Reviews - Page 132

Giving you our points of view on the latest docs in release and on the circuit.

Review: ’78/52′

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78/52 (USA, 91 min.) Dir. Alexandre O. Philippe Programme: Nightvision (Toronto Premiere)   It’s one of the most iconic sequences in cinema history: 78 setups, 52 cuts, two weeks of shooting a protagonist washing herself in a bathroom. Psycho’s shower sequence is the apotheosis of Hitchcock’s craft and imagination, a brilliant glimpse into his genius. 78/52 is a celebration of this remarkable sequence, drawing upon the informed opinions of editors, filmmaker and fans to delve deep into the meaning and techniques behind this astonishing bit of cinema history. Walter Murch, Peter Bodganovich and Guillermo Del Toro provide some of the

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Review: ‘City of Ghosts’

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City of Ghosts (USA, 91 min.) Dir. Matthew Heineman Programme: Special Presentations (Canadian Premiere)   The civil war in Syria has generated numerous documentaries, dealing with the on-going brutal conflict, that it’s somewhat easy to cynically feel fatigued, as if the tragic narratives are all the same. What sets City of Ghosts apart is that it’s the story of local journalists, who risk their own lives to prevent the insidious evil of ISIS and its systematic erasure of history. Part of ISIS’ rise has been due to its highly sophisticated media production, from slick execution videos to professional-looking reportage. A

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Review: ‘The Genius and the Opera Singer’

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The Genius and the Opera Singer (UK, 70 min.) Dir. Vanessa Stockley Programme: World Showcase (World Premiere)   Grey Gardens meets What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? in the intimate and unsettling The Genius and the Opera Singer. The doc chronicles the lovingly toxic relationship between 92-year-old Ruth and her 55-year-old daughter Jessica as they share a New York apartment of claustrophobic chaos. Part documentary, part veritΓ©-style horror show, this film by Vanessa Stockley depicts one of the most uncomfortable, gruelling, and revealing mother-daughter relationships ever caught on film. The film opens with Jessica bringing her dog, Miss Angelina Jolie,

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Review: ‘Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World’

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Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World (Canada, 80 min.) Dir. Barry Avrich Programme: Artscapes (Canadian Premiere)   Oh, this business of art. The world of fine art often has a tenuous relationship between commercial value and cultural worth. Blurred Lines tackles the slippery nature of the culture/commerce divide as director Barry Avrich (Quality Balls) weighs the values of the two sides of the art world and finds the scales out of balance. Avrich explores the art world from a multitude of angles in this engaging and entertaining doc that boasts an impressive breadth of insight and access to top players

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Review: ‘Thank You for the Rain’

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Thank You for the Rain (UK/Norway, 87 min.) Dir. Julia Dahr Programme: International Spectrum (North American Premiere)   Kenyan farmer Kisilu Musya has a life-changing revelation when the clouds part in Thank You for the Rain. Musya experiences the consequences of climate change firsthand when his small farm endures severe drought followed by a near-Biblical storm of rain and winds that crash down on the land like the wrath of the Old Testament. This natural disaster is appropriately followed by a plague of (humanoid) locusts, which come in the form of the world’s leaders as they convene for the COP21

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