If there’s ever a common thread between films that screen at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s that they often have an incredibly promising premise that’s never fully realized. Unfortunately, Sharp Corners, written and directed by Nova Scotia-born filmmaker Jason Buxton, is another example of this somewhat exhausting pattern. 

The film stars Ben Foster (Finestkind, another TIFF world premiere disappointment last year) and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, The Avengers) as Josh and Rachel, a fractured couple struggling to return to normalcy after a car crashes in the front yard of their new house. And, another. And, another. And, another. As expected, these events significantly affect them, but Josh’s obsession with saving the next potential victim begins impacting everyone around him. 

Sharp Corner opens with what is easily the film’s most engrossing sequence. Josh, Rachel, and their young son, Max, unpacking on the first night in their new home. Suddenly, a tire crashes through the window, and their lives are never the same. While Rachel is trying to forget and move on from the entire ordeal, Josh throws himself into the tragedy, even showing up at the victim’s funeral. As more drivers crash into the sharp corner outside their new house, Ben insists on staying while Rachel pleads with him to leave due to her and their son’s well-being. 

Foster admirably portrays Josh as a disconnected suburban man with no personality.  However, the film’s lack of deep and meaningful character exploration renders his performance ineffective. When chronicling a protagonist’s downfall, the audience must have context for where the character’s journey started. When we meet Josh before the initial accident, it’s clear there’s already something off about him, which makes Rachel’s concerning reactions to his behaviour throughout the film incredibly confusing and inconsistent. 

One of Sharp Corner’s most pressing questions concerns Josh’s motivations for his heroic acts. Is he doing it because he genuinely cares for the car crash victims? Is he doing it for attention? Or is it for a more sadistic reason unknown to the audience? To the film’s detriment, it never settles on an answer or escalates meaningfully. As a result, Sharp Corner is incredibly repetitive and unsatisfying.