donna g's TIFF 08 Coverage: Canadian, Eh?

I go to TIFF to see films from around the world, but I love Canadian films and always always make a point of seeing what our talented filmmakers have to offer. Besides, Borderline and Control Alt Delete, I had to see C'est pas moi, je le jure! (It's not me, I swear!) by filmmaker Philippe Falardeau. I've been a fan of Falardeau since seeing his films, La Moitié gauche du frigo (TIFF 02) and Congorama (TIFF 06). He doesn't disappoint in his new film about a ten year old boy dealing with his parents rocky marriage and eventual separation. I have never laughed so much while watching a heartbreaking film.

Falardeau does a fine job of bringing us into little Léon's 1960's suburban world. It's polyester and smoking, nosey neighbour ladies and the Catholic Church, but it's also a world seen through the eyes of a precocious boy with a penchant for breaking and entering and suicide attempts. I love the sound of this movie--not just the innocently funny dialogue, but also the sound of the wind blowing across the cornfields where Léon and his friend Lea play. We know this secret place will soon be bulldozed into more suburban sprawl and this too references the sadness of the inevitable.

We Are Funny!

Synthétiseur (Synthesizer) directed by Sarah Fortin
Recent break up? Slightly depressed? Discover the exotic sights and scenes of your city's subway system, and maybe meet a new love.

Next Floor
I loved everything about this gorgeously photographed, darkly wicked, and sublimely acted commentary on societal excess. Gluttony has never been so well-examined, or so well-scored.

106
Leave it to us Cannuks to make a movie about a jealous senior who takes out her rival 106-year old.