The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns to our city from September 5 to 15. This 49th year is already being called the “come back” year for the Festival with full-on in-person screenings. Judging by my inbox, there are lots of intriguing titles and events to explore once again. While we sift through the list and plan out our screening schedules, here are a few films we think are worth keeping an eye on!
YOUNG WERTHER: directed by José Lourenço | Canada
Charming, passionate, totally irresponsible young novelist Werther (Douglas Booth) is sent to
the city on an errand by his mother. By chance, he meets lovely Charlotte (Alison Pill), and her
allure and commitment to her impressive, stable fiancé Albert (Patrick J. Adams) turn Werther’s life upside down. The more entwined this trio becomes, the harder it is to navigate the complexities of lust, love, and friendship. A modern take on Goethe’s smash hit 18th-century novel of tragic romance.
BABYGIRL: directed by Halina Reijn | USA
Roma, a high-powered CEO (Nicole Kidman) puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson).
THE LAST SHOWGIRL: directed by Gia Coppola | USA
Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a seasoned showgirl, must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. As a dancer in her fifties, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she strives to repair a strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat to her showgirl family. Stars: Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, and Billie Lourd.
ANDREA BOCELLI: BECAUSE I BELIEVE: directed by Cosima Spender | UK
This documentary from Cosima Spender follows the beloved Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli beyond the stage and into his private life. Bocelli and his golden voice have touched the hearts of millions of listeners around the world. Using last year’s magisterial concert at the Baths of Caracalla as its anchor, Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe is an intimate portrait of one of the world’s greatest living singers.
LOVE IN THE BIG CITY: directed by E.Oni | South Korea
Based on the bestselling novel by Park Sang-yeong starring Kim Go-eun (Guardian, Yuri’s Cells, Exhuma) and Steve Sanghyun Noh (Pachinko). Love in the Big City is about Jae-hee, a free-spirited woman with no fears of being judged, and Heung-soo, a man who is used to keeping his distance from the world, as they navigate cohabitation and their unique way of love.
THE ASSESSMENT: directed by Fleur Fortuné | UK/Germany/USA
In the near future, where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple’s seven-day assessment for the right to have a child unravels into a psychological nightmare, forcing them to question the very foundations of their society and what it truly means to be human. Stars Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen, Himesh Patel, Minnie Driver, Indira Varma, Nicholas Pinnock, Charlotte Ritchie, and Leah Harvey.
HERETIC: directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | USA
Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, this fiendishly irreverent chamber horror from writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the celebrated scenarists behind A Quiet Place) considers how an innocent chat about theology can go terribly awry.
EDEN: directed by Ron Howard | USA
THE FRIEND: directed by David Siegel, Scott McGhee | USA
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR: directed by Pedro Almodóvar | Spain
WITHOUT BLOOD: directed by Angelina Jolie | USA/Italy
THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL: directed by Mike Downie | Canada
PRESENCE: directed by Steven Soderbergh | USA
SATURDAY NIGHT: directed by Jason Reitman | USA
WE LIVE IN TIME: directed by John Crowley | UK/France
Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Through snapshots of their life together — falling for each other, building a home, becoming a family — a difficult truth is revealed that rocks its foundation. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley’s decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
DANIELA FOREVER: directed by Nacho Vigilondo | Spain/Belgium
When Nicolas (Henry Golding) is invited to a clinical trial allowing participants to control their dreams, he takes the plunge in hopes of recovering from the tragic loss of his girlfriend, Daniela (Beatrice Grannò). But as his lucid dreams bring Daniela back to him, Nicolas becomes obsessed with the fantasy world that he’s created and finds that his dreams aren’t as perfect as they seem.
welima’q: directed by Shaman Joudry | Canada (short)
Indigenous filmmaker and multi-disciplinary artist, Shalan Joudry is known for her award-nominated poetry and frequent theatre work. Shalan is also an ecologist and Indigenous knowledge keeper. welima’q is a meditative short made from the viewpoint of the sacred plant and creates a deep sense of embodiment with the Indigenous tradition.
CAN I GET A WITNESS?: directed by Ann Marie Fleming | Canada
Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, and Sandra Oh star in this introspective live-action and animated feature set in the near future when technology and travel are almost completely banned, and nobody is allowed to live past the age of 50.
SHEPHERDS (Bergers): directed by Sophie Deraspe | Canada
A young Montreal advertising executive, converted to a Provençal shepherd, has various misadventures with a civil servant who has cavalierly quit her job.
DAUGHTER’S DAUGHTER: directed by Huang Xi | Taiwan
This emotionally faceted, masterfully assembled second feature from Huang Xi stars screen legend Sylvia Chang as a woman forced to decide the fate of her recently deceased daughter’s embryo.
DO I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE?: directed by Arianna Martinez | Canada
Odd things begin to happen to Olive and Benny in their isolated home. As their memories and belongings begin to disappear, their home is transformed into a liminal space. There are hints of another life replacing theirs; glimpses of a little girl, perplexing fridge magnets, and a mysterious woman. They piece together that this is a different life for Olive and realize a heartbreaking fact – this new life doesn’t include Benny.
The complete list of films can be found here at tiff.net
Wondering what else is happening in September? Link to our monthly City Girl’s Guide here.