Back in the theatres

After two years of pandemic-constrained TIFFs, 2022 is seeing a rebirth of an in-theatre experience. 

In some respects, it's both a confident and tentative return. For the former, theatres are now booking to capacity and masks are recommended, if not required. Just over 200 features are scheduled this year, representing a mid-point between the 2021 edition and 2019, the last pre-COVID version. As a result, daytime screenings are starting a bit later for the most part and the number of theatres has been reduced to the immediate area around the Lightbox (the Ryerson, Elgin/WinterGarden and Jackman Hall are part of history now). 

Last night was the opening night and King Street and the immediate area was full of people on the streets. My first screening, a Danish/Icelandic film called Godland, was probably about 90%+ full. Masks were in evidence, but in the minority. 

Godland was a very good introduction to TIFF22. A period piece about a Danish priest sent to a remote area of Iceland to establish a church was technically terrific (the cinematography and incidental music were stunning and the direction by Hlynur Palmason established an unsettled, compelling atmosphere that carried through the film. The priest, played with coiled intensity by Elliot Crosset Hove, is a student of wet-plate photography and his efforts to capture this new world form part of the narrative spine of the film, carrying into the presentation of the film itself, which is show in Academy ratio with rounded corners, not unlike the photos from that era. 

I have just over 30 films on the schedule. Hoping that the films to come will be as good as last night's offering.