Here's a run-down of the notable films I caught in Toronto. I'll be writing about some of these in the weeks to come.
Best-of-the-Fest:
Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, Germany)
Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, USA)
A Quiet Passion (Terence Davies, UK)
Elle (Paul Verhoeven, France)
Superb:
Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil)
Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello, France)
The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra, Spain)
Paterson (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
The Dreamed Path (Angela Schanelec, Germany)
The Ornithologist (João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal)
The Unknown Girl (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium)
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck, USA)
Strong:
Yourself and Yours (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea)
Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi, Italy)
The Rehearsal (Alison Maclean, New Zealand)
Kékszakállú (Gaston Solnicki, Argentina)
Austerlitz (Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine)
Discovery Of The Fest:
The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams, Argentina)
A Small Glimpse Made Me Super-Eager To See More:
Six short films by Ana Mendieta
Others Appreciated These Films More Than I Did:
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, USA)
The Dreamed Ones (Ruth Beckermann, Germany)
Mimosas (Oliver Laxe, Morocco)
General Report II: The New Abduction of Europe (Pere Portabella, Portugal)
How to Electrify an Audience of Hundreds:
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck, USA)
Cinema = Bodies Moving Through Space:
Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello, France)
The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams, Argentina)
A Festival Of Great Performances By Women:
Isabelle Huppert (Elle); Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann); Sonia Braga (Aquarius); Cynthia Nixon (A Quiet Passion); and the cast of Certain Women.
Best Q&A:
Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann); and João Pedro Rodrigues (The Ornithologist)
Film That Generated The Best Conversations:
Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
Film With The Best Soundtrack Music:
Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
pic: Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello, France)
