I must admit that when I read the synopsis of Arctic (directed by Joe Penna), it reminded me of The Mountain Between Us, the Kate Winslet and Idris Elba film that graced TIFF in 2017: A plane crash; the impossible decision of whether to stay with the plane for shelter in hopes of rescue, or… [Read More]
All These Small Moments
What moments shape you? In this coming of age tale, we see a snippet of the daily struggles of Howie (Brendan Meyer). Howie is simultaneously navigating his parent’s rocky relationship, infatuation with an unknown girl he sees on the bus, and another girl who is infatuated with him. We get a good indication of Howie’s… [Read More]
Islam and the Future of Tolerance
An atheist and a former Islamist extremist walk in to a bar… Joking aside. Sam Harris is a known atheist and the author of The End of Faith, among many others. The End of Faith was Sam’s immediate reaction to the events of 9/11, and includes numerous references to Islam. To roughly quote Sam, he… [Read More]
Beautiful Boy: Everything
David Sheff (Steve Carell) dabbled in his share of drugs as a youth but seemingly grew out of that phase and developed into a responsible adult. On the other hand, his son, Nic (Timothee Chalamet), didn’t have the same luck in his experimental drug phase. Although experimenting with numerous drugs, Nic specifically became addicted to… [Read More]
Green Book: Because You Can Do Better
Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) was a tough New York bouncer working hard to provide for his family. When the club he worked for closed, Tony needed quick work to pay the bills. He heard of an opportunity driving and providing security for a doctor. Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) (a doctor of music, psychology… [Read More]
Boy Erased: Shame On Me
Based on the memoir of Garrard Conley, and written and directed by Joel Edgerton, Boy Erased is based on a true story that shows us the struggle of coming out, particularly in a religious home, and the dangers of conversion therapy. Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) was the son of a pastor and grew up in a… [Read More]
Mid90s: Choosing Your Family
Mid90s is not your typical coming-of-age piece. Set in 1990’s LA, it is an intricate look into the skate culture of that time. Exploring deep friendship, hardship, belonging and passion, Jonah Hill’s directorial debut is his passion project that is so much more than what you would expect it to be. Stevie (Sunny Suljic), is… [Read More]
TIFF 2018: White Boy Rick
White Boy Rick takes place in a lower-middle class neighbourhood in 1980’s Detroit where urban decay, a budding crime scene and a nearly uncontrollable drug problem set the tone. Products of their environment, the community seemed to do what was necessary to survive in this rough town, and that often meant getting involved in criminal activity…. [Read More]
TIFF 2018: SPLINTERS
Upon the death of her Father, Belle (Sofia Banzhaf) returns to her childhood home in gorgeous rural Nova Scotia after seven months away and is forced to face her past, including an antagonistic Mother, Nancy (Shelley Thompson). This film is largely to do with sexual identity. Belle had previously gone through the process of coming… [Read More]
Papillon – We Know It’s Not Rehabilitation
In 1931 Paris, Henri Charrière (nicknamed ‘Papillon’, or ‘Pappy’ because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest), makes his living as a criminal, stealing jewelry and the like. During an evening of debauchery, Pappy (Charlie Hunnum) witnesses some of the criminals he works under beating a man. The next morning, police arrive at his door,… [Read More]
