TIFF21: “SUNDOWN” REVIEW

Review by David Baldwin

Neil Bennett (Tim Roth) is vacationing with his family at a luxury resort in Acapulco. The wealthy travelers are thrown for a loop when they find out Neil’s Mother has passed away suddenly and need to return to London immediately. When they get to the airport however, Neil discovers that he has forgotten his passport at the hotel. He tells them to go on while he stays to look for it, but instead of heading back to the resort, he decides to check into a different hotel and does not seem intent on ever returning home.

Revealing anything more would be a disservice to Michel Franco’s SUNDOWN, which manages to remain moody and mysterious throughout its brisk 84-minute running time. I was hesitant to watch after being genuinely repulsed by Franco’s nihilistic film New Order at last year’s Festival, and was surprised by just how blown away I was at this Film’s simplicity and depth. We know something is holding Neil back from returning to his former life, yet Franco only gradually reveals the truth. Instead, he lets Roth drink beers on the gorgeous beach and spend time with a beautiful local woman named Berenice (Iazua Larios). All the while, Franco hints at class struggle and the benefits Neil’s family have over the less privileged Mexican people who surround him, and takes a few shocking turns to ensure that message is crystal clear for the audience.

Despite the breezy pacing, I found myself riveted by the journey Roth’s character Neil goes through. He speaks few words and rarely shows any emotion; rather he relies entirely on body language and the character’s melancholic demeanour to carry the Film. That may sound less than ideal on paper, but Roth’s performance is a masterclass in minimalism. He says and conveys everything he needs to in a way that few Actors can. He holds your gaze no matter the circumstance, breathing life into a character who some may despise and others might admire. He is not an inherently bad person per se – Franco just never makes it easy to sympathize with him or his repugnant actions. Roth uses that to his advantage and makes every frame of his performance more compelling than the last. Supporting work from Larios, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Henry Goodman are all solid, though they are difficult to notice whenever Roth is acting beside them. His towering work here makes SUNDOWN practically unmissable.

SUNDOWN screens at TIFF’ 21:

Sun, Sep 12 Scotiabank 2 7:30 PM

Mon, Sep 13 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 3:00 PM

Fri, Sep 17 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 5:00 PM

#FIRSTLOOK: OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BIOPIC “SELMA”

To be honest, we had no idea there even was a Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic in the works!  Paramount Pictures over the weekend hit us hard with an amazing, gritty look at the Trailer for SELMA from Director Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere).  We see nothing but chaos, a taste of an Era on the brink of a revolution

Official Synopsis:

The story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (David Oyelowo) historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

SELMA stars David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tim Roth, Giovanni Ribisi, Dylan Baker, Oprah Winfrey, Alessandro Nivola, Wendell Pierce and Henry G. Sanders.

Paramount Pictures release SELMA on Friday, January 9, 2015.

See the Trailer:

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures)

#FIRSTLOOK: “GRACE OF MONACO” TEASER TRAILER

Just one week after I met her at TIFF ’13, comes this delicious surprise – a Teaser Trailer for Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman!  I cannot handle how gorgeous she looks!  My Queen!

  Check-out this 1:13 minutes of pure elegance.  Stunning.

Watch below:

 

The Weinstein Co. releases Grace of Monaco on Friday, November 27, 2013 in select cities.

 

(Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.)

#FIRSTLOOK: NICOLE KIDMAN IN “GRACE OF MONACO”

You won’t believe your eyes!  These new Stills were released for Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman, a Film about Grace Kelly‘s involvement with Prince Rainier III (Tim Roth) and France’s dispute over tax laws in the ’60s. Directed by French Director Olivia Dahan, the Drama which currently is in Post-Production, has stirred-up some controversy among Kelly’s Children for being both historically inaccurate and over-glamourized. 

Factual or not, we must see this and Kidman looks on-the-verge of yet another Award-worthy performance and it would appear this is exactly what Grace of Monaco‘s connections are gunning for with a December 2013 release. With The Weinstein Co. behind the Film in the U.S., it is possible we might see this at TIFF this September! Come on eOne Films, we know you’re packing some heat there!

See the brand new Stills below:

 

 

(Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.)