The Toronto International Film Festival, known familiarly as TIFF, just celebrated its 50th year. I celebrated my 35th year attending.
The festival was more low-key than I expected, especially after having to deal with the in-person closure in 2020 for the pandemic, the latter American dual punch of the actors’ and writers’ strikes, and some recently resolved funding issues. However, for this year’s festival, which always opens the Thursday after Labor Day, there was an upbeat feeling, as if a corner had been turned.
I’m not being nostalgic when I write that when I first began going to TIFF, there were more movies to see, a larger selection of screening venues, more press conferences to attend, and a greater sense of fun and exuberance. There were many days over the years when I saw at least four movies, and sometimes five. My record is seeing six full-length films in a single day. It started with the world premiere of 1997’s “Boogie Nights” at 9:30 in the morning and ended with an animated midnight movie for grown-ups.
My first event at my first TIFF in 1990 was a press conference for “White Hunter Black Heart,” which is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars him, Buffalo’s Jeff Fahey, and Marisa Berenson. Times have definitely changed regarding security because after the event ended, Eastwood strolled casually by himself among the members of the press and walked nonchalantly out the door of the small conference room at the Sutton Place Hotel on Bay Street, as if it were a pleasant summer’s day. “White Hunter Black Heart” is worth seeing. It’s based loosely on the making of “The African Queen,” the 1951 classic that stars Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. It is available on streaming.
This year, for the first time ever, there were metal detectors at one theater complex, the TIFF headquarters’ five-screen Lightbox. A journalist friend from Buffalo described them as “annoying.”
My first event this year was an open-to-the-public panel discussion for the upcoming third chapter of the “Knives Out” series. It was held at the 341-seat auditorium at the CBC headquarters on Front Street West at John Street, a couple of blocks south of the festival’s blocks-long King Street W. promenade. The full title of the movie is “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” It rolls out in theaters on Nov. 26 and begins showing Dec. 12 on Netflix.
The panel featured its director, Rian Johnson, and star, Glenn Close, who I consider one of the great American actresses. Why she doesn’t have an Academy Award after eight nominations, especially for 2017’s “The Wife,” is beyond rational thinking. I saw Close on Broadway in 1994 as reclusive actress Norma Desmond in the musical version of “Sunset Boulevard,” a role for which she received the Tony Award for best actress in a musical. She has two additional Tonys, three Primetime Emmy awards and three Golden Globes.
At the CBC, Johnson expressed his deep pleasure at being able to cast Close. He emphasized his desire to always create an ideal “Knives Out” acting ensemble, and he was overjoyed by how the actress fit in perfectly with the rest of the cast, that includes Daniel Craig, Andrew Scott, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, and others. Close talked about how thrilled she was to have been able to immerse herself in the intricate and ever-building flow of the unique puzzle that appeals to fans of Johnson’s mysteries. The actress also delighted those attending with tales of costuming choices for the film from her own closet. Additionally, her dog Pip has a cameo in the picture.
One of the essential factors regarding festivals is for movies to earn attention and find wide distribution. I saw some interesting entries, but two that truly deserve to be seen by a bigger audience star legendary British actors as men with different, albeit tense, family dynamics. Both “The Christophers” and “& Sons” tell well-acted stories about estranged adult children, the complexities of family life, and the risks of unresolved expectations.
“The Christophers,” which is a dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, stars a wonderful Ian McKellen as Julian Sklar, a successful artist who is estranged from his children. He has a number of works-in-progress, and they have a deeply criminal mindset. The children hire a talented forger to finish his incomplete paintings in order to sell them for a large profit. This can be considered a clever art heist movie. Also in the cast are Michaela Coel, James Corden, and Jessica Gunning, who played the stalker in “Baby Reindeer.”
“& Sons” is about a reclusive, internationally renowned author, superbly acted by Bill Nighy, and hidden familial histories. Famed writer Andrew Dyer summons his two adult sons to his manor in the English countryside because he has something vital that he wants to tell them. The thrust of the secret is powerful. The large cast is up to the drama’s task and includes Johnny Flynn, George MacKay, Imelda Staunton, Noah Jupe, and Dominic West. Pablo Trapero directs from a screenplay by Sarah Polley, which is based on a novel by David Gilbert.
The Toronto International Film Festival is known for its celebratory People’s Choice Awards, which are voted on by the general public’s ticket holders. The festival’s moviegoers have always been passionate about what they’ve seen. There are four prize categories.
The primary People’s Choice Award winner is “Hamnet,” directed by Chloe Zhao. First runner-up is “Frankenstein,” directed by Guillermo del Toro and second runner-up is Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” In the international category, the award went to “No Other Choice,” from director Park Chan-wook. First runner-up is “Sentimental Value,” by Joachim Trier and second runner-up is “Homebound” from Neeraj Ghaywan. The documentary award was won by “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” which is directed by Barry Avrich. First runner-up is “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” from Baz Luhrmann, and second runner-up is “You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution” made by Nick Davis. The Midnight Madness award went to “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which is directed by Matt Johnson. First runner-up is “Obsession” by Curry Barker, and second runner-up is “The Furious” from director Kenji Tanigaki.