The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opens this Thursday, September 5th with the world premiere of David Gordon Green’s fish-out-of-water comedy Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller, while Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, Australian-set teen musical comedy The Deb, will world premiere as the official closing nighter on Saturday, September 14th ahead of the festival’s final full day of programming.
Among the 278 films in this year’s lineup, TIFF 2024 includes an array of LGBTQ-related works across 11 days. Here we take a look at some of the highlights, with descriptions courtesy of TIFF.
Queer
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
North American Premiere
Brilliant, audacious author, meet brilliant, audacious director: it takes risk to translate the work of William S. Burroughs for the screen, but Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s (Call Me by Your Name, TIFF ’17) spin on the Beat legend’s autobiographical novel matches its source material in vulnerability and taboo-smashing adventurousness. Starring Daniel Craig (Knives Out, TIFF ’19) and featuring supporting turns from Jason Schwartzman (Quiz Lady, TIFF ’23) and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Queer is a hallucinogenic odyssey bathed in desire.
Lee (Craig) mingles with the expatriate set in postwar Mexico City, wandering its streets, frequenting its gay bars, and ingesting whatever illicit substances are available. He is a consummate raconteur who has no trouble finding an audience, but he is also a desperately lonely, middle-aged addict with an alarming fondness for guns. Early in Queer, Lee sets his sights on a journey to the Amazon in search of the potentially telepathic ayahuasca — and he wants handsome young bi-curious Oklahoman Allerton (Drew Starkey, The Hate U Give, TIFF ’18, Outer Banks) to accompany him. Their travels will yield a string of unexpected encounters and provide Lee with sobering lessons in what Burroughs dubbed “the algebra of need.”
Adapted by Justin Kuritzkes (who wrote Guadagnino’s Challengers), Queer is both faithful to the book and a radical re-imagining. Period detail is offset by anachronistic musical choices, while an eerie epilogue alludes to the real-life tragedy that prompted Burroughs’ writing career. Through it all, Craig makes Lee his own, creating a fully lived-in protagonist whose unruly obsessions lead to something akin to enlightenment. – Anita Lee
Queer screens 9:45 pm on Monday, September 9th at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales; 3pm on Tuesday, September 10th at TIFF Lightbox; 9:15 am on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; 4pm on Saturday, September 14th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 5:45pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Emilia Pérez
Directed by Jacques Audiard
Canadian Premiere
Exhilarating and piercingly resonant, the latest from director Jacques Audiard (Rust and Bone, TIFF ’12; The Sisters Brothers, TIFF ’18) audaciously merges pop opera, narco thriller, and gender affirmation drama. Emilia Pérez is a rollercoaster in which crime, redemption, and karma collide, featuring fearless performances from Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and the amazing Karla Sofía Gascón, an ensemble that collectively received the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Rita Moro Castro (Saldaña) is a Mexico City defense attorney whose brilliant strategies have kept many murderous but wildly affluent clients out of jail. Her reputation draws the attention of Manitas Del Monte (Gascón), a notorious kingpin, who is secretly transitioning. Del Monte hires Rita to arrange an itinerary of under-the-table procedures with the world’s best surgeons, while making a plan for the wife (Gomez) and kids who will be left behind. The process is a success, Manitas’ murder is staged, and Emilia Pérez is born. This new identity affords Emilia the ability to create a whole new life for herself, but the past begins to creep back, threatening to undo everything she and Rita have worked so hard to achieve.
Written by Audiard with Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Livecchi, and Léa Mysius, with music by Camille and Clément Ducol, Emilia Pérez upends expectations with its ingenious plot twists, eye-popping spectacle, and inspired musical detours, which find the entire cast singing, rapping, and dancing as a means to express the dreams and anxieties of an entire culture struggling against corruption, fear, and harmful stereotypes. – Jane Schoettle
Emilia Pérez screens at 6:15pm on Monday, September 9th at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre; 11:30am on Tuesday, September 10th at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre; 9pm on Friday, September 13th at TIFF Lightbox; 9:45pm on Saturday, September 14th at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre; and 12pm on Sunday, September 15th at TIFF Lightbox.
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara
Directed by Erin Lee Carr
World Premiere
With 10 studio albums to their name, Canadian pop duo and twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin are trailblazers both as openly queer performers and as artists who were quick to embrace social media in its nascent era. Tegan and Sara became known for being accessible to their fans and cultivating a safe space, especially for young LGBTQ+ women, some of whom were seeing themselves reflected in pop music for the first time.
The duo’s growing fanbase connected with one another over various online forums and platforms like LiveJournal, sharing concert videos and stories of meeting Tegan in particular, who spent the most time chatting with fans and signing merchandise. Around 2010, social media profiles claiming to be Tegan started popping up. An anonymous, catfishing person — eventually known as Fegan, a portmanteau of “fake” and “Tegan” — connected with people in the fan community, forming friendships, online romances, sharing personal information of Tegan’s and fabricating stories of her bad behaviour.
More than just a portrait of Tegan and Sara’s global ascent and their influence and advocacy in the music industry, Erin Lee Carr’s film charts the evolution of social media’s impact on fame and fandom through the duo’s years-long victimization and harassment at the hands of this “fan.” It’s a must-see for those familiar with the duo’s music and a cautionary tale for everyone about the dangers of parasocial relationships and the vulnerability of our personal information on the internet. – Robyn Citizen
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara screens at 8:30pm on Friday, September 13th at Royal Alexandra Theatre; 11:45am on Saturday, September 14th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 6:30pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Viêt and Nam (Trong lòng dat)
Directed by Trương Minh Quý
North American Premiere
A group of soot-covered men stand chest to chest as they descend on a shabby lift down to near-complete darkness, where they toil away like machines. Though the mine feels like a space of confinement at first, it’s a place of liberty for Viêt and Nam. Here, the pair can freely express their romantic feelings in intimacy. But regrettably, the young men are due to part as Nam prepares to move abroad for better opportunities. Fortunately, there is some time before they separate. First, Nam intends to accompany his mother who is set on finding the remains of Nam’s father, who never returned from the war in the 1970s.
Set during a time of change and healing in the aughts, the aftermath of war haunts Viêt and Nam while shaping their futures. Their exchanges of bodily secretions seem to merge them into one being, while their uncanny resemblance visually mirrors the pain, longing, and uncertainty of the past, present, and future.
Just before its premiere at Cannes, Viêt and Nam was banned by Vietnam’s Cinema Department for its “gloomy, deadlocked, and negative view” of the country. Although it tells a story specific to the place and its history, the film’s ambiguity and artistic approach render it an emotional, universal, and timeless exploration of the senses. Beautifully shot on 16mm by filmmaker Trương Minh Quý, Viêt and Nam is like panning for gold. Its true value surfaces after you dig and let the water wash away the dirt. – June Kim
Viêt and Nam screens at 8:30pm on Tuesday, September 10th at TIFF Lightbox; 3:45pm on Wednesday, September 11th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 9:20am on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Really Happy Someday
Directed by J Stevens
World Premiere
Before he transitioned, Z (Breton Lalama) was a rising star in Toronto’s musical theatre scene; his Éponine in Les Misérables is still the stuff of local legend. But now, with testosterone injections affecting his voice, Z must figure out how to sing in his new register in order to return to the thing he loves most — and, in the process, integrate his past and present selves.
With the encouragement of his partner Danielle (Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah), Z finds Shelly (Ali Garrison), a vocal coach who can help him retrain his instrument. But until he can get back to auditioning, Z needs a day job — and he winds up as a barback at Squirly’s on Queen West, working for Santi (Xavier Lopez), who, as it happens, turns out to be very sympathetic to his situation.
Really Happy Someday is a small movie, made by a tiny team. Director J Stevens and Lalama wrote and produced it together; Stevens also acted as cinematographer. The narrative is drawn from Stevens’ and Lalama’s own lived experiences, told as authentically as possible. Indeed, Z’s retraining sessions with Shelly are more or less real: Garrison is a veteran voice coach, and when Z hits a note he didn’t think he could reach, the amazement on his face belongs to the performer as much as the character.
But Really Happy Someday isn’t just about a person learning to sing again. It’s about community, and identity, and learning to live in a skin that finally feels like your own. – Norm Wilner
Really Happy Someday screens at 9:45pm on Sunday, September 8th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 10th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Elton John: Never Too Late
Directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish
World Premiere
Icon, beyond a doubt. Trailblazer, always. But even though Sir Elton John has held the bright spotlight of fame for decades, there’s still much of his life behind those spectacular scenes that we haven’t yet glimpsed. Until now.
Co-directed by R.J. Cutler (The September Issue, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry) and John’s husband, documentarian and Torontonian David Furnish, this is a portrait of the artist as he looks back on his life and forward to a climactic farewell show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
We begin at that same stadium, but in 1975 at the first peak of John’s fame, when he played to more than 100,000 fans over two nights. In retrospect, he notes, “There was an emptiness within me.” Weaving together intimate interviews with never-before-seen archival footage and photographs, Cutler and Furnish slowly reveal the megastar, from his prodigious childhood talent, through all his self doubts and demons, to where he has landed today. “This is where you start to think about mortality,” the 77-year-old says, and it proves to be a powerful motivator to take stock.
Fans will know some of this story from John’s autobiography and the Rocketman biopic. But nothing beats the rare images on display here, or the star’s own candour.
Even with the highs, lows, and heartbreak John recounts, the deepest emotional impact comes from the love and family that little Reginald Dwight found at last with Furnish, and continues to share with the world.
Elton John: Never Too Late screens at 9:30pm on Friday, September 6th at Roy Thomson Halll; 1:30pm on Saturday, September 7th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 1:15pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Will & Harper
Directed by Josh Greenbaum
International Premiere
This heartfelt documentary from director Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) follows Saturday Night Live alumni Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as they traverse the US by car following Steele’s announcement of her transition. Both a portrait of enduring friendship and a field report on contemporary attitudes toward the trans community, Will & Harper reinvents the road movie for an age of change and empowerment.
Ferrell and Steele met in 1995 on their first day at work at SNL, where they discovered an instant comedic kinship. Their personal bond deepened in the decades that followed. When Steele came out as trans, she feared the news could alienate those in her orbit. Ferrell declared his unconditional support, yet worried he might inadvertently say or do something offensive.
The duo decide that a road trip could be a great way of reinforcing their friendship and surveying what it means to be transgender in today’s sharply divided culture. Their 16-day journey begins in New York, where they revisit their former headquarters at 30 Rock and reunite with old pals Seth Meyers and Tina Fey. From there, it’s off to Washington, DC, and the American heartland — including states that have recently placed restrictions on gender-affirming care.
While buoyed by humour and warmth, Will & Harper delivers an urgent message regarding the sobering challenges still facing trans people. In precarious times, the love of a friend can supply some of the strength needed to forge ahead.
Will & Harper screens at 5:30pm on Wednesday, September 11th at Roy Thomson Hall; 3:30pm on Thursday, September 12th at TIFF Lightbox; and 9:30pm on Saturday, September 14th at TIFF Lightbox.
Sad Jokes
Directed by Fabian Stumm
International Premiere
Set in Berlin, this tender, tragicomical second feature from writer-director-actor Fabian Stumm (following Bones and Names, which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival) heralds a filmmaker aware of his strengths and his limits. A series of autofictional vignettes, ranging from the touching to the absurd, tells the story of Joseph (Stumm) and Sonya (Haley Louise Jones), close friends co-parenting a young child, Pino (Justus Meyer, whom Stumm parents with actor Susie Meyer in real life). While Joseph is wrestling with the concept of a new film — as well as his own ego — on the heels of a fresh breakup with his boyfriend Marc (Jonas Dassler), Sonya is in a clinic, suffering from deep depression. Alongside Sonya’s mother (Hildegard Schroedter), Joseph steps in as primary parent and moves to juggle his family and personal life — including delightful attempts at dating — with his ravenous artistic ambition.
Stumm, who studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York and has held roles in dozens of films (including Cate Shortland’s Lore, TIFF 2012, and Sebastian Meise’s Great Freedom) has a remarkable aptitude for dialogue, adding tonal touches reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, Robert Altman, Nanni Moretti, and renowned German comedian Vicco von Bülow (known best as Loriot). A portrayer of modern queer life, Stumm emerges as a poignant storyteller with his thumb on the pulse of what it takes to create and uphold a community and to persevere as an artist. – Dorota Lech
Sad Jokes screens at 12:15 pm on Monday, September 9th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 8:10pm on Tuesday, September 10th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Misericordia (Miséricorde)
Directed by Alain Guiraudie
Canadian Premiere
An immediate and uncanny paranoia attends the return of Jérémie (a suitably inscrutable Félix Kysyl) to his rural hometown of Saint-Martial in southwestern France. The visit is precipitated by the death of his former boss, the town’s master baker, with whom he was presumably in love. As with other films by the acclaimed French writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake, TIFF ’13), presumably remains the operative term, guiding a twisted tale in which pervasive desire is often commingled with surprise, humour, uncertainty, and foreboding.
Appealing yet mysterious, Jérémie’s sensual presence is immediately and progressively destabilizing to all around him, as he prolongs his stay with the widow Martine (Catherine Frot), who also happens to be the mother of his childhood friend, the brutish Vincent (filmmaker and actor Jean-Baptiste Durand). The duo’s interactions are terse and laden with resentment, but clearly erotically charged. When a tussle goes awry, Misericordia swerves into noir territory with absurdist undertones, and an ensuing investigation spirals around a loner neighbour, ineffectual gendarmes, and a nosy country priest — seemingly the only inhabitants in this dewy, mountainous village perpetually bathed in twilight.
With a thrilling mix of the macabre and his signature brand of erotic pastoral mysticism — alongside shades of Hitchcock meets Pasolini — Guiraudie usurps the traditional morality tale by focusing instead on the mysteries of desire. Holding a suggestive charge throughout, Misericordia’s subtly shifting tones are conveyed in a Courbet-hued, autumnal realism masterfully captured by director of photography Claire Mathon, instilling elegance in its wayward yearning. – Andréa Picard
Misericordia screens 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 10th at TIFF Lightbox; and 9pm on Wednesday, September 11th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Love In The Big City (대도시의 사랑법)
Directed by E.oni
World Premiere
Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) was never like the others and, in a collective, uniform culture like South Korea’s, embracing her individuality has triggered endless gossip. One day, she meets Heung-soo (Steve Sanghyun Noh), another misfit lost in the big city. But unlike Jae-hee, Heung-soo hopes to hide his true identity. When Jae-hee finds out his secret by chance, the two form an unlikely relationship. Misunderstood by many, the young adults navigate growing pains in search of love and self in Seoul.
Based on the novel of the same name by Park Sang-young — longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 — the cinematic version by filmmaker E.oni is easily approachable and speaks to a wide audience, exploring more than just the hardships Heung-soo faces as a young, gay man. Watching Jae-hee and Heung-soo is like looking at snippets of our own lives, reflecting the turbulence and chaos of youth regardless of their backgrounds.
E.oni is a rare female commercial filmmaker from the region. Her highly received debut feature …ing was seen as a high-water mark during the heyday of Korean romance cinema. Since then, she has explored various genres including suspense, crime, and comedy. Love in the Big City takes her back to her romance roots. Kim Go-eun — who recently won the best actress Baeksang Award for the box-office hit Exhuma — shines in the role of Jae-hee. – Giovanna Fulvi
Love In The Big City (대도시의 사랑법) screens at 5pm on Friday, September 13th at Royal Alexandra Theatre; 3:15pm on Saturday, September 14th at TIFF Lightbox; and 12:15pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
On Swift Horses
Directed by Daniel Minahan
World Premiere
Life pushes some to seek security, others to surrender to chance. This gorgeous adaptation of Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel from director Daniel Minahan (Halston, Fellow Travelers, Ratched, Hollywood) and screenwriter Bryce Kass extends sympathy to both sensibilities, even when the former can be stifling and the latter can break your heart.
It’s the 1950s. Newlyweds Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) leave their Kansas home for a new life in San Diego, with steady jobs and a house they can start a family in. Lee’s brother Julius (Jacob Elordi, also at TIFF 2024 in Oh, Canada), meanwhile, returns from the Korean War without any long-term plans. A deft hand at poker, he winds up in Las Vegas, where he does pit surveillance at a casino and befriends Henry (Diego Calva, TIFF ’15’s Te prometo anarquía), a handsome Chicano who, like Julius, loves a good gamble. All this time, Muriel and Julius correspond, though neither realize how much they have in common. Bored with waiting tables, Muriel secretly begins playing the horses — and winning. What’s more, Muriel and Julius find themselves on parallel journeys involving clandestine transgressions that could place them in greater danger than either bargained for.
Shot by Canadian maestro Luc Montpellier (TIFF ’22’s Women Talking), On Swift Horses finds rapturous beauty in the décor and accoutrements of the era. Yet what lingers most is the power of its characters’ yearnings, whether secret or boldly declared. This is a story about risking everything for love, only to gain self-knowledge along the way. – Robyn Citizen
On Swift Horses screens at 6:15pm on Saturday, September 7th at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre; 9pm on Sunday, September 8th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; 9:45pm on Saturday, September 14th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 12:30pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Sweet Angel Baby
Directed by Melanie Oates
World Premiere
In director Melanie Oates’ second feature, people in a bucolic coastal town turn quickly on their own when the status quo is inadvertently challenged.
Attending church, baking bread, and marrying high school sweethearts are the standard in a small fishing town in Newfoundland, and despite not having checked the last two of those boxes, Eliza (Michaela Kurimsky) is beloved by all those around her.
After a church service, she parts ways with her mom and grandmother and heads into the nearby woods, with a purpose that nobody in her life is aware of: taking self-portraits in a bikini and ski mask to post to her super-popular anonymous social media account, which is filled with many more suggestive photos of Eliza.
Nobody from the town knows about another secret of hers: that in private quarters, she has a relationship with Toni (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, TIFF ’22’s Stellar). An outsider to the town and an out lesbian, Toni is begrudgingly welcomed.
A questionable meet-up with a married man unravels all of Eliza’s secrets and forces her to re-examine her morals, her identity, and her place in the community, in a spectacular fashion. She can’t run away from the repercussions of her choices and, ultimately, is surprised by those who continue to stand with her.
Sweet Angel Baby is a beautiful and heartbreaking look inside small-town identity politics, masterfully deploying themes of conformity, queerness, and sexuality. – Kelly Boutsalis
Sweet Angel Baby screens at 4pm on Monday, September 9th at TIFF Lightbox; 2:10pm on Tuesday, September 10th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 9pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Diciannove
Directed by Giovanni Tortorici
International Premiere
Eager to escape his overbearing mother and the only life he’s known, 19-year-old Leonardo (Manfredi Marini, who gives an exceptional performance), leaves picturesque Palermo to study in bustling London. His landing is buffered by his sister Arianna (Vittoria Planeta) and her roommate Grazia (Dana Giuliano), though the initial excitement of living abroad — and unrestricted partying — wanes quickly, and Leonardo finds himself enrolling at the University of Siena, focusing on Italian literature.
Back in familiar surroundings, he falls in love with the medieval city, but is not so keen on his literature professor. Seeking that indescribable feeling of knowing you’ve found your place — beyond just geography — Leonardo delves into the classics independently, spawning a soul-searching and deep interest in early modern authors like Pulci, Segneri, and Leopardi. Surrounding himself with beauty, vibrant youth, and new ideas — as well as images he’d previously repressed — his world blooms. A year into his unbound journey, Leonardo travels to Torino where he meets a man who, though much older, may finally be a contemporary — if not the key to unlocking his innermost desires.
Giovanni Tortorici’s elegant and heartfelt debut explores what it’s like to be young and open to wherever the road of life may lead. Shot on 35mm film by Massimiliano Kuveiller and produced by Luca Guadagnino, Diciannove is a youthful plunge into the unknown that perfectly captures the once-in-a-lifetime feeling of surfacing to realize you’re exactly where you’re meant to be — or at least on your way there. – Dorota Lech
Diciannove screens at 2:30pm on Friday, September 6th at TIFF Lightbox; and 3:45pm on Sunday, September 8th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
My Sunshine (Boku No Ohisama)
Directed by Hiroshi Okuyama
North American Premiere
Following his auspicious 2018 debut, Jesus, Hiroshi Okuyama’s latest feature is a beautifully crafted tale centred on two adolescent figure skaters who swirl through budding emotions and never-before-experienced motions of the soul with the same grace and trepidation that characterize their movements on the ice. This touching and simple story, set on a small Japanese island, follows young hockey player Takuya (Keitatsu Koshiyama), proficient skater Sakura (Kiara Nakanishi), figure-skating tutor Arakawa (Sōsuke Ikematsu), and his boyfriend (Ryûya Wakaba).
Takuya, a shy boy with a stutter, doesn’t feel at ease playing hockey with his schoolmates but is completely taken by Sakura’s graceful figure skating and decides to start following her coach, former champion Arakawa, just to be near her. As the story unfolds against cold and beautiful winter sceneries, it strays away from typical sports movie clichés and focusses on the bond of friendship that forms between its three protagonists. Capturing interpersonal dynamics and the subtle sensitivities typical of adolescence with insight and empathy, the film often recalls the cinema of Kore-eda Hirokazu and establishes Okuyama as a rising talent in Japanese cinema.
As director, writer, cinematographer, and editor, Okuyama delivers a work of simple elegance. His exquisite and rigorous aesthetic sense is applied with precision to the composition of each frame, rendering the snowy landscapes and indoor ice rinks with a delicate and ethereal beauty, much like his narrative. A testament to Okuyama’s evolving artistic voice, My Sunshine underscores the relevance of quiet, introspective storytelling. – Giovanna Fulvi
My Sunshine (Boku No Ohisama) screens at 3pm on Tuesday, September 10th at Scotiabank Theatre Torontolo; 9:30pm on Thursday, September 12th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 6pm on Saturday, September 14th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
The Paradise of Thorns (วิมานหนาม)
Directed by Boss Kuno
International Premiere
In a remote, mountainous Thai village, there is a durian orchard, a paradise Thongkam and Sek have built for themselves from the ground up. After pouring in five years of hard work and sweat, their trees are blooming. While hand-pollinating the flowers to bear fruit, the two men promise an eternity together.
But their dream life is soon shattered when Sek falls to his death. Unfortunately for Thongkam, coping with the loss of his love is only a part of his misfortune. Without his name on the land deed, Sek’s mother — who shows up with her adopted daughter in tow — is entitled to ownership of the orchard. Thongkam must now fight to reclaim the fruits of the couple’s love and labour.
The Paradise of Thorns’ dark, saturated, yet playful colour palette goes hand-in-hand with its soundtrack and narrative, skillfully delivering a catastrophic story with a light touch. It’s hard to believe this is the debut feature of director-writer Boss Kuno. Together with talented musician-actor-model Jeff Satur, Kuno elevates the character of Thongkam, rendering him wholly relatable to anyone who has endured life’s often random and cruel injustices.
As with the durian flowers that need an extra touch to pollinate, it’s imperative to build the right foundations to bear fruit. Thailand’s recently passed equal marriage bill — the first in Southeast Asia — is hopefully the first of many. The Paradise of Thorns is a testament to the long struggle ahead. – June Kim
The Paradise of Thorns (วิมานหนาม) screens 7:35pm on Monday, September 9th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; 9:15pm on Tuesday, September 10th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 3:30pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Daughter’s Daughter (女兒的女兒)
Directed by Huang Xi
World Premiere
This emotionally faceted, masterfully assembled second feature from Huang Xi (Missing Johnny) confirms the young writer-director’s status as the bold new voice in Taiwanese cinema. Starring screen legend Sylvia Chang, Daughter’s Daughter is both a character study that sheds light on what it means to pursue independence as an older woman and a highly contemporary moral tale that poses dizzying questions about parental responsibility.
Jin Aixia (Chang) has two daughters, but Emma (Karena Lam), who grew up in New York, and Fan Zuer (Eugenie Liu), who grew up in Taipei, never knew about each other until well into adulthood. When Zuer and her partner decide to try and get pregnant via in vitro fertilization, they wind up travelling to the US for treatments. Tragically, the couple die there in an accident, but their embryo remains alive and well — and Aixia is left as its legal guardian. Arriving in New York overwhelmed with grief, she is faced with the choice to donate, terminate, or find a surrogate for the embryo. But after a life spent feeling like she’s fallen short as a mother, who is she to decide what to do with her deceased daughter’s unborn child?
The above is relayed in chronological order, but part of Daughter’s Daughter’s poignancy comes from the elegant way that Huang slides seamlessly back and forth in time. Executive produced by Chang and Taiwanese New Wave luminary Hou Hsiao-hsien, the film is anchored in tradition while forging brilliant new paths regarding cinematic storytelling — and chronicling ways that scientific advancements alter our relationship to family and legacy. – Giovanna Fulvi
Daughter’s Daughter (女兒的女兒) screens at 12:15pm on Thursday, September 12th at TIFF Lightbox; 5pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 6:45pm on Saturday, September 14th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Went Up the Hill
Directed by Samuel Van Grinsven
World Premiere
Jack (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things) travels to a remote region of New Zealand to attend the wake of his estranged mother Elizabeth, a troubled architect who abandoned him as a child. Jack claims he was invited to the funeral by his mother’s widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps, TIFF 2023’s The Dead Don’t Hurt), who has no recollection of contacting him.
Out of a sense of obligation to her late wife, Jill invites Jack to stay at their house until the funeral, intrigued, as he is, for them to learn more about each other. As Jack grapples with his complex emotions about his mother and the boyfriend he has left behind, his encounters with Jill begin as terse and sometimes tense affairs. Their lives are soon upended further when Elizabeth’s spectral presence makes itself known, inhabiting each of their bodies in turn but leaving no memories of what was said — or done — during the possessions.
Elizabeth’s spirit causes chaos, confusion, and fractures for Jack and Jill. As they struggle to make sense of her intentions, her interventions begin to take ever darker and more sinister turns. Director Samuel Van Grinsven (Sequin in a Blue Room) crafts a brooding and deeply atmospheric story that explores the legacy of loss, grief, and abuse through tremendous performances from its two leads, set amid New Zealand’s breathtaking South Island. Went Up The Hill is that exciting gem: a beautiful, intimate, and original ghost story. – Jason Ryle
Went Up The Hill screens 6pm on Thursday, September 5th at Royal Alexandra Theatre; 1pm on Friday, September 6th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 3:05pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Do I Know You From Somewhere?
Directed by Arianna Martinez
World Premiere
The debut feature from Fredericton filmmaker Arianna Martinez is easier to experience than describe. It’s a multiverse picture without a single visual effect, unless you count the actors.
Several years after their meet-cute — at a wedding, of course — Olive (Caroline Bell) and Benny (Ian Ottis Goff) are spending an entirely ordinary day at their lake house. Until, that is, things start to shift, little by little. At first it’s just an apparently misplaced package or some scrambled letters on the fridge. Then, it’s more meaningful stuff. And then, almost casually, Olive finds Benny replaced by a woman named Ada (Mallory Amirault), who can’t understand why Olive doesn’t know her. They’ve been together for years, after all. Since they met at that wedding.
Working from a script she co-wrote with producer Gordon Mihan, Martinez keeps the storytelling clear and coherent even when her characters don’t know what’s happening, using a slightly theatrical style and making the most of a very limited budget. New Brunswick stage actor and playwright Bell is sensational in her first film role as Olive. She glows — sometimes literally — as a woman slowly realizing she might not have been living the life she wants, and grappling with everything that means. It’s slippery and strange, and sort of wonderful. You’ll want to hold this one close. – Norm Wilner
Do I Know You From Somewhere? screens at 2:50pm on Friday, September 6th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; 8:50pm on Saturday, September 7th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 6:45pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Rez Ball
Sydney Freeland
World Premiere
With her third feature film, director and co-writer Sydney Freeland shares a deeply inspiring and energetic account of overcoming adversity and finding one’s purpose. Based on a remarkable true story and set in the sprawling and beautiful Navajo Nation, Rez Ball follows one unforgettable season in the lives of the Chuska Warriors boys’ basketball team.
Fronted by the charismatic local hero Nataanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind), the team is searching for a way out of its current losing streak, which frustrated community members blame on Coach Hobbs (Jessica Matten), herself a former basketball star. But Nataanii is struggling with the tragic deaths of his mother and sister and, after a devastating turn of events results in his passing, the team is left even more bereft and rudderless. The heir apparent to lead the team is Nataanii’s best friend, Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt), whose own family and financial struggles threaten to derail his hoop dreams.
As their slump continues, Hobbs, Jimmy, and the rest of the team must find a new path forward. Inspired by their language and culture, they develop a uniquely Navajo twist to playing basketball — which they dub “Rez Ball” — leading to an unexpected win streak that keeps alive their hopes of competing for the state championships.
With a tender and assured lens, Freeland explores complex and sensitive topics with grace and care as she draws out impressive performances from her cast, including a radiant Bratt in his debut performance. The film is executive produced by NBA superstar LeBron James and co-written by Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo. – Jason Ryle
Rez Ball screens 4:30pm on Sunday, September 8th at Royal Alexandra Theatre; 3:15pm on Monday, September 9th at TIFF Lightbox; and 6pm on Friday, September 13th at TIFF Lightbox.
An Unfinished Film
Directed by Lou Ye
North American Premiere
Relevant and moving, deeply personal yet universally resonant, An Unfinished Film by Lou Ye revisits footage from the past and brings order — through intelligent, unconventional filmmaking — to the flood of memories and mobile phone images that overwhelmed us during the COVID years.
The film begins in 2019, with filmmaker Xiaorui and his team discovering fascinating old footage from a project abandoned 10 years earlier. This unfinished work, reminiscent of Lou Ye’s critically acclaimed Spring Fever (TIFF ’09), brings back poetic images of past youth with sequences featuring a gay couple. Nostalgia and the desire to bring completion to a project dear to him prompts Xiaorui to reunite his original crew to complete it. Their efforts, however, are disrupted by the onset of COVID-19 in Wuhan, forcing the group into lockdown.
Blending fiction with real footage from social media, Lou Ye creates a unique documentary-style narrative that conveys the early days of the pandemic. The film shows the characters’ lives in suspension: confined to their hotel rooms, they communicate through screens and experience the monotony, anxiety, and isolation that defined those months. It juxtaposes painful and dramatic moments with flashes of joy and culminates with the lifting of the lockdown and commemoration of the victims. This blend of personal narrative and broader societal impact stands as a unique testament of and tribute to a nation’s trauma. Lou Ye captures the essence of confinement and the struggle to maintain creativity amid chaos in a profound exploration of unfinished projects and the broader sense of unfinishedness imposed by the pandemic. – Giovanna Fulvi
An Unfinished Film screens 6:30pm on Thursday, September 12th at TIFF Lightbox; 9:40pm on Friday, September 13th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto; and 3:15pm on Sunday, September 15th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
The Room Next Door
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
North American Premiere
The Room Next Door might be renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, but he has left none of his signature hallmarks behind. The complex narratives filled with heartbreaking choices, visuals saturated with colour, and the precise rendering of women’s inner lives are very much intact.
Ingrid (Oscar-winner Julianne Moore) is a bestselling author so famously afraid of death she has written a book about it. When she learns that Martha (Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, also at TIFF in The End) — a former war correspondent — is ill, she visits her, reigniting a friendship from years past, when both were journalists.
Martha is fighting another war now, and the rekindled closeness between the women means Ingrid is drawn into her treatments as stories are told, secrets are revealed, and regret, redemption, and mortality are discussed over tea. One day, Martha asks Ingrid for the one thing she is most hesitant to give. The way they negotiate life’s deepest choices is what makes the film so memorable.
Almodóvar’s latest is a feast for the eyes, thanks to Eduard Grau’s exquisite cinematography, but all our senses are beautifully captured. We can almost taste the crisp white wine that Ingrid sips and hear nuances in the birdsong Martha adores. Superb performances by Swinton and Moore — who inhabit these complex, flawed, and fascinating women — give the film its pounding heart, making it less about death than about the magic of life while we live it. – Anita Lee
The Room Next Door screens at 9pm on Saturday, September 7th at TIFF Lightbox; and 1pm on Monday, September 9th at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Short Films:
Gender Reveal
Directed by Mo Matton
When a people pleaser and their two partners end up at a thoroughly obnoxious gender reveal party in Mo Matton’s hilariously anarchic satire, the gathering goes in a direction no one could’ve anticipated.
Short Cuts 2024 / Strange Cuts.
Don’t F*ck With Ba (Đừng Giỡn Mặt Với Bà)
Directed by Sally Tran
Director Sally Tran delivers an ultra-stylish, multilingual, kick-ass action spectacular with the tale of a crew of femmes in New York’s Chinatown striking back at a gang that threatens their community.
Short Cuts 2024 / Strange Cuts.
Sauna Day (Sannapäiv)
Directed by Anna Hints and Tushar Prakash
Shifting their perspective away from the fascinating female-centric spaces the team explored in Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, directors Anna Hints and Tushar Prakash offer a thoroughly enthralling view of what goes on between two men who inhabit the same steamy places.
Julian and the Wind
Directed by Connor Jessup
A mysterious case of sleepwalking becomes a tentative means of connection between two boarding school students in Connor Jessup’s elegantly rendered story of adolescent longing.
F*ck Me
Directed by Anette Sidor
Out clubbing with friends, a woman acts according to the roles and rules she’s been taught only to discover that different ones may apply in Anette Sidor’s incisive look at gender norms and modern mores.
One Day This Kid
Directed by Alexander Farah
As told by filmmaker Alexander Farah through a deftly composed array of small yet pivotal moments, a first-generation Afghan Canadian man takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of his father’s shadow.
Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?
Directed by Bec Pecaut
As played superbly by Lío Mehiel (Mutt) in Bec Pecaut’s deeply affecting drama, Mad wrestles with turbulent emotions while recovering from top surgery at home with their partner and mother.
Events:
The Trans Filmmakers Summit x TIFF
12:30pm – 3pm Sunday, September 8th at TIFF Lightbox’s Malaparte Rooftop
For its third year the Summit will be introducing an exciting new initiative, the Short Film Fund, in partnership with Spindle Films Foundation. A live short film pitch competition will be at the centre of the afternoon’s events. Three finalists will pitch their short films to a jury of industry heavyweights and a live audience. The winner will receive a grant and in-kind services to create their film.
The inaugural Short Film Fund will feature three distinguished jury judges including writer, director, and producer Sasha Leigh Henry, non-binary filmmaker and writer Jane Schoenbrun and producer and head creative at Kindred Spirit, Sam Intili.
Back once again is the CMF Barrier Breaker Award, through which The Trans Film Mentorship will honour a trans leader who is actively challenging the limitations of the media industry and disrupting the system, paving the way for more and better trans representation and storytelling. This year’s award will be given to Emmy nominated, mixed-race trans Latina actor, filmmaker, and cultural worker Nava Mau (Baby Reindeer).
The TFS is open to all trans and non-binary creators, industry partners, and allies to discover and celebrate trans barrier breakers at TIFF 2024 and beyond. Register for a free ticket to attend.
The 49th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5th – 15th, 2024. For the festival full lineup and to purchase tickets head to TIFF.net.