That’s A Wrap! The Highs and Lows of TIFF ’25 (with a P.S. to Organizers)
By Jim Slotek, Liz Braun, Thom Ernst, Karen Gordon, Kim Hughes, John Kirk, Chris Knight, Liam Lacey and Bonnie Laufer
They came, we saw, they conquered — or at least won us over.
It’s fair to say the Toronto International Film Festival’s 50th edition was a solid collection of hundreds of features, scores of which were advance-reviewed by us at Original-Cin.
You could have picked a movie with your eyes closed and probably had an elevated film experience.
And then, sometimes not.
By way of a look-back, our writers have each addressed the following three categories for this year’s TIFF and its films: Loved, Not So Much and Hey TIFF!, the latter being a personal aside to the organizers of the influential festival — maybe a beef, maybe a bouquet.
No Other Choice
Jim Slotek
Loved: Bad Apples. There were films I expected to be exceptional and were, including Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. But who expected Saoirse Ronan to have a flair for dark comedy? This is a deliciously unhinged tale of a teacher whose classes are disrupted by a psychotic child. Her good intentions morph into criminality as the deviant boy ends up locked and harnessed in her basement, getting taught privately, while the town searches frantically for a missing child. For what it’s worth, Bad Apples and No Other Choice were the only films I saw that made me laugh out loud throughout.
Not So Much: Glenrothan. Reasons I was looking forward to Brian Cox’s directorial debut include: (1) It’s Brian Cox’s directorial debut; and (2) it’s about two estranged Scottish brothers (Cox and Alan Cumming) from a whisky distilling family with 200 years of “water of life” expertise under their belts. Yes, I’m a dedicated whisky taster. And this premise promised me Sideways, with whisky instead of wine. Except they practically never mention whisky. They talk about the village economy depending on the distillery, but no one rakes germinated barley or tends the malt or anything really. It’s just a treacly domestic tale with a happy ending that just happens to have scotch bottles handy. What a missed opportunity.
Hey TIFF! The unholy alliance between your box office and Ticketmaster has fast overtaken Bell and Rogers for hellish experiences. The online ticket set-up is prone to glitches and freezes. And it takes a certain amount of detective work to find the Help button, which invariably sends you to a call centre and a wait. (Has any Help button ever helped anybody?). Both this year and last year, I was only able to resolve my problems by dealing with a real person (last year, I did it right at the Lightbox box office). It may be time for a rethink. A lot of revenue is at stake and user friendliness is currently not your strong suit. The films are great, the experience of getting to them, not so great.
Liz Braun
Loved: Dust Bunny. I wandered into this Midnight Madness entry with zero expectations and only the vaguest idea of what the film was about. It’s completely strange and macabre and delightful. Here’s the gist: a little girl hires a hitman to kill the monster hiding under her bed. The hitman is played by Mads Mikkelsen, Sigourney Weaver turns up as the hit man’s boss, and the strange little girl is played by the wildly impressive Sophie Sloan, a 10-year-old actor as world-weary and deadpan as Mikkelsen. Hilarious, wise, and weird. And beautiful to look at. Also unexpectedly fab: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie — another Midnight Madness movie. I may be on to something here.
Not So Much: I saw more than a few highly anticipated, grand fromage-type movies that were surprisingly middling. Let’s not name names.
Hey TIFF! Good work on the 50th anniversary celebrations. Looking forward to The Market in 2026. NB: Influencers prove to be annoying to all four quadrants; like vampires, they have to be invited in. Just a thought.
Thom Ernst
Loved: The Last Viking. Sharp, surprising, and deeply satisfying. Mads Mikkelsen is magnetic, Anders Thomas Jensen directs with wit and pathos, spinning a story that's as dramatic as it is funny, and that lingers long after the films done. My thanks to fellow Original-Cinner Karen Gordon for putting this remarkable film on my radar.
Not So Much: I Swear. The audience rose to its feet but I stayed seated, unmoved by a film that too often clung to a safe, familiar arc when the story begged for something rawer and more unsettling. Director Kirk Jones treats Tourette’s syndrome with kid gloves. Only Robert Aramayo’s compelling turn as John Davidson keeps me from dismissing the film altogether. His performance anchored the film with a truth the rest of the story couldn’t quite reach.
Hey TIFF! Someone tell that guy who stands outside the Scotiabank Theatre — Mike, I think — directing TIFF traffic, both press and public, with unfailing patience, and a sense of humour that he did a helluvah great job! Also, maybe a sign in the press lounge: “Limit the length (and volume) of phone calls to your nana. People are trying to work.”
Sentimental Value
Karen Gordon
Loved: Films by two of my favourite directors, Joaquin Trier’s Sentimental Value and Jafar Pahani’s It Was Only an Accident, were my top picks going in, and more than lived up to my hopes. Both are master filmmakers, storytellers with a deep understanding of the complexities of the human psyche and how they motivate behaviours, in films that get at deeper things, and are a pleasure to watch. I also loved Barry Avrich’s documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, an intense, visceral story of a couple trying to save their family who were trapped in Nahal Oz Kibbutz during Hamas’ hellish assault in Israel on October 7.
Not So Much: It kills me to say this, partly because it’s Canadian — and I so deeply admire the ambition of tackling this creepy genre — but Honey Bunch got overwhelmed in its final act and didn’t work for me.
Hey TIFF! There have to be more press and industry screenings for films. Too few, too early in the day, and too many overlapping time frames. Our goal is to celebrate the festival and the films and filmmakers, but the dearth of P&I screenings makes it really difficult. Also: I may be a minority here, but as a member of the neurodiverse community, please, please go back to printed festival schedules. The online resources are excellent, but overwhelming for some of us, who take in information in a different way.
And finally, TIFF really broke my heart with the decision to pull The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. Although reinstated, the reasons were murky and rumours about an internal staff rebellion demanding the film be pulled because it was about Israel on October 7 were discouraging to say the least. This should never have come up in a festival that has celebrated voices from around the world for decades.
Kim Hughes
Loved: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert was an amazingly persuasive — and ridiculously entertaining — reclamation of the singer’s dynamism and brilliance, regrettably blemished by his sad later years. Another rearview image correction of the best sort was Billy Corben’s Canceled: The Paula Deen Story about the Food Network superstar torpedoed by a callous media engaging in what our Aussie friends call “tall poppy syndrome.” I was also emotionally unprepared for — but completely walloped by — Sirât. And three cheers for Tuner, Toronto documentarian Daniel Roher’s smashing (and funny and novel) feature debut.
Not So Much: Easy’s Waltz. From Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of TV’s excellent True Detective, comes a drab, undercooked time waster about a Vegas crooner (Vince Vaughn) given a shot at the big-time by an influential talent buyer (Al Pacino) at a marquee casino but whose knucklehead brother-manager (Simon Rex) keeps tossing grenades in his path. Vaughn did his own singing, which is admirable I guess, except its aggressive mediocrity completely undermined anyone’s belief that someone would champion him in cutthroat Vegas. And Pacino is by now a fully formed caricature, and painful to watch. I also deeply disliked I Swear for all the reasons my colleague Thom Ernst outlined above.
Hey TIFF! Scotiabank Theatre is crowded, noisy, and often overwhelming. I get that it’s also a necessary evil given its proximity to TIFF HQ and the number of screens it houses. And yet, despite that intense atmosphere, virtually every working person I encountered there, from the sweet, sunshiny girl selling snacks to the ticket scanners to the headset-wearing guy tirelessly directing foot traffic out front, was lovely despite the constant din around them. That’s professionalism, especially when maintained over the course of an entire shift. So, kudos. And that goes double for the volunteers. Also props to the TIFF customer service call centre staff, who always understood the question and, while not always able to solve the problem — though quite often, they did — were consistently pleasant.
John Kirk
Loved: Bad Apples. The best comedies, especially dark ones, reveal the truths that are too uncomfortable to tackle head on. In this case, this film illustrates the absolute state of powerlessness that teachers can legitimately experience in their daily lives. When the school administration can’t support a teacher and parents won’t, then teachers must rely upon themselves and find a way to deal with problematic children, never mind teaching them. Jonatan Etzler totally gets this and gives us a story that many teachers will identify with, easily putting themselves in Saoirse Ronan’s place in her perfect presentation of a teacher who’s just had enough. Also loved Rise of the Raven. More historical dramas please!
Not So Much: Truth be told, I didn't see anything I didn't like. Of course, I didn't see too much and wound up missing Normal because it was a terrible day and I forgot my press badge at home and there was no alternative to getting in.
Hey TIFF! I know it's a privilege. I know it's our responsibility. But can there be a mechanism in place for those usually very organized individuals who have busy days and goofed up by leaving their press badge at home? I mean, it's a QR code on the badge. There is a record of the email connected to that QR code. Could we put those two concepts together, email a QR code to the usually very organized individual who has 10 minutes to get into his P&I screening with a stern admonition to never let this happen again? Usually very organized individuals will thank you.
Chris Knight
Loved: Hamnet. I was miffed when filmmaker Chloe Zhao, fresh off the Oscar-winning Nomadland, got sucked into the Marvel universe with Eternals. But all is forgiven thanks to her newest, which examines parenthood, grief, and creativity through no less a lens than the Shakespeares, William (Paul Mescal) and Agnes (Jessie Buckley), who had three children, one of whom died at age 11. There is no winking at the Bard’s future in this grounded and emotional production, though I did enjoy the notion that Agnes inadvertently coined a phrase for the “to be or not to be” soliloquy, when she tells her husband she sees “undiscovered countries” in him. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, this is a story worthy of its famous subject.
Not So Much: Eternal Return. Not the worst film I saw at TIFF this year, but the one whose execution fell the farthest short of its potential. A woman (Naomi Scott) mourning a lost love meets a cartographer (Kit Harrington) who espouses woolly theories about time travel that pique her interest. What could have been a magical journey gets bogged down in a morass of astrology, overly twee British performances, and completely unbelievable romantic sparks between its two main characters.
Hey TIFF! TIFFty? I know it was meant to be humorous, but this year’s volunteer appreciation short was more confusing than supportive. Poor Melissa, the main character in the volunteer ads, wasn’t shown doing any great volunteer activities, unless you count shouting “TIFFty” as useful advice for audiences. And who was the unnamed, unseen celebrity in the final shot? I was halfway through the fest before I watched audiences give up trying to figure out this odd spot and just clap for the volunteers. And let’s be clear: The volunteers are great, from the cheerful badge-checkers at the bottom of the Scotiabank escalator, to the retired French teacher I met in the upper levels of Roy Thomson Hall, to the air traffic controller tasked with corralling multiple queues as well as passing pedestrian traffic at Richmond and John. They deserved better than “TIFFty.” At least this spot can’t be recycled next year, when TIFF turns 51.
Liam Lacey
Loved: My happiest moment came just before the screening of the Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just an Accident and TIFF programmer Dorota Lech introduced the director, Jafar Panahi. I was delighted and surprised to see him at an international film festival. Panahi has been imprisoned and interrogated, put under house arrest and banned from making films. When I interviewed him years ago, he was refreshingly frank about his country and determined to stay. It was a pleasure to see this brave, resourceful artist out in the world.
Not So Much: The Wizard of the Kremlin, Olivier Assayas’ drama about the Russian spin-doctor (Paul Dano) behind the rise of Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) felt like a decent but unexceptional TV series that did not live up to the dark wit and concision of Swiss Italian author Giuliano da Empoli’s prize-winning novel.
Hey, TIFF! Could you encourage some better writing for those cringe-worthy sponsor ads that run before each public screening? The most irritating is the VISA Infinite credit card ad, dramatizing a stereotypical “Karen” type, a well-dressed, middle-aged, blond woman who has a new credit card, stepping to the head of the line at a restaurant, behaving like an insufferable celebrity, and sweeping her friend, a surprised woman of colour, along with her. The ad embodies TIFF’s central messaging contradiction: Is it the “people’s festival,” the self-consciously egalitarian, inclusive event, “just for critics and the industry” where everyone can push through King Street crowds for free? Or is it an invitation to snobbery, pushing patrons to purchase levels of privilege and access, to attend star “tributes” and act famous, without the work or talent?
Tuner
Bonnie Laufer
Loved: I was really looking forward to seeing Tuner and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. Written and directed by Toronto’s Daniel Roher who has turned from the documentary film world to his first dramatic feature. This young man has a bright future ahead of him! Landing an all-star cast including Dustin Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh, and Lior Raz, it was Leo Woodall who blew my mind as a sensitive piano tuner who is both blessed and cursed by super-sensitive hearing. He turns to safecracking to earn some extra money which does not end up being such a great idea. I was truly mesmerized and deeply moved by his performance and made me think that it might be time to get my hearing checked!
Not So Much: Adulthood from director Alex Winter was somewhat of a disappointment for me. Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario star as siblings who return home to help their ailing mother only to find a body literally buried in the walls of their basement. While the film started out with major potential it quickly lost steam and didn’t quite find its footing balancing the comedy and the drama/thrills. I expected more from Winter, who we all know from the Bill & Ted films to directing documentaries. It’s a shame that Adulthood never really hit the mark.
Hey TIFF! Why even bother offering press 10 public tickets? It was impossible to get half the films I wanted to see and when I tried to exchange tickets for films that ended up being a conflict in my schedule later in the week, I was always shut out due to being “sold out.” Sold out you say? Really TIFF? Because at every single screening (and I mean galas and premieres) there were ALWAYS dozens of empty seats around me. They weren’t even filled with people who stood in line for hours in the Rush line. Truly disappointing.