TIFF Shorts Skirt the Line Between Fiction and Non-fiction
Highlights in the non-fiction side of TIFF's Short Cuts selections include films like
Pretenders Review: Or, Chrissie Hynde, Reluctant Star
Chrissie Hynde proves an evasive subject in Joss Crowley's unconventional portrait of the British alt-rock band the Pretenders.
Always Lalisa Review: K-Pop Star Is Born Again
Always Lalisaenergetically chronicles the K-pop star as she steps out of BLACKPINK's shadow and tries her hand at a solo career.
Anchors Aweigh Review: Down with the Ship
Matt Barats' effort to do the John Wilson/Nathan Fielder thing doesn't really work in Anchors Aweigh, a meandering and unfunny exercise in self-indulgence.
Tehran, Under the Skin Review: Women, Life, Face Lifts
Tehran, Under the Skin is an intimate documentary that explores the world of cosmetic surgery in Iran and a land of contradictions.
Musk Review: Or, the Totality of Dread
Alex Gibney synthesizes the clear and present danger of Elon Musk's ascent to power and our own powerlessness in the face of it.
2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback Review – Incendiary Tale of Police Brutality
Darren Dale's true crime documentary series 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback examines the death of Kumanjayi Walker, an Indigenous man killed by overzealous police, and the systemic racism that surrounds the crime.
Re/Pair Review: An Exercise in Empathy
Lacey Schwartz Delgado's Re/Pair seeks to mend divides between Black and Jewish communities through dialogue.
The Final Act Review: A Compassionate Sendoff
Families confront the power of goodbye and debate medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Sophie Deraspe’s The Final Act.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney Review: Move Over, Heritage Minutes!
The story of Canada's 18th Prime Minister gets a freewheeling, singular take in Matthew Rankin's surreal Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney.