TIFF ’24: What to See at This Year’s Fest, Sept. 10
By Jim Slotek, Liz Braun, Thom Ernst, Karen Gordon, Kim Hughes, John Kirk, Chris Knight, and Liam Lacey
Tired yet? To be sure, days spent watching movies beats hanging drywall and is unlikely to elicit much sympathy from friends. But zipping between cinemas on a diet of street meat and pizza can be taxing on even the most die-hard cinephile. If motivation is needed, consider there are still six more days of world, international, and Canadian premieres to take in, plus a buffet of documentaries, shorts, biopics and features. And we have you covered with best bets and must-misses.
Anywhere Anytime (Centrepiece)
Tues, Sept. 10, 8:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 3; Wed, Sept. 11, 12:45 pm, Scotiabank 9; Sun, Sept. 15, 6 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
Issa (Ibrahima Sambou) is a young, undocumented Senegalese migrant living in Turin. He’s eager to work, but his status makes that tricky. His friend Mario (Moussa Dicko Diango) gets Issa a food delivery job that allows him to stay under the radar. Mario generously lends a grateful Issa some money to buy the required bicycle and smart phone, and he lets Issa take over his account. The job works well for Issa, and the bike offers some freedom and a small sense of control over his life. But two days into it, the bike is stolen. Good-natured, principled Issa refuses to be daunted, walking the streets hoping to find the bike. This feature film debut from director Milad Tangshir taps first-time actors, and keeps things simple, avoiding larger political and social questions underlying Issa’s dilemma. This is the story of one person, trying to make his way in a system that renders him invisible. Thanks to the performance of Sambou, Tangshir has created a movie that evokes deep empathy. KG
Escape from the 21st Century (Midnight Madness)
Tues, Sept. 10, 11:59 pm, Royal Alexandra Theatre; Wed, Sept. 11, 6:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 14; Thurs, Sept. 12, 5:10 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
Director Yang Li isn’t too serious about what waits ahead, especially for a trio of youths who propel themselves 20 years into the future by sneezing. Li preserves a madcap spirit even when the film leans ever-so-slightly toward the profound. And though Escape from the 21st Century does not shy from martial arts acrobatics, the depiction of violence is limited to animated imagery. Unsurprisingly, allusions are drawn to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Like those titles, the action whips about like a cow caught in a twister. TE
Paul Anka: His Way (Special Presentations)
Tues, Sept. 10, 2 pm, Royal Alexandra Theatre; Wed, Sept. 11, 9 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 1; Fri, Sept. 13, 11 am, TIFF Lightbox 1.
When you’ve been performing for more than 65 years, plenty will have been written, said, and documented. And Paul Anka: His Way has every bit of it, from the 16-year-old Ottawa teen who needed his parents’ permission to hit #1 on the charts with “Diana,” to his Rat Pack adoptee years (cemented with his gift of “My Way” to Sinatra) to his accomplishment of hitting the charts in every decade from then until now. But it may be the first doc I’ve seen that has chronicled just how much he has (with a little luck) tacked the winds of cultural change – when things like a “Put Your Head on My Shoulders” challenge going viral on TikTok, and long-lost recordings he wrote for Michael Jackson popping up after Jackson’s death and being sampled by Drake. (My favourite musical moment is a taste of his swing cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”). The message: There’s an Anka for every generation. Paul Anka: His Way gives the recent William Shatner doc a run for its money in terms of giving its subject copious time to talk. And it nicely sandwiches its 98-minute running time with his most timely gig, singing in the New Year at Times Square last December 31. JS
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Gala Presentations)
Tues, Sept. 10, 1 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 1; Thurs, Sept. 12, 11:30 am, Scotiabank Theatre 2; Sun, Sept. 15, 6:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 13.
This behind-the-scenes documentary from longtime Bruce Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny (Western Stars, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on The Edge Of Town) sums ups The Boss’ extraordinary relationship with the E Street Band — with a focus on the current world tour and a gentle backward glance at the last 50 years — courtesy interviews and archival photos and footage. Not so much an homage or a walk down memory lane as is it a contemporary rumination on friendship, loyalty, and the community that is the global Springsteen following. Above all, what you'll witness is the artist contemplating his own mortality, and it's entirely plastic/sugar/hagiography-free. Spectacular. LB
The Party’s Over
The Party’s Over (Discovery)
Tues, Sept. 10, 11:15 am, Scotiabank Theatre 8; Sat, Sept. 14, 8:10 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
There have been several recent documentaries and dramas about African refugees risking their lives to reach Europe, but Elena Manrique’s dryly clever The Party’s Over may be the first comedy on the subject. What could easily be a theatrical play — like an updated Bernard Shaw satire — takes place on the southeast coast of Spain and almost entirely within the walled courtyard of a wealthy divorcee Carmina (a splendidly odious Sonia Barba), who spends her time planning parties, drinking, popping pills, and bossing around and insulting her unimpressed servant, Lupe (Beatriz Arjona). When a young Senegalese refugee is discovered hiding in the property’s toolshed, Carmina moves to adopt the newcomer as a personal pet. Caustic but without self-righteousness, The Party’s Over has empathy to go around. LL
Universal Language (Centrepiece)
Tues, Sept. 10, 9:30 pm, TIFF Lightbox 2; Wed, Sept. 11, 6:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 2.
Just when you thought Guy Maddin had made the definitive absurdist alternate-universe film about Winnipeg with My Winnipeg, fellow ‘Pegger Matthew Rankin says, “Hold my beer.” This funny, feverishly imagined film about a Canada where the official languages are French and Persian paints a Winnipeg where Tim Hortons and local delicacies like Old Dutch chips and Salisbury House look the same, but with Farsi lettering. Oh, and turkeys have a special place in the hearts of all soup-loving Canadians, being a frequent subject of conversation and commercials. Children try to find ways to chip money out of ice, and a central character works as a tourist guide explaining things like ordinary apartment buildings and an empty Portage Place mall. This utterly strange film is Canada’s choice for the 2025 International Oscar. JS
Will & Harper (Gala Presentations)
Wed, Sept. 11, 5:30 pm, Roy Thompson Hall; Thurs, Sept. 12, 3:30 pm TIFF Lightbox 2.
It’s hard for me to believe that one of the most important and moving films I will likely see this year features Will Ferrell. That Will & Harper is equally funny and poignant is perhaps less surprising despite the brief revival of Ferrell’s much-maligned Sherlock Holmes character. This is Ferrell in ways unexpected. It doesn’t appear that director Josh Greenbaum had much problem finding the story in this touching documentary, which has two longtime friends (Ferrell and Harper Steele) on a cross-country road trip from New York City to L.A. by way of Texas. Harper has recently transitioned and misses some of the seedy diners and dive bars that were once her mainstay. Now, with Ferrell at her side, Harper revisits these smoke-filled joints adorned with both Confederate and “Fuck Biden” flags. The results are not always as expected, and sadly, sometimes they are. This is one not to be missed. TE
Winter in Sokcho (Platform)
Tues, Sept. 10, 12 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 11; Wed, Sept. 11, 9:05 am, Scotiabank Theatre 8; Sat, Sept. 14, 4 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 10.
A sensitive performance by newcomer Bella Kim anchors Winter in Sokcho, in competition at TIFF for the Platform Prize. Set in the South Korean tourist village of Sokcho, Kim plays Soo-Ha, a woman in her early twenties who works at a small lodging house. Raised by a single mother, the only thing she knows about her father is that he was from France. Life is steady if a little dull. That is disrupted when a successful, eccentric French artist (Roschdy Zem) checks in to stay for the winter looking for inspiration for his next project. Soo-Ha is fluent in French, so the artist leans on her to help with errands and explore the area. His presence stirs things up in Soo-Ha in ways that include how she sees the world. This is the feature film debut for Koya Kamura, whose quiet, intelligent film is about identity, and how searching for that —willingly or not — contributes to a sense of purpose in life. KG