As of this morning (the penultimate day of TIFF 2018), “Her Smell” has been the best film of the Platform series for me. It was also one of a number of films with strong female protagonists that found their way into my schedule.
Elizabeth Moss is a self-destructive singer fronting a three-piece rock band with serious indie creed (the closest analogue in the real world would peobably be Courtney Love and Hole, respectively). We see here at two particular periods of her life — one being a disastrous “comeback” period after her best work has been done and several years later when she has retired from the business.
A woman with demons, both internal and ingested, she is a whirlwind of problems at the nadir of her career. Moss is incendiary in this section and the director (Alex Ross Perry) puts you at the entre of this, using a dynamic camera and a punishingly effective sound design to put you there. At times, it feels like you are on the receiving end of her madness. The later section is the opposite and he does a great job of making both halves of her character “real”.
For such an all-consuming character, it would be easy for the rest of the cast to be completely overshadowed by her. To their credit, the other players in her orbit do a good job of inhabiting their roles. In particular, Eric Stoltz does some fine work as the head of the label that signed “Something She” on their way up and who might be pulled apart by the chaos on her way down.
Although not a “big screen” movie per se, it’s worth seeing it in a theatre to get the full force of a very good performance.
2018/09/15
2018/09/14
Out of Blue
For the most part, this has been a pretty decent trip through the various programs contained within the Festival. While TIFF is classed as a non-competitive film festival, one program (Platform) selects a small number of films for consideration by a jury. In previous TIFFs, the films have been challenging and thought-provoking.
I’ve seen three Platform films this year (with another three to come by the end of the weekend) and the results have been a little disappointing. The best of the first group was “Her Smell” with Elizabeth Moss, which I will write about shortly.
“Out of Blue” is a film by the English director Carol Morley and is her first film set in the US, specifically New Orleans. A female homicide detective (Patricia Clarkson) is called to investigate the death of an astrophysicist. In her investigation, relationships are stretched and family secrets unearthed. There are several references to astrophysics and concepts like the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment.
Given the calibre of the talent on screen (besides Clarkson, both Toby Jones and James Caan appear) and its inclusion in Platform, I was expecting a lot more. This was a film where an accumulation of problems made for a very frustrating experience. This ranged from the fundamental (neither the treatment of the physics or the police procedures was believable) to the use of the actors (why did a film set in New Orleans only include one actor with a slight Louisiana accent, especially when they established that the victim’s family were local) to the trivial (Clarkson’s character owns a cat. In one scene, the cat is sitting on her bed with her but you can see its eyes tracking on members of the crew).
After the film, I went back to the programmer’s notes to see if I’d missed anything but that wasn’t the case. A waste of a lot of talent.
I’ve seen three Platform films this year (with another three to come by the end of the weekend) and the results have been a little disappointing. The best of the first group was “Her Smell” with Elizabeth Moss, which I will write about shortly.
“Out of Blue” is a film by the English director Carol Morley and is her first film set in the US, specifically New Orleans. A female homicide detective (Patricia Clarkson) is called to investigate the death of an astrophysicist. In her investigation, relationships are stretched and family secrets unearthed. There are several references to astrophysics and concepts like the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment.
Given the calibre of the talent on screen (besides Clarkson, both Toby Jones and James Caan appear) and its inclusion in Platform, I was expecting a lot more. This was a film where an accumulation of problems made for a very frustrating experience. This ranged from the fundamental (neither the treatment of the physics or the police procedures was believable) to the use of the actors (why did a film set in New Orleans only include one actor with a slight Louisiana accent, especially when they established that the victim’s family were local) to the trivial (Clarkson’s character owns a cat. In one scene, the cat is sitting on her bed with her but you can see its eyes tracking on members of the crew).
After the film, I went back to the programmer’s notes to see if I’d missed anything but that wasn’t the case. A waste of a lot of talent.
2018/09/11
Peterloo
MIKe Leigh is one of a select group of directors that I discovered early in my TIFF journey and have stuck with, treasuring each visit he makes to Toronto.
This started for me with “Life is Sweet” in 1990 and has continued through films like “Naked” way back when and “Mr. Turner” more recently.
Leigh’s social consciousness is a constant through his films, achieved through an extensive regimen of improvisations in rehearsal to help his actors develop their characters. Over time, his filmic canvas has expanded and “Peterloo” fits in that model, detailing the events leading to a peaceful demonstration in support of universal suffrage in Manchester in the early 19th century that turned tragic when an excessively aggressive response by the military resulted in the deaths of many of the participants.
It’s the detail that really makes this film, both in terms of the setting but also through showing the lives of the working and ruling classes. If there’s a criticism (and it’s relatively minor), there may be a bias towards portraying the latter in more cartoonish fashion. Much scenery is consumed by members of Parliament and the Prince Regent.
This started for me with “Life is Sweet” in 1990 and has continued through films like “Naked” way back when and “Mr. Turner” more recently.
Leigh’s social consciousness is a constant through his films, achieved through an extensive regimen of improvisations in rehearsal to help his actors develop their characters. Over time, his filmic canvas has expanded and “Peterloo” fits in that model, detailing the events leading to a peaceful demonstration in support of universal suffrage in Manchester in the early 19th century that turned tragic when an excessively aggressive response by the military resulted in the deaths of many of the participants.
It’s the detail that really makes this film, both in terms of the setting but also through showing the lives of the working and ruling classes. If there’s a criticism (and it’s relatively minor), there may be a bias towards portraying the latter in more cartoonish fashion. Much scenery is consumed by members of Parliament and the Prince Regent.
22 July
The current world is reflected in several of the films I selected this year, in documentaries like “Fahrenheit 11/9” or “American Dharma”; indirectly in Paolo Sorrentino’s “Loro” (a wild imagining of Italy and Silvio Berlusconi) or Paul Greengrass’ “22 July”.
This last film looks at the events of July 22 2011 in Norway, when a bomb attack on government buildings in Oslo and a mass execution of young people at a summer camp on the island of Utoya led to the deaths of 77 people and hundreds of injuries. The perpetrator, Anders Berling Bréivik, was captured on Utoya.
The film introduces many of the characters on the day before the attacks, then proceeds through the actual day and continues along three loosely connected timelines — the arrest and trial of Breivik, as seen mostly through the eyes of a lawyer who is asked by Breivik to represent him; the recovery and rehabilitation of one of the survivors and the Norwegian Prime Minister, who called for an inquiry shortly after the attacks.
The events at Utoya in particular are gruelling, as Breivik coldly hunted down the students. It’s after his arrest that his madness comes to the fore, as he attempted to manipulate the proceedings to advance the clash of civilizations that he felt was inevitable and which, in his own way, he tried to precipitate. Through this period, the questions of how one deals with the administration of justice against someone who is ideologically opposed to it are brought strongly into focus.
Although Breivik’s actions occurred seven years ago, his ideas are perhaps even closer to the mainstream than it was then. “American Dharma” puts the focus on Steve Bannon in a new documentary by Errol Morris. I’ll talk about that in a future post.
This last film looks at the events of July 22 2011 in Norway, when a bomb attack on government buildings in Oslo and a mass execution of young people at a summer camp on the island of Utoya led to the deaths of 77 people and hundreds of injuries. The perpetrator, Anders Berling Bréivik, was captured on Utoya.
The film introduces many of the characters on the day before the attacks, then proceeds through the actual day and continues along three loosely connected timelines — the arrest and trial of Breivik, as seen mostly through the eyes of a lawyer who is asked by Breivik to represent him; the recovery and rehabilitation of one of the survivors and the Norwegian Prime Minister, who called for an inquiry shortly after the attacks.
The events at Utoya in particular are gruelling, as Breivik coldly hunted down the students. It’s after his arrest that his madness comes to the fore, as he attempted to manipulate the proceedings to advance the clash of civilizations that he felt was inevitable and which, in his own way, he tried to precipitate. Through this period, the questions of how one deals with the administration of justice against someone who is ideologically opposed to it are brought strongly into focus.
Although Breivik’s actions occurred seven years ago, his ideas are perhaps even closer to the mainstream than it was then. “American Dharma” puts the focus on Steve Bannon in a new documentary by Errol Morris. I’ll talk about that in a future post.
2018/09/09
Legacy
I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I've seen dozens of films that he's programmed over the years and was able to hear his thoughtful and incisive introductions to many of those.
During his tenure, we've seen many things — the maturation of the Festival into one of the key film festivals worldwide; the rebranding of "The Festival of Festivals" as TIFF; the creation of a permanent home with the Lightbox on King Street; the introduction of new programs like Midnight Madness, Discovery and Platform; and a lot of great movies selected by him or his fellow programmers. It's a legacy of which to be proud.
Yesterday I saw him introduce Paul Greengrass' "22 July" (more on that later). It was good to see him at least one more time. It will be interesting to see how his post-TIFF life plays out.
2018/09/08
Women Make Film
A few years ago, I discovered a documentary filmmaker named Mark Cousins, whose first film at TIFF, "The Story of Film", made a case that many of the innovations we have grown to recognize in film occurred outside the Hollywood studio system. His approach was engaging and that film was one of the highlights of that year.
"Women Make Film" is a timely appreciation of the role that women directors have played in the development of cinema. It shows the same wealth of content of his earlier film but, rather than use a chronological approach, he structures the discussions around elements of film like opening sequences, establishing characters and relationships, camera approaches and other ideas. The intent is for the final product to run about 16 hours in total — we were able to see the first four hours.
Each idea is illustrated through the use of a plethora of film clips, some from well-known films and directors but most from the international arena. It was tied together through the narration of Tilda Swindon (later sections will use other narrators) and linking sequences of journeys (the subtitle for the film calls it a "new road movie").
The four hours flew by and I saw a few clips that suggest some avenues for future viewing. It was great.
"Women Make Film" is a timely appreciation of the role that women directors have played in the development of cinema. It shows the same wealth of content of his earlier film but, rather than use a chronological approach, he structures the discussions around elements of film like opening sequences, establishing characters and relationships, camera approaches and other ideas. The intent is for the final product to run about 16 hours in total — we were able to see the first four hours.
Each idea is illustrated through the use of a plethora of film clips, some from well-known films and directors but most from the international arena. It was tied together through the narration of Tilda Swindon (later sections will use other narrators) and linking sequences of journeys (the subtitle for the film calls it a "new road movie").
The four hours flew by and I saw a few clips that suggest some avenues for future viewing. It was great.
ARIANA
Compared to last year, there's been a real resurgence of films with a science-fiction. The first one on my schedule was a Swedish film called ARIANA, based on a poem by Harry Martinson.
As a result of climatic disruption, mankind has decided to flee the Earth and resettle on Mars. Huge spaceships shuttle people to the Red Planet and we join a contingent as they leave the Earth.
An accident early in the voyage knocks the ship off-course with no hope of rescue. The film charts the deterioration of the ship's environment over a period of years.
Although it felt to me that the film needed some judicious editing, the directors did a great job of building a world on board and sticking with it. The ship is essentially a cruise ship / shopping mall, designed to keep people engaged for the short journey to Mars rather than the generational voyage they find themselves on. It was reminiscent of the science-fiction i read as a kid.
As a result of climatic disruption, mankind has decided to flee the Earth and resettle on Mars. Huge spaceships shuttle people to the Red Planet and we join a contingent as they leave the Earth.
An accident early in the voyage knocks the ship off-course with no hope of rescue. The film charts the deterioration of the ship's environment over a period of years.
Although it felt to me that the film needed some judicious editing, the directors did a great job of building a world on board and sticking with it. The ship is essentially a cruise ship / shopping mall, designed to keep people engaged for the short journey to Mars rather than the generational voyage they find themselves on. It was reminiscent of the science-fiction i read as a kid.
Edge of the Knife
My first Canadian film of TIFF 2018 was special on multiple levels. "Edge of the Knife" is one of several indigenous films here this year, co-directed by Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown.
A small family on the Haida Gwaii islands off the coast of BC is riven by the death of a child and the disappearance of a young man.
What makes the film special is that the dialogue used the native language of the island, a language that is spoken by only a handful of people in the world. A lot of attention is paid to depicting the lives of these people as accurately as possible — their clothes, their rituals and tools are carefully rendered.
Most of the story concerns the missing man and his transformation into a forest-dwelling "Wild man". This is a common story among the idea and a variety of techniques to depict his madness. The sophistication of the camera work, editing and sound design is exceptional. And the island itself is a character in the drama.
Well worth a look when it gets a release post-TIFF.
A small family on the Haida Gwaii islands off the coast of BC is riven by the death of a child and the disappearance of a young man.
What makes the film special is that the dialogue used the native language of the island, a language that is spoken by only a handful of people in the world. A lot of attention is paid to depicting the lives of these people as accurately as possible — their clothes, their rituals and tools are carefully rendered.
Most of the story concerns the missing man and his transformation into a forest-dwelling "Wild man". This is a common story among the idea and a variety of techniques to depict his madness. The sophistication of the camera work, editing and sound design is exceptional. And the island itself is a character in the drama.
Well worth a look when it gets a release post-TIFF.
2018/09/07
Ideas
Today, as it turns out, is also the birthday of the American composer, John Cage (he was born on September 5, 1912). I saw the following image posted to Twitter:
In its own way, it's a statement of what I look for each year at TIFF. In picking films, I search for the new way to tell a story. Looking forward to being surprised this year.
Fahrenheit 11/9
Over the years, I’ve seen a good number of Michael Moore’s films, starting with “Roger and Me” back in the distant past (I have fond memories of seeing that from the first row of the original Varsity theatre, staring straight up at the screen). While I’ve enjoyed most of them, at his worst he plays a bit too much to the choir (“Where to Invade Next”) really suffered from that.
So it was with a little trepidation that I approached his take on the Trump “era”. Given the latest news from the States with Woodward’s book, I figured that the Q&A would at least be interesting.
The film shows both the best and worst of his style. Actually, it felt like four films loosely coupled into a single screening. They were:
- the election and how he and we got there (this is what the description in the catalogue focussed on)
- the on-going emergency situation with the water supply in Flint, Michigan, his hometown
- the rise of the Democratic Socialist / progressive movement in the US, including the work of the Parkland high school students
- parallels between the US and the rise of Trump and Germany of the early 1930’s and the rise of Hitler
Of the four, the story in Flint is the strongest, best presented and most upsetting, followed by the emergence of a strong progressive movement in the lead-up to the American midterms. The other two are a little flimsy, especially the final section. With respect to the latter, he loses the focus of the stronger sections and indulges himself by combining Trump’s speeches with film of Hitler.
The Q&A was conducted with three of the students from Parkland and a whistleblower from Flint. The students’ poise was exceptional even if they seemed to forget that they were speaking to a foreign audience.
The film opens in a couple of weeks. The Flint story deserves to be heard and it’s worth seeing as a (recognizably biased) reflection of the State of the Union.
Later this week, there will be an interesting juxtaposition with “American Dharma”, the latest Errol Morris film. The film is an interview with Steve Bannon, the dark prince behind the Orange One. The film appeared at Venice last week and has been quite controversial, with Morris being accused by some of giving a platform to Bannon’s views.
So it was with a little trepidation that I approached his take on the Trump “era”. Given the latest news from the States with Woodward’s book, I figured that the Q&A would at least be interesting.
The film shows both the best and worst of his style. Actually, it felt like four films loosely coupled into a single screening. They were:
- the election and how he and we got there (this is what the description in the catalogue focussed on)
- the on-going emergency situation with the water supply in Flint, Michigan, his hometown
- the rise of the Democratic Socialist / progressive movement in the US, including the work of the Parkland high school students
- parallels between the US and the rise of Trump and Germany of the early 1930’s and the rise of Hitler
Of the four, the story in Flint is the strongest, best presented and most upsetting, followed by the emergence of a strong progressive movement in the lead-up to the American midterms. The other two are a little flimsy, especially the final section. With respect to the latter, he loses the focus of the stronger sections and indulges himself by combining Trump’s speeches with film of Hitler.
The Q&A was conducted with three of the students from Parkland and a whistleblower from Flint. The students’ poise was exceptional even if they seemed to forget that they were speaking to a foreign audience.
The film opens in a couple of weeks. The Flint story deserves to be heard and it’s worth seeing as a (recognizably biased) reflection of the State of the Union.
Later this week, there will be an interesting juxtaposition with “American Dharma”, the latest Errol Morris film. The film is an interview with Steve Bannon, the dark prince behind the Orange One. The film appeared at Venice last week and has been quite controversial, with Morris being accused by some of giving a platform to Bannon’s views.
Greta
A late addition to TIFF and my first film of 2018 was Neil Jordan’s “Greta”, with Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz in a thriller about an obsessive mother (Huppert) and the object of her affection (Moretz).
At its heart, there’s a dark fairy tale quality to the film. Hints are dropped fairly early and a little clumsily into the narrative, but when it goes dark, it does it with gusto. It’s the first part of the film, though, that is a problem. It didn’t seem to manage the transition from the opening urban environment to the conflict that emerges between the two leads.
Huppert is probably the best thing in the film, adding to her filmography of dangerous women.
At its heart, there’s a dark fairy tale quality to the film. Hints are dropped fairly early and a little clumsily into the narrative, but when it goes dark, it does it with gusto. It’s the first part of the film, though, that is a problem. It didn’t seem to manage the transition from the opening urban environment to the conflict that emerges between the two leads.
Huppert is probably the best thing in the film, adding to her filmography of dangerous women.
2018/09/05
Could have been a movie
It's the eve of TIFF 2018 and I was out and about this morning, getting a little cycling in before the bike goes in storage for the next 11 days.
On the trail leading to the Leslie Spit, I rounded a corner and a vision appeared, heading in my direction. A young woman was riding a commuter bike, in full nun's habit. It was about 9:15 in the morning and the sun was almost directly in front of me. As a result, the sun's rays lit her habit from behind, creating a nimbus around her. At the very least, an Instagram moment if not one from a movie.
As we passed, I said good morning to her and she smiled. A few metres further on, a small serpent was attempting to cross the path (I gave it some room and it went on its way).
An interesting start to the day, with symbols both divine and sinister.
On the trail leading to the Leslie Spit, I rounded a corner and a vision appeared, heading in my direction. A young woman was riding a commuter bike, in full nun's habit. It was about 9:15 in the morning and the sun was almost directly in front of me. As a result, the sun's rays lit her habit from behind, creating a nimbus around her. At the very least, an Instagram moment if not one from a movie.
As we passed, I said good morning to her and she smiled. A few metres further on, a small serpent was attempting to cross the path (I gave it some room and it went on its way).
An interesting start to the day, with symbols both divine and sinister.
2018/08/22
Bubbles
Yesterday was the official start to TIFF season for 2018, with the release of the catalogue and Program Book. In the old days, this would have involved a very early start to the day and a long line wherever the Festival decided to set up its box office. With the rise of online ordering, assigned windows for film selection and the like, it's a much less onerous activity.
I went down to the Lightbox and arrived there around 9:45, with about 15 minutes to go before the box office opened. There were perhaps a dozen people ahead of me in line and, as we approached the magic hour, another three or four dozen people appeared behind me.
The line at this time of day consists mostly of what I imagine are retirees and about 90% of these are female. As in TIFFs past, spontaneous conversations erupt in the line and there was a certain prickly quality in the exchanges. Lots of discussion about what films weren't in the list and why didn't the director hold his/her film to show at TIFF, rather than release it in the summer?
The woman directly in front of me turned to the man behind her and offered one of the better comments I've heard in a while. She remarked that on being offered champagne, too many people complain that there aren't enough bubbles, rather than simply reflecting on and enjoying the wonderful flavours on offer. Words to live by.
I completed pass #1 of the catalogue last night and the whittling of a host of films down to a manageable number has begun. Some first impressions:
I went down to the Lightbox and arrived there around 9:45, with about 15 minutes to go before the box office opened. There were perhaps a dozen people ahead of me in line and, as we approached the magic hour, another three or four dozen people appeared behind me.
The line at this time of day consists mostly of what I imagine are retirees and about 90% of these are female. As in TIFFs past, spontaneous conversations erupt in the line and there was a certain prickly quality in the exchanges. Lots of discussion about what films weren't in the list and why didn't the director hold his/her film to show at TIFF, rather than release it in the summer?
The woman directly in front of me turned to the man behind her and offered one of the better comments I've heard in a while. She remarked that on being offered champagne, too many people complain that there aren't enough bubbles, rather than simply reflecting on and enjoying the wonderful flavours on offer. Words to live by.
I completed pass #1 of the catalogue last night and the whittling of a host of films down to a manageable number has begun. Some first impressions:
- There are quite a few science fiction films this year compared to last year. Always interested in what people can do in this genre, especially when you can get clear of the Star Wars/Trek/MCEU/DCU sets of orthodoxies
- Midnight Madness seems to have taken a turn to the respectable, moving the two big studio films (the Hallowe'en and Predator sequels) away from the Ryerson Theatre to the Elgin/Winter Garden. As someone who remembers seeing "Meet the Feebles" at the Bloor long before it was cleaned up, this is a big change.
- Normally, films may have one, two or three screenings during TIFF. Two films have more than half a dozen -- "First Man", a Neil Armstrong biopic with Ryan Gosling and "Roma", by Alfonso Cuaron. Both are studio films which are getting some heavy promotion as we head into the fall, but the sheer number of screenings is exceptional. At this point, I doubt that either will end up on my short list. I'd rather use my available time to see something that might not come this way again.
More to come.
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