As the school year began, the yearly Northern migration of Hollywood A-to-Z listers, their agents, distributors, and directors took place at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Despite the shift from Bell as the festival’s biggest partner to Rogers after nearly three decades of partnership, the festival felt largely the same as previous years, if a bit soulless.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Toronto International Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the world. It happens yearly at the beginning of September and spans roughly two weeks. TIFF screens hundreds of films, the majority of which never see mass distribution. Screenings span a large spectrum, from red carpet, world premieres with stars and directors in attendance, to industry-only screenings where production companies wine and dine distributors hoping to sell the distribution rights to their films.
Plebeian attendees of TIFF (like myself) can similarly be described on a spectrum ranging from casual movie-goer to pretentious cinephiles and actual film enthusiasts. While the first and third groups can be found quietly enjoying their film and dissecting it afterwards with friends, the middle group can be identified as those who clap along jovially to every single preview before the film, including the anti-piracy legal notice, and stand in rush lines for hours on end to get into films that would cost them $22 a ticket otherwise.
Between classes, I had the opportunity to watch several films of varying genres (and
cruelly subject several of my friends to varying degrees of cinematographic success). As most
films at TIFF have yet to begin marketing, many only provide a single image and a logline from
which one must decide whether they are interested in watching. To save you all the hassle, I’ve
distilled the seven films I’ve watched into two short reviews; a must-watch and must-avoid with my justification provided below.
Must-Watch: We Live in Time
I did not expect to like We Live in Time as much as I did, but Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield really are an ideal pairing. If you insist on films using changing hairstyles as the only indication that there are time jumps, then this is the film for you. While some plot lines were unnecessary, and the ending was kind of abrupt, much of the film was well-paced, and emotionally packed—you leave the theatre feeling both elated and depressed. I know this review doesn’t exactly paint a perfect picture, yet this film was still my favourite because it manages to keep you engaged and invested despite its quirks. It truly is a must-watch.
Must-Avoid: Can I get a Witness?
Please do not watch this movie. I initially chose the film for its interesting premise—a future
world in which technology can’t be used because of climate change and people must die by
mandatory suicide at 50. The one thing I can commend the film on is how it can take such a
riveting premise and make it the most boring hour and a half of film I’ve ever watched in my
life. The only good part about the film is Sandra Oh, who takes up maybe 15 minutes of
screentime. The friend I went to watch this film with fell asleep for half an hour, woke up, and
didn’t notice anything had changed.
I hope my reviews are somewhat beneficial, and my breakdown of TIFF encourages you
to go down to St. Patrick Station next September and try your luck at picking a film that might become a favourite, a hatred, or simply a fun experience.