An engrossing feature debut from Mehdi Fikri, After the Fire, is a deliberate and powerful drama that times its moments perfectly. It purposely leaves a sour taste in your mouth while leaving you with hope – an incredibly striking film. In the aftermath of a crime, a young Arab living
Category: TIFF
Homecoming (Máhccan) ★★★★ 1/2 TIFF 2023
Homecoming (Máhccan) is a film that superbly engages its audience and allows us to connect with the struggles that people like the Sámi community endure in getting their cultural property back. Suvi West and Anssi Kömi have made a moving and fascinating documentary. As museums worldwide are increasingly pressured to
Boil Alert ★★★ 1/2 TIFF 2023
Throughout Boil Alert, you keep muttering why nothing has been done about the situations the Indigenous communities in North America find themselves in. Steve Burns and Stevie Salas in their poignant and vital documentary. An indigenous woman journeys through First Nations reservations to shine a light on the devastating struggle
Bloom (Short Film) ★★★★ TIFF 2023
Kasey Lum’s short film Bloom is a wonderful metaphor for finding yourself after the anguish of a relationship ending. Indulging in just the right amount of surrealism, Jodi Balfour’s performance is superb leveling up an already great film. Abandoned by her partner, Laurel (Jodi Balfour) stumbles through heartbreak and grows
Seagrass ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
As absorbing a family drama as you will see, Meredith Hama-Brown’s Seagrass introspective feature debut is astounding. Excelling in the small moments, this is an exceptional look at a fractured biracial relationship. Set in the mid-1990s, a Japanese Canadian woman grappling with the recent death of her mother brings her
Aphasia (Short Film) ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
Marielle Dalpé disorientates and unsettles in her visually violent film Aphasia. While under 4 minutes in length, there is a power here that fully immerses and pains you, a fantastic and vital animation. Aphasia is an unsettling sensory experience that immerses us in the world of people with Alzheimer’s disease
Modern Goose ★★★ 1/2 TIFF 2023
Modern Goose wonderfully brings awareness to how we as a species take for granted animals’ need for nature in our ever-growing suburban landscapes. Karsten Wall’s short documentary is a compelling reminder that this planet isn’t just ours. Able to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, fiercely loyal to flock
Farewell My Concubine ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
At times difficult viewing, but always mesmerising, Farewell My Concubine is a gorgeous, emotional tragedy of a film. From beginning to end, this is what cinema is about. Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) grow up enduring the harsh training of the Peking Opera Academy, where instructors