Alongside the Venice International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival represents the beginning of awards season and is a haven for cinephiles from all over the world. TIFF is home to the most expansive and diverse lineup of any film festival, and often screens many films that seek Oscar glory. However, TIFF is an audience run festival that operates on star power. Due to the SAG/WGA strike, this year’s lineup features less Oscar hopefuls than the festival typically boasts. Many buzzworthy titles from big name filmmakers, including Maestro, Poor Things, Saltburn, and Ferrari are screening at the other fall festivals, but unfortunately won’t be making the rounds at TIFF. That being said, the 2023 edition of the festival has nevertheless assembled an impressive and diverse lineup of films that certainly shouldn’t be dismissed. Let’s take a look at my ten most anticipated films at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.
10. Rustin
Colman Domingo delivered a slew of incredible performances in recent years, and many fans have been pushing for him to get awards recognition. Domingo played a supporting role in George C. Wolfe’s last film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which earned five Oscar nominations. Wolfe’s latest film stars Domingo as Bayard Rustin, a gay civil rights activist who organized the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin was also co-written by the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind Milk, Dustin Lance Black. While many assumed the film would be yet another paint-by-numbers biopic due to poor test screening reactions, the reviews out of the Telluride Film Festival have been very strong, offering unanimous praise for Domingo’s transformative performance.
9. American Fiction
Whether it’s his recent collaborations with Wes Anderson or his involvement in many notable franchises, Jeffery Wright has become an extremely dependable and prolific actor who hasn’t quite gotten the recognition he deserves. While not much about the film has been revealed thus far, many awards pundits believe Wright could be an outside contender for Best Actor. Adapted from Percival Everett’s acclaimed novel Erasure, American Fiction is a satire about the commodification of marginalized voices and a portrait of an author forced to re-examine his integrity. Cord Jefferson is not a household name in the realm of film, but his television resume (which includes credits on Succession, The Good Place, Master of None, and Watchmen), suggest that he is more than qualified to successfully adapt this complex material.
8. Poolman
One of the most notable takeaways from the 2023 TIFF lineup was its inclusion of so many directorial efforts from well known actors. Anna Kendrick, Patricia Arquette, Kristen Scott Thomas, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortenson, and Ethan Hawke, are among the notable names who have films playing at the festival. However, Chris Pine’s directorial debut Poolman, seems to have significantly more buzz than the rest of the pack. The film is a comedic noir starring Pine as a hopeless dreamer who spends his days looking after the pool in his apartment complex in LA. When he notices the water is disappearing, it sends him on a journey to uncover the truth. Pine has cited that Poolman is inspired by classics like Chinatown, and will be screened on 35mm film.
7. Mother, Couch
Mother, Couch has the distinction of being the only film on this list that I’ve included due largely to the premise alone, rather than the filmmaker involved. Niclas Larsson’s debut stars Ellen Burstyn as a woman who, while visiting a furniture store with her son (Ewan McGregor), lies down on a couch and refuses to leave. Alongside McGregor and Burstyn, Mother, Couch features an outstanding supporting cast including, F. Murray Abraham, Taylor Russell, Rhys Ifans, and Lara Flynn Boyle. While the film could potentially be a disaster, the intriguing and completely unconventional premise has me intrigued enough to reserve a ticket.
6. Origin
TIFF rarely ever adds last minute additions to the lineup, so when it was announced Ava DuVernay’s latest film would be screening at TIFF, it instantly became one of the hottest tickets at the festival. Ava DuVernay may not have the most consistent filmography as a filmmaker, but her contributions to the world of cinema and television are extremely commendable. Moving away from big-budget material, Origin is an adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s acclaimed biographical novel Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, delivering a comprehensive look at her experience with racism in America. Picked up by Neon a the day before it is set to premiere today at the Venice Film Festival, it could very well become a last minute awards contender.
5. Evil Does Not Exist
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi has slowly started to make a name for himself on the international festival circuit throughout the second half of the 2010s. However, he started to make headlines and become a huge name in the world of international cinema, when Drive My Car became the most unexpected success story during the 2021 Awards season. His follow-up, Evil Does Not Exist, is an examination of our relationship to nature through the eyes of the inhabitants of a remote village. While the reviews out of Venice suggest it won’t necessarily have the cultural impact of Drive My Car, the film seems like it’ll be another strong addition to Hamaguchi’s glowing resume.
4. Flora & Son
The art of cinema and music complement each other beautifully. Few filmmakers have fully realized that to the degree of John Carney, who has made a career off of crafting inspirational indies about struggling musicians. While his filmography only contains three films over the span of sixteen years, Once, Begin Again and Sing Street are all widely beloved films. The latter is a personal favorite, and had a huge impact on me during my teenage years. His latest film, Flora & Son, premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to relatively positive reviews. The buzz seems to be muted in comparison to his previous efforts, however, it still has the makings of a roaring crowd pleaser that could easily find its second wind at TIFF.
3. Hit Man
If I had to choose a filmmaker who has had the greatest impact on my love for film and my aspirations within the industry, it would undoubtedly be Richard Linklater. Few filmmakers have ever been able to capture the human experience with as much authenticity and emotional depth as Linklater. His large body of work and interest in indulging in different styles that may be outside of his wheelhouse has meant that his filmography is somewhat inconsistent, but he’s always a filmmaker to watch out for. His latest film, Hit Man, is a close collaboration with Top Gun: Maverick star Glenn Powell, who portrays an undercover cop pretending to be a hitman. Though not the typical Linklater fare, it has received extremely strong reactions out of the Venice Film Festival, with many critics calling it one of the very best of his entire career.
2. The Holdovers
While the controversy and allegations surrounding Alexander Payne have soured my admiration for him as a filmmaker and screenwriter, his work played a formative role in developing my love for film. After an embarrassing detour into genre filmmaking with Downsizing, Payne returns to familiar territory and reunites with Sideways star Paul Giamatti, who portrays a bitter teacher at a stuffy boarding school who is forced to spend the holidays with a troubled student. The film’s retro-tinged trailer polarized fans, but the reactions out of Telluride suggest that the film is sure to be an instant crowd-pleaser with a heart of gold that will play well with audiences, while containing enough depth and self awareness to impress even the most cynical of critics.
1. The Boy & the Heron
While the 2023 TIFF lineup may not catch as many headlines as usual, this year’s opening film more than makes for it. Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement and resurrected Studio Ghibli for one final film. Inspired by Miyazaki’s favorite childhood book “How Do You Live”, The Boy & the Heron is a personal coming-of-age story that in typical Miyazaki fashion, explores the darkest facets of humanity through a fantasy lens. Despite Studio Ghibli’s insistence on keeping audiences in the dark with a non-existent marketing campaign, the film has managed to be the fastest selling film at TIFF this year and is one of the top contenders to take home the coveted People’s Choice Award.
Stay tuned for our coverage of the 48th Annual Toronto International Festival over the coming weeks.
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