#TIFF19: “THE WHISTLERS”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Corrupt cop Cristi (Vlad Ivanov) is in over his head. He needs to help free Zsolt (Sabin Tambrea), as he is the only one who knows the whereabouts of millions of dollars in cash. In order to get to Zsolt, Cristi must conspire with gangsters, a femme fatale, corrupt officers and more. And if that was not enough, he must learn “El Siblo”, an Indigenous whistle language used to avoid detection – primarily because it sounds like bird calls.

The Whistlers is a bit too jumpy for its own good, and relies a bit too much on paying attention to miniscule, thoughtless details. Everyone has an angle, and is double-crossing everyone. And somewhere along the line, probably around the point where you find yourself asking just how everyone factors into this story, The Whistlers just becomes a bit too convoluted for comfort. While the story may fall apart under slight scrutiny, the look of the Film remains consistently magnificent, as does the Film’s sly sense of humour (specifically around how ridiculous this whistling language quickly becomes). And while Ivanov is good, he is upstaged by the stunning Catrinel Marlon, who plays a classic femme fatale for the ages.

THE WHISTLERS screens TIFF at the following times:

Thursday September 5, 6:15pm @ Scotiabank Theatre
Friday September 6, 2:30pm @ Scotiabank Theatre