TIFF 11: My Top Ten Faves!

Still dealing with a cold, but thankfully it's winding down. I finally feel well enough to post my Top Ten TIFF Faves as well as the list of what I saw this year at the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival. How was your TIFF?

MY TOP TEN (alpha order)
THE TURIN HORSE-Hungary (Béla Tarr) (My #1 Absolute Favourite!)
See Review




Coriolanus-UK (Ralph Fiennes) i am a good person/i am a bad person-Canada (Ingrid Veninger)

TIE: This may seem a strange coupling since Ralph Fiennes is an internationally known actor/director, and Ingrid Veninger is Canadian filmmaker who may be known only by those who love Canadian film and make a point of watching them. Despite the range of budget and styles the sense of the personal permeates every frame of these films. Despite the fact that Coriolanus looms large with weighty performances from Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Gerard Butler, and Brian Cox, i am a good person equally invades the soul with performances by Veninger and her real life daughter Hallie Switzer. I enjoyed watching these two filmmakers bring their very personal visions to the screen.

Cut-Japan (Amir Naderi) Death of a Superhero-UK (Ian FitzGibbon)
Sometimes, because of my schedule of interviews and meetings, I go into films blindly, not knowing what they are about. While Cut and Death of a Superhero are not tied, they made my Top Ten list because both were wonderful revelations. Cut and its treatment of the death of cinema (the protagonist laments the fact that cinema which used to be both art and entertainment has been reduced to entertainment only) brought me into an elegiac world of film and Death of a Superhero, although dealing with a terminally ill teen delighted me with the solid acting delivered by its small cast and with its life-affirming (never indulgent) message.

Fable of the Fish-Phillipines (Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.)/ Where Do We Go Now?* (Nadine Labaki) *Winner: Cadillac People's Choice Award
TIE: Another tie here for these two fables about very serious topics told with boughts of humour that you have to buy into or the film will not work for you. In the case of Fable of the Fish, a tale about a woman who gives birth to a fish, it's all in the face of actress, Cherry Pie Picache. She has a face that will break your heart. One tear from her and you want to yell at the screen for someone to comfort and support her. In Where Do We Go Now? Muslim and Christian women try various subversive tactics in order to maintain peace among the men by shutting out news of political and religious conflict that surround their isolated village. The tricks the women devise are simply a device for us to consider the debilitating impact of war and what we can do to maintain peace. Both films made my list because they are simple stories about maternal love and community that twenty years from now will still engage audiences.

The Good Son-Finland (Zaida Bergroth) See Review The Last Dogs of Winter-Canada (Costa Botes) See Review
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia-Turkey (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) A Simple Life-Hong Kong (Ann Hui)
For my thoughts on Once Upon a Time in Anatolia click here. As for A Simple Life, Andy Lau was my draw to this film, and I was certainly not disappointed by his performance in this film. Lau stars as Roger, a film director whose aging amah (nanny) has taken ill. In between travelling to film sites, and doing film deals, Roger shows his connection and love for his amah by arranging her care in a nursing home and keeping her involved in his life. I appreciated the way in which director Hui, shows both the class differences and years of family connection between Roger and Ah Tao (Denise Ip) through dialogue and phone calls and visits from Roger's family and friends. The love shines through in this film and it is no wonder that actress Denis Ip won the Best Actress Award at this years' Venice Film Festival for her role as Ah Tao. A gentle and satisfying film with wonderful chemistry between Lau and Ip.

Superclásico-Denmark (Ole Christian Madsen) Click here for review.




WHAT I SAW (*indicates that I have reviewed the film)
Avalon* Winner: The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for the Discovery programme
Beloved*
Caprichosos de San Telmo
The Cat Vanishes
Coriolanus
Countdown
Cut
Death of a Superhero*
Doppelganger Paul*
The Education of Auma Obama*
Fable of the Fish
The Flying Machine*
A Funny Man
Generation P
The Good Son*
Le Harve*
Hick
Hysteria
I am a good person/I am a bad person*
The Island President*
Juan of the Dead*
The Last Dogs of Winter*
Life Without Principle
Lipstikka*
The Loneliest Planet*
Miss Bala*
My Worst Nightmare
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia*
Page Eight
Paul Williams Still Alive
The Silver Cliff
A Simple Life
Sons of Norway
Summer Game
Superclásico*
Think of Me*
The Turin Horse*
Where Do We Go Now?

Photos Coutesy of: www.tiff.net

TMTM Pals Talk TIFF 11 FAVES

So TIFF 11 has come to an end, and, of course, I have to invite my film friends to join me on The More the Merrier for a discussion of this year's festival. My in studio guests for the hour were Kirk Cooper (Film Market Access), blogger Heidy M (hyemusings, alternavox) and cinefile, Moen Mohamed. Before our discussion got started, Ngardy Conteh joined me via telephone to talk about winning TIFF's Pitch This! competition. Conteh and her co-director, Allan Tong's film, Leone Stars is the first documentary to win the prize in TIFF's Pitch This! eleven year history. Visit http://leonestars.blogspot.com/to find out more about this inspiring work in progress.

Heidy M's Top 5 TIFF FAVES
1.Superclásico
2.Las Acacias
3.Sleepless Night
4.Undefeated
5.The Raid

To read why these are Heidy's faves click here.

I always look forward to seeing Moen Mohamed's list of films. This is vacation time for Moen, who chooses his selections based on his attendance at other film festivals, and what he has read about certain films/directors etc. Other film selections come from the Visions, Masters, and Contemporary World Cinema (Moen loves listening to other languages) programmes . TIFF's motto "for the love of film" describes perfectly, Moen's kid in a candy store enjoyment of TIFF.

Moen M.'s TIFF FAVES
I was very pleased to see that Moen's favourite film was also my selection. If you heard the broadcast then you will remember our expression mutual passion for director, Béla Tarr (left).
A+
1.THE TURIN HORSE

A
2.L’APOLLONIDE (HOUSE OF TOLERANCE)
3.FAUST
4.A SEPARATION
5.DREILEBEN – ONE MINUTE OF DARKNESS
6.THE LONELIEST PLANET
7.PLAY
8.L’HIVER DERNIER
9.ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA
10.THIS IS NOT A FILM
11.DREILEBEN – BEATS BEING DEAD
12.THE SILVER CLIFF
13.CRAZY HORSE
14.LAS ACACIAS
15.SNOWTOWN
16.PEOPLE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE SEA
17.THE RIVER USED TO BE A MAN
18.SWIRL
19.MICHAEL
20.WHORES’ GLORY
21.MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
22.VOLCANO
23.HISTORIAS QUE SO EXISTEM QUANDO LEMBRADAS

B+

24.DREILEBEN – DON’T FOLLOW ME AROUND
25.CENTURY OF BIRTHING
26.ABRIR PUERTAS Y VENTANAS
27.PRÉSUMÉ COUPABLE
28.ELENA
29.LA BRINDILLE
30.BREATHING
31.THE GOOD SON

B
32.GOOD BYE
33.THE YEAR OF THE TIGER
34.PORFIRIO
35.LA FOLIE ALMAYER
36.ISLANDS
37.THE INVADER

B
38.WETLANDS
39.HORS SATAN
40.UN ETE BRULANT


C+
41.THE CAT VANISHES
42.I WISH
43.WUTHERING HEIGHTS
44.INVASION

C
45.THE STONES
46.ALOIS NEBEL
47.LAND OF OBLIVION

C-
48.FUTURE LASTS FOREVER
49.MUSHROOMS
50.BONSAI
51.ALPS
52.LIVID
53.FABLE OF THE FISH
54.LOW LIFE
55.THIS SIDE OF RESURRECTION

BEST ACTOR
PEYMAN MOAADI - A SEPARATION
DANIEL HENSHALL - SNOWTOWN
LUCAS PITTAWAY - SNOWTOWN

BEST ACTRESS
ALESSANDRA NEGRINI - THE SILVER CLIFF
SAREH BAYAT - A SEPARATION
HANI FURSTENBERG – THE LONELIEST PLANET

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
A SEPARATION
PLAY
SNOWTOWN

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
INVASION
ALPS
I WISH

KIRK COOPER'S TIFF
During the broadcast Kirk Cooper talked about the industry side of TIFF, and about the success his Internship and Networking candidates in his Toronto Program (he also has a Cannes Program). (You might remember that Victoria Clowater joined Kirk on TmTm to talk about her expectations about the Toronto Program.) As a busy industry insider Kirk didn't have much time to see films at TIFF 11 (too busy talking film and Cannes 2012), but he did share his picks pre-TIFF a while back. What do you know, several of Kirk's picks made all three of our lists! Click here for Kirk's list.

Photo Credits: http://tiff.net/
Béla Tarr (The Turin Horse)
Dreileben – Don’t Follow Me Around
Good Bye
House of Tollerance
Wetlands

TIFF 11: The Good Son and The Education of Auma Obama

For the last week-end of TIFF many films have gone RUSH, but if you have the patience to stand in line for a ticket check out these films:

THE GOOD SON
In this nuanced Finnish film, Leila, a lead actress and divorced mother of two (Elina Knihtilä), takes off for the country to lie low after bad mouthing her latest film release. There she is joined by a few of her friends and begins a romance with one of their acquaintances. Her eldest son, Ilmari, played with maturity and depth by actor Samuli Niittymäki, is used to being the man of the house, taking care of his self-focused mother and his younger brother. When it appears that Ilmari's position will be usurped by the newcomer in his mother's life, Ilmari takes protecting his mother to the extreme. Leila's behaviour and abusive relationships in the past has marked both her sons: the elder son is a keg of resentment and protectiveness and the younger is constantly left on his own, where he finds solace and comfort in nature (rarely is he seen in the house). The mother-son interplay between actors Elina Knihtilä and Samuli Niittymäki is never over directed by Zaida Bergroth . As for the younger son (Eetu Julin)I particularly appreciated the way in which Bergroth captures his isolation through naturally lit scenes accompanied by the perfect auditory sounds.

SCREENS
Saturday September 17, Scotiabank Theatre 11, 4:15pm

THE EDUCATION OF AUMA OBAMA
If you go see this film because Auma Obama is President Barack Obama's half-sister, then I am sure Auma would not have a problem with your reasoning, especially since she played such an important part in his life. Once in your seat, though, you will realize that there is much more to this woman than being the Barack's sister. Auma is woman who seems compelled to help others, whether she is in Kenya helping to educate and inspire young people to create opportunities for themselves where they live, or in Germany, where, as a student and later a journalist, she opened the eyes and minds of many to rethinking the needs of Africa, and the value of "aid".

Auma, like her brother, is linked to their common ancestral past by values of education and community involvement. The documenting of Auma's life is intercut with scenes of Auma, other relatives, and the neighbourhood getting ready on Election night 2008. Director, Branwen Okpako met Auma at film school in Germany, so there is an ease with how she communicates with Auma and she definitely has the advantage in that she is able to access information about the family--a key point since many African cultures keep family issues extremely private. The Education of Auma Obama is a wonderful revelation to me, and I hope it is for you too.

SCREENS
Sunday September 18, AMC 7, 10:15am


Toronto International Film Festival
Sept. 8-18, 2011
Info: http://tiff.net/thefestival
416-599-8433 or 1-800-599-8433

TIFF Review: AVALON

AVALON
I always try and see at least one film in the DISCOVERY programme at TIFF. This section is reserved for "up-and-coming directors from around the world". AVALON was born out of writer/director, Alex Petersén's familiarity with the world of aging boomers and the city of Båstad, which used to be a place where Swedish tennis legends like Bjorn Borg once played. Infused with the language and tone of his Aunt, Leonore Ekstrand (who plays Jackie in the film) and the adults around him while he was growing up, Petersén's has created a world in which his characters live without regard for others around them. Petersén's understated script successfully reveals the disconnect between lead character, Janne (Johannes Brost), a promoter whose heyday seems to be on the brink of returning with the opening of his nightclub (Avalon) and his best mate, Klas (Peter Carlberg) and the much younger workers whom they have hired to launch the club. At one point, one of the workers admits confusion about Janne's role in the nightclub! This selfish, insular nature of Janne, Klas and their friend, Jackie, (who constantly has a drink in her hand) manifests itself in a variety of ways that lead to a reckless moment that causes Janne a day or two of guilt before he reverts to his old familiar habits thanks to an equally bad solution by Klas and foggy complicity by Jackie.

AVALON is a compact 76 minutes, in which Alex Petersén demonstrates that he has an ear for dialogue and an eye for recording behaviour that in perfectly in tone with real life. I look forward to seeing where his film and screenwriting career will take him, especially with a film with a larger cast and a longer run time. My grade rating for this first timer, is a solid B+.

SCREENS
Saturday September 17, AMC 10, 6:00pm

Toronto International Film Festival

Sept. 8-18, 2011

Info: http://tiff.net/thefestival
416-599-8433 or 1-800-599-8433

TIFF 11: My I Recommend...Death of a Superhero

Why should you see a film about a teenage boy with cancer? Because it's not all gloom and doom! Without making light of the serious topic of disease, director, Ian FitzGibbon (A Film With Me In It) has managed to create a film that is neither depressing nor condescending. I haven't read Anthony McCarten's book, but his adaptation of his work for the screen will have me hunting it down after the festival. Whatever the collaboration between, FitzGibbon and McCarten, the end result is a movie that has all the usual elements of a teen flick (insecurities, school, parents, love, alcohol) with great comic book style animation, humour and most importantly, a fantastic cast.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the kid from Love, Actually, has grown into a skinny teen, and he still has the same screen chemistry that makes you fall in love with him and protect him from the world. His acting range is incredible, which is mandatory in a film that demands a chiaroscuro of emotions from his character, Donald. Andy Serkis, who plays Donald's shrink in the film, needs to do more roles as a human. His understated acting style turns this stock character into a believable individual. The remaining cast members are equally impressive in their respective roles, resulting in an ensemble piece that all should be proud to add to their acting credits. It's not often that a film can capture both the teen viewer as well as the adult viewer, but this one does so very successfully.

SCREENS
Saturday September 17, AMC 7, 1:00pm

Toronto International Film Festival

Sept. 8-18, 2011

Info: http://tiff.net/thefestival
416-599-8433 or 1-800-599-8433

TIFF 11: Shoes, Dogs and Polar Bears, Oh My! (Beloved, The Last Dogs of Winter)

Is it only Tuesday? Seems like I have been in festival heaven for much longer:-) As usual I always have great plans to keep in touch with you all on this blog, but films and life interrupt. Yep, I have to give in to sleep sometimes when I am loathe to do so, but gotta fuel the body to keep going during these 10 days in September.

Since my last posting, I have seen BELOVED, the Catherine Deneuve film which also stars her daughter, Chiara Mastoianni. Deneuve's character Madeleine was lured into a life of part-time prostitution by a pair of delectable shoes. Madeleine the elder as played by Deneuve is a little selfish, a little bawdy, and very pragmatic; Madeleine the younger is devilishly played by Ludivigne Sagnier. Like her mother, Vera (Deneuve's real life daughter, Chiara) is also very laissez-faire about sex and life, and her love life is just as complicated--neither mother nor daughter have been able to have successful relationships. To paraphrase a few words of one of the songs in this musical, they can live without the man they love, but they can't live without that love. Froth meets French attitudes towards l'amour in this funny and poignant mother-daughter vehicle. This was my first time seeing Chiara in a film and I definitely appreciated her ability to do drama and comedy, just like her mother--and father Marcello Mastroanni.

SCREENS
Saturday September 17, Scotiabank Theatre 2, 9:30pm

THE LAST DOGS OF WINTER
Yes, the scenes of dogs playing with polar bears are cute and have the "awwww" factor, but there is so much more to this documentary than this picture tells. The irony in watching the film is seeing two endangered species playing together, but only one is recognized as being in danger of disappearing. It's equally about the rebel with a cause, Brian Ladoon, an ex-sailor and frontier man (he lives in Churchill, Manitoba) and his determination and passion to save the Canadian Eskimo Dog, the Qimmiq. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands these dogs that were part of Inuit culure for centuries, were deliberately culled by the Canadian government in order to stop the nomadic patterns of the Inuit, and coral them in northern towns. Without Landoon, and the priest that got him interested in the dogs, the number of this artic canine, whose ancestor lead explorers to Canada's north, would have be extinct. As it is now, Landoon, with the assistance of Caleb Ross, a young New Zealander, Jeremy, an even younger man of Inuit heritage young and a handful of volunteers, Ladoon's breeding program is keeping the breed's genetic pool alive.

Landoon is an outsider, even in Churchill, where he was born and raised, and where other talk about it being a place full of "characters." The townspeople judge him without really understanding the importance and significance of his work, and Landoon could give a hoot about what people think about him; he just cares about his dogs. And care, he does. From the outside, the chaining of the dogs in his breeding program looks horrific, however, once you realize that these dogs are not like any other canines in terms of their needs and habits, then you will begin to understand the significance of his work. The Last Dogs of Winter received a standing ovation at it's first screening, with director, Costa Botes, Caleb Ross (who suggested the idea of the film), and Brian Landoon, noticeably surprised at the response. They were even unprepared for questions about donations to keep the program going (Brian and his team are in dire need of funds). The Canadian Dog Foundation is the best place to find out more, but start by seeing this informative and delightful documentary. You won't be disappointed.

SCREENS

Saturday September 17, AMC 6, 10:30am

Toronto International Film Festival

Sept. 8-18, 2011

Info: http://tiff.net/thefestival
416-599-8433 or 1-800-599-8433

TIFF 11: Yo! Bro! (Doppelgänger Paul)

Doppelgänger Paul
Co-directors Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand

This film is part of the VANGUARD programme at TIFF which is made up of "films that defy convention; twisting genres, styles and narrative structures to tell fresh and provocative stories that challenge our social and cultural assumptions" I couldn't think of a better place for Doppelgänger Paul. It's a buddy comedy in the sense that the two men, Karl (Tygh Runyan) and Paul (Brad Dryborough) have formed a relationship of sorts. Their bond is tentatively based on things they have in common such as writing and gazing at women they are interested in but are too socially inhibited to approach. Their alliance is the equivalent of wearing a new dress shirt and feeling an elusive pin pricking your skin continually. When they discover that the book that Karl gave to Paul to read has been published by two other buddies, Karl and Paul go on a road trip to investigate. You can watch this comedy for its surface delights and/or you can indulge in the philosophical observations about the nature of duality, the ambiguity of male friendship, and even the social commentary on the publishing industry. However you approach Doppelgänger Paul, you will be taken in by its absurdist charm, especially if you have enjoyed the film versions of works by Charlie Kauffman (Adaptation).

SCREENS
Monday September 12, AMC 2, 9:15pm
Wednesday September 14, AMC 9, 3:00pm
Saturday September 17, AMC 2, 7:00pm

Upcoming Reviews

Beloved (Catherine Deneuve and real-life daughter, Chiara Mastroianni)

The Good Son

Avalon

The Education of Auma Obama

Toronto International Film Festival

Sept. 8-18, 2011

Info: http://tiff.net/thefestival
416-599-8433 or 1-800-599-8433