Free Solo takes audiences to thrilling heights as directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin capture Alex Honnold’s climb in extraordinarily close proximity.
Capernaum (Lebanon, 120 min.) Dir. Nadine Labaki Starring: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Fadi Youssef, Cedra Izam, Alaa Chouchnieh, Nadine Labaki Programme: Special Presentations (North American Premiere) I generally abhor films that focus on children, but I tip my hat to Nadine Labaki. Her new film Capernaum is a triumph that
Anthropocene is the third installment in the team’s epic trilogy of spectacular environmental essay films that began with Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013). The latest film is the culmination of a major body of work.
Meeting Gorbachev (UK/USA/Germany, 90 min.) Dir. Werner Herzog, André Singer Programme: TIFF Docs (Canadian Premiere) Werner Herzog plays softball with world leaders in Meeting Gorbachev. This utterly toothless documentary sits down with the former leader of the Soviet Union for a greatest hits account of his time in office. Sure, Mikhail Gorbachev seems like a really nice guy
Searching for Ingmar Bergman (Germany/France, 99 min.) Dir. Margarethe von Trotta Programme: TIFF Docs (North American Premiere) Few filmmakers have an aesthetic that is now synonymous with their names. A film is “Bergmanesque” if characters undergo struggles of belonging or faith told in dark, impressionistic atmospheres that are dreamlike and surreal, yet grounded in a hauntingly recognisable
Fahrenheit 11/9 (USA, 120 min.) Dir. Michael Moore Programme: TIFF Docs (World Premiere – Opening Night) On November 8, 2016 I made a poorly received joke to a colleague that watching the TV news anchors declare victory for Donald Trump would be an event comparable only to the phrase, “Where were you when 9/11 happened?” Michael Moore
Birds of Passage (Colombia/Denmark/Mexico/France, 125 min.) Dir. Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra Programme: Contemporary World Cinema (Canadian Premiere) It feels as if we’re in the middle of a new revolution in Latin American cinema. Gone are the days of Cinema Novo and Third Cinema. Argentina has developed a robust commercial filmmaking scene with hits like Wild Tales and
Heartbound (Hjertelandet) (Denmark/Netherlands/Sweden, 90 min.) Dir. Janus Metz, Sine Plambech Programme: TIFF Docs (World Premiere) What are the borders of love? Heartbound offers a different kind of love story as it observes the marriages in the sparsely populated fishing village of Thy, Denmark, where the population of Thai residents has increased exponentially over the past quarter century. Point zero for
Talking to Astra Taylor is a little like watching her documentary What is Democracy? You get the feeling that you’re in the company of a very smart person, erudite and politically astute, but she’s a little all over the place. Her film tries to answer a nearly impossible question. There are too many theories, too many points
Walking on Water (Italy/USA, 105 min.) Dir. Andrey Paounov Programme: TIFF Docs (North American Premiere) Get a new peak behind the curtain of a genius’s artistic process in Walking on Water. This film by Bulgarian director Andrey Paounov offers an engrossing glimpse into the craft of Christo, the renowned installation artist who transforms environments into experiential artwork. Christo’s art