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Toronto International Film Festival Review – ‘The Royal Hotel’ is an Unsettling Look at Isolation and Gender Dynamics

The unknown can be fascinating, but it can also be legitimately terrifying. Traveling halfway across the world feels like a great way to get away from everything, and the sense of freedom it brings may be accompanied by an uncertainty about safety and security. Kitty Green’s new film The Royal Hotel posits just such a…

Toronto International Film Festival Review – ‘Wildcat’ is a Disorienting Look at Flannery O’Connor from Ethan and Maya Hawke

Authors write from a place of experience, or at the very least insert pieces of their own lives, consciously or unconsciously, into their work. That may be truer for some than others, and there can be greater depths uncovered years after a writer has lived and died within their writings. Ethan Hawke steps behind the…

Toronto International Film Festival Review – ‘In the Rearview’ is a Poignant Time Capsule of a People in Involuntary Transit

One of the great functions of increasingly effective technology is its ability to capture and document what is happening in the world. It becomes more difficult to dismiss an account of an event when there is video evidence, and even if there are those who argue that it can be staged or manipulated, seeing things…

Toronto International Film Festival Review – ‘Ezra’ is a Layered but Uneven Look at Parenting and Acceptance

Society has evolved over the years in its treatment of those with special needs, shifting from a focus on correcting or stifling any perceived deficiencies to providing tailored care to meet them where they are. Yet, even when presented with the most attentive and well-meaning environments, there are those who believe that treating anyone differently…

Toronto International Film Festival Review –Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘Monster’ is a Cautionary Tale of Truth and Consequences

Children don’t always have a full picture of the world or a complete understanding of how everything works. That can lead to confusing situations in which an action or a comment is misinterpreted, and when adults become involved, things can spiral wildly out of control. But it’s just as important to weigh the contributions of…

Toronto International Film Festival Review – South Korean Oscar Submission ‘Concrete Utopia’ is an Unsettling Exploration of Humanity Cornered

It’s hard to imagine losing everything, and to think about how a person’s behavior might shift when their circumstances are remarkably different. A change like that can happen in an instant without any warning, not that having time to prepare would definitely make it easier. The more complicated question is what happens when many people…

TIFF 2023 Exclusive Interview: Boil Alert Co-director Stevie Salas on the Struggle For First Nations Reservations to Access Clean Water

Boil Alert was co-written and co-directed by Stevie Salas (Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, The Water Walker) and James Burns (Vice). The film was produced by Salas and executive produced by Bryan Porter (The Water Walker), Burns, Michelle Thrush and Jessica Matten. In Boil Alert, activist Layla Staats embarks on a journey through First…

Toronto International Film Festival Review – ‘Seagrass’ is a Complex Interrogation of Heritage, Identity, and Relationships

A person’s identity is a complex thing, and people are far too prone to making baseless assumptions about who someone is and what they’ve been through over the course of their life. A new environment or being in the same place as a new person or group of people can bring to the surface previously…

Exclusive Video Interview: Director and Cast of TIFF World Premiere ‘Death of a Whistleblower’

Check out more of our video interviews on our YouTube channel. The completely independent, all South African production Death of a Whistleblower tells a story that spans generations of South African history and looks at the coercive, sinister methods employed by those who wish to remain in power above all else. It’s also a tight…

Director Hayao Miyazaki’s Animated Fantasy Epic ‘The Boy and the Heron’ to Open Toronto Film Festival

Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s animated fantasy epic, The Boy and the Heron, has been chosen to open this year’s 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The drama is set to screen on September 7 at Roy Thomson Hall concert hall in downtown Toronto, Variety is reporting. After being absent from making features…

Film Review – ‘Catherine Called Birdy’ is a Spirited and Fun Look at a 13th-Century Story from Lena Dunham

The late 13th century isn’t a time known for individualism and free-thinking personalities, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. Whether or not they did live then, it’s a creative way to look back at a long-gone era with far too many aspects reminiscent in today’s patriarchal society. The 1994 novel Catherine Called Birdy by…