#TIFF25: “THE CHRISTOPHERS” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous

The prolific and unpredictable Steven Soderbergh goes back to basics with The Christophers. It’s the story of two artists–one at the tail end of his life (Ian McKellen), and the other (Michaela Cole) near the start of her career, but drifting in a limbo of art-adjacent gigs–including forgery. His money-minded children (James Corden and Jessica Gunning) send her on a mission to secretly complete an unfinished series of his paintings–The Christophers–which reside at the top of his multi-story house, collecting dust. If she can finish the paintings and secretly return them, they’ll be worth several fortunes after he dies, which could be any day now. What follows is a very different sort of art heist.

The Christophers is a carefully-constructed character study which unravels largely through a series of dialogues. It’s theatrical, small in scale–mostly confined to McKellen’s enormous abode–but rich in scope. By the end, a complex portrait of both characters is uncovered. That’s not to say The Christophers is just talk. The twists and turns come fast, and the game changes, inverts, shimmies into a new form in practically every scene.

Ian McKellen is a true master at work here. Don’t let his character’s near-death status fool you–he’s the most electric presence in the movie by a mile. Every glance and gesture crackles, and he balances intense narcissism with a fiendish, cutting insight. He’s also funny as hell. Cole is tasked with a far less verbose and enigmatic personality. Half the fun of The Christophers is never quite knowing where her mind is headed next. She’s a captivating presence, but never totally steals the spotlight from McKellen, partly by necessity.

The production design is suspiciously fantastic. If you told me this was truly an aging artist’s apartment, plastered with layers upon layers of half-finished projects, memories, bits and bobs accumulated over a lifetime, I would believe you. I suspect it’s only the stunning work of more incredible artists.

The Christophers is another little Soderbergh gem. Minimalist by design, it won’t outshine any of the bigger films at TIFF 50, but if you can grab a ticket, you’ll find a clever character study with a performance at its center that only a living legend can give, after decades at the top of his craft.

The Christophers screens at TIFF ’25:

Mon. Sept 8 at 9:00 AM and 6:25 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Fri. Sept 12 at 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Sat. Sept 13 at 9:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox