TIFF 2022 | Pre-Fest: Must-See Films At The Festival, Part 2
Individual tickets for TIFF are now on sale. However, technical difficulties over the weekend in the pre-sale ticketing system made it difficult - if not, impossible - for a subset of TIFF members to get their hands on tickets. Long, slow virtual lines held up the process after many members were greeted with a message that they were not members and kicked to the back of the queue. And the general public lined up to find most tickets to highly anticipated films were off-sale before individual ticket sales even began today.
But, these are the challenges that come with having programming as high demand as TIFF’s lineup. For those willing to go the extra mile to see films at TIFF, here are some more films I think are worth pursuing admission to - maybe even worth waiting in rush lines for.
Image courtesy of TIFF.
Women Talking
Program: Special Presentation
Based on the novel by Miriam Toews, Women Talking follows a group of women in a religious colony and their effort to recover from their situations of abuse.
The ensemble is what draws me to this film. Women Talking is stacked with a highly talented set of actors, including Oscar nominees Rooney Mara and Jessie Buckley, and Oscar winner Frances McDormand. Also featuring Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, and Ben Whishaw, this is a film that’s packed with powerhouse performers.
Ultimately, Women Talking is a #metoo story that, with this ensemble, seems to have a gripping bite to it. With the buzz around this film, and the reactions and reviews coming out of Telluride, Women Talking almost certainly has a paved road through awards season to the Oscars. All of these indications make this movie one I want to check out as soon as possible, and perhaps you should as well.
Women Talking is slated for limited release in theaters on December 2.
Image courtesy of TIFF.
Sisu
Program: Midnight Madness
Those who saw the film Gold earlier this year (starring Zac Efron, who is also starring in this year’s TIFF selected film The Greatest Beer Run Ever) know the lengths a person will go to claim and protect a heap of gold they’ve discovered. Sisu escalates that intensity to outrageous proportions, in a story where survival against all odds is literally the name of the game.
In Sisu, World War II is coming to an end when a gold miner discovers a mass of gold in Northern Finland. All he has to do now is get it to the nearest town to deposit the newfound bounty. The problem: between him and the bank is an army of Nazi soldiers ready to take him out and take the gold. Unfortunately for this band of bad guys, the man they’re determined to kill is no ordinary miner - he’s a legend. A one-man army, he evokes the essence of Sisu - “a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds,” and the result is something you have to see to believe.
Midnight Madness is exactly where Sisu belongs at TIFF. This is an all-out John Wick type action thriller: minimal plot with an abundance of action in a one-man-take-all spectacle. Writer and director Jalmari Helander packs the 91 minute runtime of SISU with sequences after sequence of over-the-top blood-and-guts violence, backing his main character into impossible situations for audiences to marvel at how he will possibly get out of them with lead actor Jorma Tommila giving an unyielding performance.
Image courtesy of TIFF.
Muru
Program: Contemporary World Cinema
If action and self defense are themes you enjoy, Muru is another film at TIFF to seek out. This suspenseful and gripping New Zealand action-drama that tells the story of “Taffy” Tāwharau (Cliff Curtis), a Māori police officer, who has to balance duty to his job and his community during a high stakes police raid of an indiginous community accused of harboring terrorists. Making its international premiere at TIFF, this film written and directed by Tearepa Kahi, is inspired by actual events.
Muru debuted as an opening selection for the New Zealand International Film Festival at the end of July, and has since garnered positive reviews. And while I can’t officially review the film yet due to TIFF embargos, I can say that I appreciate the positive reactions out of New Zealand for this film. Muru is a cinematic production meant for the big screen, and I am happy to see exposure for this film extending from New Zealand to the rest of the world through TIFF.
The Whale
Program: Special Presentation
In Darren Aronofsky’s newest film The Whale, Brendan Fraser plays a 600 lb writing instructor with imminent threats to his health looming. But there are people in his small and isolated world who engage him: one is his long-estranged daughter, Ellie played by Sadie Sink. Another is s door-to-door evangelist, played by Ty Simpkins. And then there’s his nurse, Liz played by Hong Chau (who also has a role in this year’s TIFF selected film The Menu) who urges him to check into a hospital. Will any of these characters be able to encourage Charlie to get the help he needs in this intimate drama?
This just might be Brenden Fraser’s year - finally. An under celebrated icon in pop culture, with high profile lead roles in late 90’s classics like George of the Jungle and The Mummy, Fraser approached this career defining role in The Whale with enthusiasm for the opportunity to do something different. In speaking with Vanity Fair, Fraser said, “This is a prime opportunity. I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable.” And if a six-minute standing ovation at Venice is any indication, he has achieved his goal in this one.
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