is pleased to present the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film to Motherland directed by Jasmin Mozaffari. The film left us with one word collectively: wow.”

Share Her Journey Award: Shé (Snake), dir. Renee Zhan
Jury’s statement: “For this film’s incredibly original and surreal creativity, which is matched with beautiful acting, the jury is thrilled to give the Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award to Renee Zhan for Shé (Snake). It’s not common to be bewitched by grotesque creatures in a film, but here they captured the hearts of the audience thanks to their humour and charm.”

Honourable Mention: Gaby’s Hills, dir. Zoé Pelchat
Jury’s statement: “Featuring an ensemble cast with incredible organic chemistry, Gaby’s Hills delivered a moving portrayal of a girl in puberty returning home to find her womanhood reflected back to her in the community. Carefully crafted with layered themes, the jury is delighted to present an honourable mention for the Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award to Gaby’s Hills, directed by Zoé Pelchat.”

The 2023 jurors for the Short Cuts Awards are Aisha Jamal, Araya Mengesha, and Shasha Nakhai.

NETPAC AWARD

The 2023 NETPAC jury members include: Sung Moon, Haolun Shu, and Lalita Krishna.

TIFF is delighted to announce that the 2023 NETPAC Jury has selected Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s A Match as this year’s NETPAC winner.

The 2023 NETPAC jury released the following statement: “First, the jury would like to express how impressed they were by the strong films in this category, which covered a range of social issues using diverse artistic styles. The jury gives an honourable mention to Mimang, where director Kim Taeyang created a lyrical tale through visuals of a changing city that perfectly captured the longing of its protagonists. The NETPAC award was instituted to promote Asian cinema and to bring international attention to independent and non-mainstream films focusing on the discovery of new talent. The jury commends the courage of this year’s winner, a first time feature director, for taking a risk and delivering a story that is enlightening and entertaining. The director worked with a cast of non-actors that not only resulted in a stellar performance, but achieved a level of authenticity needed to drive home the social message. An immersive portrayal of life in an Indian village, highlighting its oppressive patriarchal customs, the NETPAC award this year goes to A Match by Jayant Digambar Somalkar.”

FIPRESCI PRIZE

The 2023 FIPRESCI jury members include: Cem Altinsaray, Elijah Baron, Jindřiška Bláhová, Diego Faraone,
and Jenni Zylka.

The jury is delighted to announce Seagrass, dir. Meredith Hama-Brown, as this year’s FIPRESCI winner.

The 2023 FIPRESCI jury released the following statement: “A married couple in crisis seems willing to give what is usually the last resource to save its bond: couples therapy, while they’re having a vacation at the Pacific coast together with their two daughters. Their contact with other couples is an inevitable temptation and a fire test. Meanwhile, their daughters confront the world, their fears, puberty — and the ghosts of unresolved conflicts of their parents. This intimate, endearing, and wonderfully framed first feature film by young Canadian actor and director Meredith Hama-Brown skillfully deals with subjects like masculinity, family taboos, motherhood, and structural anti-Asian racism. Hama-Brown carefully stages her convincing actors, especially the young ones, and even gives life to a tender relationship between a little girl and a ball.
We are happy to honour the film Seagrass with the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI Prize) at TIFF 2023.”

AMPLIFY VOICES AWARDS PRESENTED BY CANADA GOOSE

This year, Canada Goose will again present the Amplify Voices Awards to under-represented filmmakers in Canada. Feature films in Official Selection by Canadian BIPOC filmmakers are eligible for the Best Feature and Best First Feature Award. The Amplify Voices Award will also celebrate a Canadian BIPOC trailblazer, recognizing a producer who has made significant contributions to the Canadian film landscape. The three winners will receive a cash prize of $10,000 each, made possible by Canada Goose.

The three Amplify Voices Awards presented by Canada Goose winners are:

Amplify Voices Award – Best BIPOC Canadian Feature: Kanaval, dir. Henri Pardo
Jury’s statement: “There has never been a Canadian film that captures both magical realism and post-colonial trauma in such a beautiful, poetic, and convincing way. Seamless in the way the story has been weaved together, this film refuses to follow a linear storyline, understanding intimately how the past and future always exist in the present, and lifting centuries-old legacies into the cinema. Centered around the powerful and awe-inducing performance of newcomer Rayan Dieudonné, this film is an honest ode to the immigrant experience. The jury celebrates Kanaval and the singular cinematic talent of Henri Pardo.”

Amplify Voices Award for Best BIPOC Canadian First Feature Award: Tautuktavuk (What We See), dirs. Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk
Jury’s statement: “Through powerful self-representation, this story honours rituals that have been and rituals that are made anew, reflecting a rare purity in its filmmaking approach. The makers of this film powerfully capture truth in its most unadorned form, turning the camera inward to both look at and listen to themselves and their community, placing trust in and honouring the authenticity of their voices. The jury celebrates the co-directors of Tautuktavuk, Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk, for their work in powerfully navigating difficult and necessary conversations from a place of unapologetic ownership and unwavering communal care.”

The 2023 jurors for the Amplify Voices Awards presented by Canada Goose are V.T. Nayani, Nisha Pahuja, and Ricardo Acosta.

The Amplify Voices Award also celebrates a Canadian BIPOC Trailblazer, recognizing a producer who has made significant contributions to the Canadian film landscape.

The 2023 Amplify Voices Trailblazer Award was presented to Damon D’Oliveira, producer.

Damon is a veteran producer responsible for bringing to screen some of Canada’s most critically and commercially successful films and television (Brother, Rude, The Grizzlies, The Book of Negroes, and Wildhood). An early champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion both in front and behind the camera, Damon’s career has focused on producing content that centered underrepresented, racialized, and 2SLGBTQ+ voices. His latest film, Brother, directed by Clement Virgo, had its World Premiere at TIFF 2022 to strong critical acclaim and has been invited to a number of additional festivals including the Busan Film Festival, Sao Paulo Film Festival, and in Competition at the BFI London, Gothenburg, and Tromsø Film Festivals.

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD

The 2023 Best Canadian Feature jury members include: V.T. Nayani, Susan Maggi, and Ricardo Acosta. TIFF is delighted to announce that the 2023 Jury has selected Solo, dir. Sophie Dupuis as this year’s Best Canadian Feature Film.

Jury’s statement: “Sophie Dupuis’s Solo is a specifically intimate and deeply affecting film, full of palpable care and honesty. Whatever your entry point to this film, there is a place for you as part of a larger story and conversation, which is more critical than ever. This coming-of-age narrative is ultimately a film about family, both blood and chosen, and the complications and beauties of both. And it is a story of love, in all of its iterations, of how it can both fail us and set us free.”

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD HONORABLE MENTION: Kanaval, dir. Henri Pardo
Jury’s statement: “There has never been a Canadian film that captures both magical realism and post-colonial trauma through the singular lens of a young child, in such a beautiful, poetic, and convincing way. The jury is pleased to award an Honorable Mention to Henri Pardo’s Kanaval.”

CHANGEMAKER AWARD

The Changemaker Award is presented to a Festival film that explores issues relevant to young people and is focused on themes of social change and youth empowerment. The award embraces the power in young people seeing their communities represented on screen and celebrates the next generation of storytellers and changemakers in cinema. The winning film comes with a $10,000 CAD prize, and is selected by TIFF’s Next Wave Committee, a group of young film lovers who recognize cinema’s power to transform the world.

The 2023 jurors for the Changemaker Award are members of TIFF’s Next Wave Committee: Maggie Kane, Linc Guo, Serena Hao, Roni Harel Haber, Ray Wu, Naiya Forrester, Maya Al-Arami, Sara Rana, Daniel Leplae, Tara Sidhu, Tafadzwa Mangwiro, and Elizabeth Albrecht.

The 2023 Changemaker Award is presented to We Grown Now, dir. Minhal Baig.

Minhal Baig offered this statement: “Thank you so much to the Next Wave Committee in recognizing We Grown Now for the Changemaker Award. When I first began interviewing former Cabrini-Green residents years ago, I was deeply moved and surprised by the experiences they shared with me. They spoke both of the challenges and joys of life in a public housing project. It was essential in making the film that we embrace that reality and present the high rises through the lens of children who called it home. Though the high rises have long since been demolished, Cabrini-Green remains an indelible part of the history of Chicago and public housing in America, and I hope the film sparks meaningful cultural conversation. I am beyond honoured that the Next Wave Committee has recognized the film and the importance of its social issues.”

TIFF’s Next Wave Committee provided this statement: “We Grown Now offers a compelling depiction of family and friendship within the backdrop of Chicago’s public housing project, Cabrini-Green. Frequently shadowed by the stereotypes of drugs, violence, and crime, this film strives to break the mold. Minhal dedicated a significant amount of time to connect with former residents of the now-demolished homes to learn their stories. The result is a profound and significant story of boyhood innocence and hope, and the struggle two young friends face as they grapple with the possibility of saying goodbye to each other. We were able to connect with this film because we saw friends and family in it, the struggles they face everyday, and the parts of their lives we may never personally know. We believe in the self-discovery and power that comes from seeing your community represented in film. We know how dedicated Minhal is to tell stories that matter and that mean something to those they are about, and we hope that this award will aid her in her journey forward.”

PLATFORM AWARD

The Platform Award is an award of $20,000 CAD given to the best film in the programme, selected by an in-person international jury. This year’s jury members are: Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki, and Anthony Shim.

The 2023 Platform Award is awarded to: Dear Jassi, dir. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar.

The Platform Jury released this statement: “Dear Jassi was a unanimous choice for this year’s Platform Award for its honest and poignant portrayal of a subject matter that still affects large portions of individuals forced to live under the inhumanity of bitter caste systems throughout the globe. The film has the perfect blend of craft, purpose, and faith in its audience, creating a world that is both richly cinematic and steadfastly realistic. The young leads, Yugam Sood and Pavia Sidhu, are by turns breathtaking and, in performances that pull no punches, heartbreaking. Altogether an emphatic work by director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar and his many wonderful collaborators; a film that would be worthy of accolades in any section and which we enthusiastically welcome into the pantheon of winners in this Platform section.”

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

For the 47th year, the People’s Choice Awards distinguish the audience’s top title at the Festival as voted by the viewing public. All films in TIFF’s Official Selection were eligible.

The TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award winner is Dicks: The Musical dir. Larry Charles.
The first runner-up is Kill dir. Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.
The second runner-up is Hell of a Summer dirs. Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk.

The TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Documentary Award winner is Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe dir. Robert McCallum.
The first runner-up is Summer Qamp dir. Jen Markowitz.
The second runner-up is Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa dir. Lucy Walker.

The TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Award winner is: American Fiction dir. Cord Jefferson.
The first runner-up is The Holdovers dir. Alexander Payne.
The second runner-up is The Boy and the Heron dir. Hayao Miyazaki.

By Mr. Will Wong

In many ways, Annette Bening‘s long overdue recognition mirrors that of the subject she plays, Diana Nyad in NYAD. In 2013, after multiple failed attempts, she became the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Key West, without a cage to protect her from sharks. And Diana did this at the age of 64 above this.

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin co-direct this Biopic which recounts Diana‘s painstaking journey to overcome the odds, and also her relationships with those around her who helped make it happen. We meet her best friend and trainer Bonnie (Jodie Foster) and navigator John (Rhys Ifans) who also are pushed to the limits, putting aside their lives to help Diana accomplish her impossible goal.

Cinematography by Claudio Miranda is magnificent, capturing the hypnotic beauty and also deadly dangers of the waters on which Diana and crew must tread to reach their destination. This, paired with a Soundtrack that is deeply personal to her, helping immerse us into our subject’s world, told both through flashbacks and in linear fashion in the timeframe Diana decides to embark her journey once again. The Film explores the price of ambition and the trickle effects of this

NYAD is immensely uplifting and perhaps the Movie that many of us need right now. Bening has never been better and is so convincing, nailing the physicality, vulnerability and strength that define Diana Nyad. Foster‘s Bonnie is that one BFF we all need in our lives, turning in a performance that feels truly lived-in. A Film made with its sights set on Awards Season glory and it very likely will get there.

NYAD screens at TIFF ’23:

Thursday, September 14

Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Descriptive sound
5:45 PM

Saturday, September 16

TIFF Bell Lightbox
Closed captioning
9:30 PM

By David Baldwin

“Someone is inside.”

That is what Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) tells his pregnant wife Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) one night from the foot of the bed before immediately falling back asleep. She is visibly shaken by this admission yet finds only the dog after inspecting the apartment. As the days go on, Hyun-su begins sleepwalking and gradually doing more disturbing things. They go to a doctor who tells them it is just a REM sleep disorder, but as paranoia sets in, Soo-jin begins to think there may be more to it.

SLEEP is Writer/Director Jason Yu’s first feature and it is likely going to shake you right through to your bones. He tells this couple’s story in three distinct chapters, each more horrifying and unsettling than the last. I was on edge watching the film unfold, frequently stunned by just how far Yu takes the concept and how he loves to toy with his audience in a way that a cat would toy with a mouse. He is also economic with his storytelling, skipping some moments and extraneous plot beats in order to get to other scenes quicker. That may suggest he leaves some glaring plot holes, except it is quite the opposite. He is efficient and precise, never wasting a frame and always finely in tune with where he wants the audience to be at all times.

And the way he uses the confines and claustrophobia of the couple’s small apartment? Simply brilliant.

Lee is remarkable balancing Hyun-su’s daytime confusion and nighttime nightmares, adjusting his demeanour almost too seamlessly. Jung is even better. Her character lives by the mantra of a wall plaque in the couple’s living room – “Together We Can Overcome Anything” – and does everything she can to stick by her man even when she should be running for the hills. Watching her progress through the film and witnessing the exacerbation in her face and body language is terrific, as is the paranoia that propels the film forward. She is our conduit for all of the on-screen horrors that happen from the quiet to the downright shocking, and some expressed just through her spectacular reactions. Jung makes an excellent film become that much more extraordinary.

Fair warning though, you might not like what happens to certain furry four-legged characters.

SLEEP screens at TIFF ’23:

Friday, September 15 at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Saturday, September 16 at 9:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

The year is 1981 and the South African rugby team is touring New Zealand. People nationwide are upset and taking to the streets to protest. Bullied teenager Josh Waaka (Julian Dennison) is happy to stand aside whenever he sees the protestors. When Josh’s teacher Brother Madigan (Rhys Darby, also at the Festival with Next Goal Wins) witnesses some of his acting, he pushes Josh to audition for drama school. But with a splintered homelife and raging protests outside, Josh is not sure drama school is his best choice right now.

That cynical blurb may not sound like anything special, and the directing team of Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett (who also Co-Wrote) seem keenly aware of that. They pack in every coming-of-age trope you can think of alongside rugby and a tribute to the men and women who protested against social and racial injustices. The Directors jump recklessly from comedy to heartbreak to harrowing moments like Josh filming a protest as the police step in to forcibly disperse the crowd. It is a lot to take in and more dramatic than it may sound reading the description off the TIFF website.

Then something extraordinary happens. You want to stand up and cheer. You want to smile and feel the joys and pains of the actors on-screen. What was a throwaway film we had all seen before becomes a heartwarming underdog story you will not soon forget. And most of these feelings come as a result of Middleditch and Bennett framing and hinging the entirety of UPROAR around Dennison. The young actor, who you will likely remember from Deadpool 2 and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is captivating and commanding as Josh. He pulls at your heartstrings without trying and lands every emotional beat flawlessly. He is hilarious, self-deprecating and most of all, fearless. He gets propped up by some solid supporting work from Darby and Minnie Driver, who plays Josh’s Mom Shirley, but Dennison knows he is the star of the show. He has always been a scene-stealer and a crowd-pleaser. Let’s hope this role catapults him to the leading man status he so richly deserves.  

UPROAR screens at TIFF’ 23:

Monday, September 11 at 12:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Tuesday, September 12 at 2:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sunday, September 17 at 3:05 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

…and that’s a wrap for us! What a TIFF it’s been! And while we were a bit worried about being impacted by a smaller number of talent coming through, somehow we still found ourselves putting in the same amount of time and enjoying the Films just as much as we usually do.

A notable theme among some of our favourites this year was a deep exploration of male-female dynamics as we see the world through a post-#MeToo lens. Some of our favourite films namely MEMORY, DADDIO, THE ROYAL HOTEL and FAIR PLAY, explored deeply-intricate and complex human interactions, which we actually have been craving after periods of isolation these past few years.

While we still have a few movies to see, the star sighting has capped-off for us and we hope you’ve had fun on our adventures! It was so amazing getting to meet some of you in-person finally, old supporters and new!

Day nine sightings were actually loaded were mega-starpower. We saw Sylvester Stallone at TIFF Bell Lightbox heading to his In-Conversation, which we are hearing was amazing. Tomorrow he premieres his Netflix Documentary SLY at Roy Thomson Hall.

Some additional Snaps from our David Baldwin who attended the event:

You know we love our Andy Lau and it was amazing seeing the Chinese-Canadian community come out in droves to see this icon, whose career has spanned five decades. Incredible! He walked the Carpet with Director Ning Hao at Roy Thomson Hall.

A huge thanks again to our supporters and partners including:

CP24
Acura Canada
Cabano’s Cheeseburgers
Starbucks Canada
H&M Canada
Happy Natural Products
Arterra Wines

A reel of highlights here:

Catch-up on all our coverage here.

So grateful for the help of David Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore, George Kozera and Nicholas Porteous for their review contributions!

Until next year! Trust me, we’ve earned some rest!

Mr. Will