Ralph Fiennes’ 4 forehead wrinkles!! A White Lotus-esque score!! Being within 10ft of Tilda Swinton!!!: My TIFF 2024 Roundup

Starting off easy, before I get too vulnerable out here on Substack - here’s what I saw at TIFF (and what I wish I saw)…

Oct 18, 2024

Something magical happens in September in Toronto, and no, I’m not talking about the end of the CNE. When the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) comes back, the energy shifts and it renews our faith in Toronto as a culturally_important_and_cool_city. As someone who fully bought into Cineplex’s movie-theaters-as-escapism campaign during COVID, I am always so ready for the return of TIFF and the chance to see films in an actually full theater. I typically go to a handful of screenings, partially out of frugality, but also because if you see EVERYTHING on your list, you have little left to look forward to throughout the year (at least that’s what I tell myself).

With all that said, I’m technically a bit late to the TIFF roundup party, but that’s okay, because most of these films are only coming out over the next few weeks. So, I’m really saying this at the perfect time!!!

Anora

Saying More: You know it’s a good movie when you and your friend turn to each other every minute with a look of shock, joy, or sadness. Anora fires on all cylinders - the pace, the vibrancy (both energy and visually), the AMAZING characters and performances, the humor, etc. Mikey Madison delivers as the vivacious, profanity-packed, and heartbreaking Anora, while Yuriy Borisov sweetly lurks in the background waiting to steal your heart. Every inch of the frame is always captivating and every emotion is felt so intensely with high highs and low lows. That last scene brought it home so perfectly and powerfully, and it broke me.

Conclave

Saying More: Shoutout Ralph Fiennes 4 forehead wrinkles and Volker Bertelmann’s score for being the backbone of the tense stressful tone!!! Conclave is meticulous and impressed me with its tonal balance that was so intense yet also allowed for humor (cardinals need nespresso too!!); it could have gone too far in either direction but in Ralph’s hands it is safe. It’s also got strong performances that clearly convey themes around power and its universal impact on us mortals, the performativeness/theatrical nature of the institution, closed door machinations, and morality.

It’s beautifully shot, especially the far-away/aerial views, and for being a film about a bunch of old men in robes it’s very aesthetically pleasing.

At times I felt like the score was overused and they could have let the performances speak for themselves more, but also liked the score (when in smaller doses) so alas…I’ll allow it. Lastly, the ending didn’t feel super satisfying after so much tension - I actually didn’t realize it was the last frame until the credits appeared.

Babygirl

Saying More: Babygirl is bold, entertaining, hot, and ambiguous. The best of the recent string of “older woman falls for man half her age” movies over the last year; I liked how it is playful towards cliches rather than giving into them, while also resisting a hashtag girl boss revenge twist (thank god!!). The casting was excellent and all the lead performances are so good at bringing both humor and vulnerability. Harris Dickinson in particular steals the show and is SO damn funny, with a smirk a la Josh O’Connor in Challengers.

Its primal, breathy score constructed by White Lotus composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer and cheeky needle drops, like Never Tear Us Apart and Father Figure, make for an incredibly fun viewing experience. My screening had the added bonus of the first “good girl” getting an audible gasp from the crowd.

For me, the fun fizzled at the end. It wasn’t the most exciting way to wrap up the story, but I don’t have an alternative suggestion and am just glad they landed the plane.

The Room Next Door

Saying More: Moving concept about life, death, and human connection; felt very elegant, subtle, and contemplative. Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore both do a great job and their intimate conversations are the centerpiece of the story. However, the dialogue for these conversations is written very poetically rather than conversationally (“Pedro-speak” as Tilda cutely named it during Q&A), and while I appreciated the words themselves this undermined the authenticity of their exchanges and friendship; the tension between written dialogue and their efforts to make it feel genuine was evident. I did enjoy the glimmers of humor within the sadness (e.g., the rehearsal), the memories they reflected on, and what was left unsaid. Most importantly, the lipstick was definitely lipsticking!!

Oh, Canada

Saying More: At times, Oh Canada feels like you’re watching a very long “Canada heritage minute” commercial (iykyk, likely ydk). Richard Gere gives a very convincing portrayal of a man on his deathbed; irritable, stubborn, losing track, being told he doesn’t know what he’s saying, and muttering to himself. It reminded me a lot of my grandpa’s time in hospice. Aside from him, everyone else is sadly as lifeless as Fife’s character; they are delivering like it’s the first table read, and also the dialogue is pretty brutal.

I enjoyed the themes of reflection, guilt, and the reliability of memory; when Leonard is being told he’s mixing up his own memories, who really has the truth? I also loved how they matched the cinematography of each segment to the style of the era.

When it comes to the structure, I felt mixed. I appreciated aspects of the asynchronous storytelling - perfectly mirroring the brain of an old man reflecting - as it jumps around and repeats. However, this does not necessarily make it enjoyable to consume, leaves many threads half baked, and weakens emotional impact.

Shoutout to Paul Schrader though, I loved listening to him go off and tell stories during Q&A.

Given my self-imposed limited number of screenings and classic Julie indecisiveness, there were of course a few films I regretted not choosing the instant I secured my tickets. I can’t offer any concrete opinions, but keep your eyes open for Ron Howard’s Eden, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, Julie Delpy’s Les Barbares, and the tear jerker We Live in Time by John Crowley. And, while it wasn’t at TIFF, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross, which is one of the releases I am most looking forward to.