A few reviews from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival
The red carpet has been rolled up and the celebrities have left town for another year. On September 18, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) wrapped its 2021 edition, having screened over 100 films. In light of vaccinations, the festival employed a hybrid model of digital and in-person screenings. In-person events required masks, physical distancing, and proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry. The venues were at 50% capacity and several alternative options were offered for some films, including drive-ins and open-air screenings.
As of right now, these protocols appear to be successful at mitigating the public health impact of the festival. On Thursday, September 16, TIFF informed impacted attendees of a reported COVID-19 case in an audience member of four press and industry screenings; however, the case was deemed “low risk” and “isolated.” There have been no other reported cases. Overall, the festival seems to have successfully balanced bringing TIFF back to the city while abiding by public health measures. Below are a few film reviews by members of the Ultra Vires community who attended this year’s festival.
Harry Myles (2L)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Director: Michael Showalter
I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of Tammy Faye at the magnificent Princess of Wales Theatre. The director, Michael Showalter, and the star, Jessica Chastain (also doubling as a producer), along with one other producer and the screenwriter, were all in attendance and conducted a Q and A afterwards. The film tells the story of Tammy Faye Bakker (Chastain), an American televangelist, who gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s alongside her husband Jim Bakker (played by Andrew Garfield). The story follows Faye’s life from her childhood to her rise to fame and the eventual conviction of her husband for fraud and conspiracy. Tammy Faye emphasizes the televangelist’s involvement with the LGBTQ+ community during the AIDS epidemic while also illustrating the downsides of meteoric fame. The film itself was enjoyable without taking any major risks in terms of its storytelling or production. Chastain was without a doubt the highlight of the film and looked nearly unrecognizable by the end due to the extensive makeup and hair design (keep an eye out for Oscar nominations in these categories). As well, the comedic roots of Showalter, one of the writers of Wet Hot American Summer, shone through at various points in the film, providing a pleasant break from some of the more serious points of the story.
Harry Myles (2L)
Costa Brava, Lebanon at Scotiabank Theatre
Director: Mounia Akl
Costa Brava, Lebanon tells the near-future story of the three-generation Badri family living in an idyllic home amongst forested hills in Lebanon. While in the throes of a crushing garbage crisis, the government expropriates some of the Badri lands for a cutting-edge recycling plant. The plant ultimately becomes a massive landfill, the impact of which strains the fragile family dynamic of the Badris. Costa Brava is the debut for Akl and alludes to the ongoing garbage crisis in present-day Beirut as well as the deadly explosion that decimated parts of the city in August 2020. In a post-screening Q and A, Akl noted that each member of the family reflected a different part of her personality, from the energetic child to the jaded father sick of political corruption, to the hopeful mother that wishes to return to a career as a protest singer. Incredible performances from the cast perfectly captures each of these character traits, including a particularly impressive delivery from twins that jointly played the youngest Badri family member. Costa Brava uses allegory to highlight a very real crisis impacting Beirut as well as the world as a whole, while delicately exploring the complexity of a burdened family.
Dominique Wightman (2L)
Official Competition at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Directors: Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat
Official Competition tells the satiric story of an auteur (played by Penélope Cruz) attempting to create a legacy-making film for the wealthy producer while juggling two rivalrous lead actors (Oscar Martínez and Antonio Banderas). The auteur is an easy comedic target, and the genre has cashed-in to diminishing returns. The slam-poetry sequence in 22 Jump Street and the Ongo Gablogian bit in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia worked. Velvet Buzzsaw, on the other hand, illustrates the comedic limits of punching down on the art world behind the veneer of “satire.” For those who find dunking on bohemian liberal arts students and white collar gallery dilettantes witty, you would enjoy Robert Florczak’s piece, “Why Modern Art is So Bad”.
Official Competition, the latest feature film from Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, maneuvers the pitfalls of “satire” with style. Fantastic interior cinematography, creative set design, and spontaneous pacing provide the loose narrative with a solid technical background, against which the expertly selected cast can shine. Cruz, Martínez, and Banderas provide an emotional core to characters which, under the direction of less talented filmmakers, could easily descend into grade-school caricatures. It’s also worth noting that Cruz and Banderas are at the beginning of a late-career renaissance, following up 2019’s phenomenal Pain and Glory in opposite leading roles with palpable chemistry. Martínez gets props too for managing to not only distinguish himself from, but assert himself against Banderas and Cruz as a powerful co-lead.
While Official Competition involves a healthy dose of “meta”-humour, it thankfully doesn’t bombard the audience with fourth-wall breaks. Cohn and Duprat take a more subtle approach — their use of Chekhov’s gun throughout the story culminates in a gleefully deranged twist and eases the audiences’ transition into an unexpected last-minute tonal shift. It’s in these sequences that Cohn and Duprat’s attention to detail — in set design, character development, and narrative — ties Official Competition’s kinetic and off-kilter vignettes into a satisfying, cohesive whole.
Official Competition is a sleeper hit from TIFF, and one of the boldest and most refreshing comedies to be released in 2021. I predict Official Competition will be in the running for Best International Film at the Academy Awards.
Dominique Wightman (2L)
Belfast (People’s Choice Award Winner) at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Belfast won the TIFF People’s Choice Award, meaning it was the most popular film amongst TIFF’s cinephile attendees and, based on history, a serious Oscar hopeful. This is unsurprising given that the film hits nearly every trademark of an award-season flick: black and white visuals, a nostalgia-based setting in 1960s Belfast, a star performance from Jamie Dornan as well as a veteran appearance from Judi Dench, and a heartfelt coming-of-age story sure to shed some tears. The film was quite good overall, but to put it simply, Belfast felt like typical Oscar-bait. The film lacked real emotional stakes and failed to diverge from the typical coming-of-age plotline. Each beat was quite expected and the film did not dare to push the dramatic envelope by truly driving home the harrowing time of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Instead, it provided crowd-pleasing points of despair and levity without challenging the emotional range of the audience. It is a shame that the People’s Choice award did not go to runner-up Scarborough, to draw some attention to the more topical Canadian film.
Editor’s Note: Harry Myles and Dominique Wightman are the 2L Representatives for the Law Film Society.
