UPDATED with latest: The Toronto Film Festival kicked off on September 7 in Ontario with the opening-night movie The Boy and the Heron by Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. This year’s festival lineup includes highly anticipated world premieres such as GameStop pic Dumb Money, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Kristin Scott Thomas’ Scarlett Johansson pic North Star, Chris Pine’s Poolman, Michael Keaton-directed Knox Goes Away, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, Grant Singer’s Reptile, Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, and Alex Gibney’s doc In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.
The festival also features new films from celebrated directors like Alexander Payne, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Alice Rohrwacher, and Richard Linklater. FilmmakerFocus is on the ground to watch all the key films. Below, you’ll find a compilation of our reviews from the festival. Last year, the festival awarded Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans with the People’s Choice Award for best film. Click on the film titles below to read the full reviews, and keep checking back as we add more movies throughout the festival, which runs until September 17.
Section: Gala Presentations
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Takuya Kimura
FilmmakerFocus’s takeaway: The Boy and the Heron deals with complex themes that are visually stunning. While it may not be Studio Ghibli’s strongest outing, it is still an important film, and Miyazaki’s return after a decade-long hiatus serves as a reminder of the unique vision and artistry he brings to the world of animation.
Section: Discovery
Director: Patricia Arquette
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Camila Morrone, Patricia Arquette, Elizabeth Lail, Ray Nicholson, Leila George, James Urbaniak
FilmmakerFocus’s takeaway: Although set in 1992, Arquette’s vision seems more in line with the ’70s style of filmmaking, particularly Robert Altman. While not always hitting the mark, she comes close enough to signal a promising new career behind the camera.
Section: Special Presentations
Director: Kristin Scott Thomas
Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham, Thibault De Montalembert, Freida Pinto, Joshua Maguire, James Fleet
FilmmakerFocus’s takeaway: This is not a broad comedy in any sense. Thomas is a fan of French movies and smart examples of the genre like Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters, Little Miss Sunshine, and Marriage Story.
