It’s no secret that the film industry has been in a slump for the past two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued this decade. While the Toronto International Film Festival did persevere through 2020 and 2021, the scope and spectacle that the festival is widely known for was significantly diminished due to various COVID restrictions. Fortunately, this year’s edition promises to be a return to form for the beloved film festival. 2022 has already been an incredible year for cinema, and if the fall festival lineup is any indication, we’re in for the most competitive and exciting awards season in years. The team at keithlovesmovies will be attending and providing coverage of this year’s festival. First, here’s a list of ten films that we are looking forward to seeing at the festival.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (Dir. Martin McDonagh)
Acclaimed playwright-turned-filmmaker is back with his long awaited follow-up to his divisive awards season heavy-hitter Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. While I personally am I huge fan of Three Billboards, fans of McDonagh who were lukewarm on the film overall will be relieved to hear that his latest film The Banshees of Inisherin, sees McDonagh returning to his Irish roots and seems to be far more in line with his earlier work. McDonagh reunites with In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brenden Gleeson, who fans have been dying to see share the screen again. The duo portray two lifelong buddies living on a small island off the coast of Ireland, who find themselves at odds when one decides to put an end to their friendship. Despite the comically simple premise, the trailer promises the film will be one of the most exhilarating and entertaining cinematic experiences at the festival this year.
BROS (Dir. Nicholas Stoller)
In a lineup filled to the brim with heavy dramas and satirical political satires vying for Oscar consideration, Bros stands out as lighter fare that is still among the festival’s most highly anticipated. Nicholas Stoller directed and co-wrote this LGBTQ+ romantic-comedy along with popular comedian Billy Eichner, who stars as a cynical podcast host who falls for an estate lawyer who is practically the polar opposite of him. The film is notable for being the first studio comedy to feature an all LGBTQ+ cast, and will likely play very well as a crowd-pleaser at TIFF before going on to become a box office smash.
EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Dir. Sam Mendes)
Sam Mendes has been pushing the barriers of cinema from a technical standpoint with his last few films. In particular, 1917, which was an exercise in tension building and visual storytelling. With his latest film Empire of Light, Mendes returns to his roots, penning the script and directing a film that is far more character driven like his early work, while still having the epic scope of his last few films. Olivia Colman portrays a woman working at a cinema in a seaside town in the U.K. in the 1980s, who falls for a new employee (Michael Ward). The film also supposedly tackles important themes, such as mental heath and racism. With Olivia Colman and Roger Deakins on board, the film promises to be a spectacular ode to cinema.
THE FABELMANS (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
While Steven Spielberg continued to release solid efforts throughout the 2010s, many fans believed that he was well past his creative peak. However, he proved everyone wrong with West Side Story, one of the most widely beloved films of 2021 thus demonstrating that Spielberg is still capable of making movie magic. With Spielberg back in full force, The Fabelmans is primed to be a late career classic in the legendary directors storied filmography. The film is semi-autobiographical recounting of Spielberg’s own childhood and the moments that lead him to fall in love with cinema as an art-form. It stars newcomer Gabriel LaBelle alongside an impressive supporting cast including Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, and David Lynch, with frequent behind-the-scenes collaborators like John Williams, Tony Kushner and Janusz Kamiński also on board. Spielberg is a household name who doesn’t need to bring his films to festivals to create buzz, but the fact that he and his team chose to premiere the film at the Toronto International Film Festival shows that they are confident they have something special on their hands. The film surely will be a historical cinematic event that cinephiles attending the festival will not want to miss.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (Dir. Rian Johnson)
Rian Johnson’s star-studded modern interpretation of an Agatha Christy style mystery, Knives Out, made a huge splash when it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2019. The film went on to become of the most acclaimed and financially successful films of the year, and lead to Johnson striking a deal with Netflix to produce a series of ensemble mystery films under the Knives Out moniker. Glass Onion once again stars Daniel Craig as the iconic Detective Benoit Blanc, who is joined by an entirely new ensemble, including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and Ethan Hawke. Norton portrays a tech billionaire named Miles Bron, who invites a group of friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When one of his friends turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is recruited to investigate. Knives Out was such a refreshing update on the murder mystery genre, but judging on the buzz and interesting cast, Glass Onion seems like it could rival its predecessor.
MY POLICEMAN (Dir. Michael Grandage)
Harry Styles may be the biggest star in the world at the moment. The first half of the year saw the former One Direction member release the most commercially successful album of the year, with two smash hits in “As It Was” and “Late Night Talking”. This fall, Harry will be showing off his acting chops and asserting himself as a Hollywood A-lister. Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling may have more buzz at the moment, but My Policeman is more likely to earn Harry his first Oscar nomination. Here he portrays a young police officer whose marriage to a school teacher (Emma Corrin) is threatened after he meets a museum curator (David Dawson) who leads him to question his sexuality. My Policeman is an ambitious undertaking, spanning decades in the lives of the three characters.
THE SON (Dir. Florian Zeller)
Acclaimed playwright Florian Zeller’s filmmaking directorial debut was a reminder of the power of cinema during a year where the industry looked more dire than ever. The Fatherfeatures one of the greatest performances I have frankly ever seen from Sir Anthony Hopkins, and established Zeller as a force to be reckoned with within the world of film. Zeller turned a film that could have been a standard mental illness drama into a frightening and truly heartbreaking simulation of dementia. His follow-up, The Son, is based on another play that he wrote, which is part of the same anthological trilogy as The Father. The film stars Hugh Jackman as a father whose 17-year-old son (played by newcomer Zen McGrath) comes to live with him and his new girlfriend (Laura Dern), after deciding he can’t stay with his mother (Laura Dern) anymore. The Son is primed to be just as heartbreaking as The Father and could be a huge player during awards season.
WENDELL & WILD (Dir. Henry Selick)
13 years after the release of his beloved stop-motion classic Coraline, frequent Tim Burton collaborator and animation legend Henry Selick is back with his long awaited follow-up, Wendell & Wild. Selick wrote the screenplay with none other than Jordan Peele, who voices one of the titular characters, alongside his buddy and comedic partner Keegan Michael-Key. The duo star as Wendell & Wild, two demon brothers who enlist the help of a teenager to summon them to the land of the living. The voice cast also includes Angela Basset, who is primed to have quite a comeback this year. While his filmography is very small, Henry Selick is one of the most consistent and talented filmmakers within the animation sphere and has already released two stone cold classic between Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. With Peele on board, the film is certainly looking to join the ranks of the those aforementioned two.
THE WHALE (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)
At his best, Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker who is incredibly skilled at delving deep into the human psyche and exploring addiction through a variety of different lenses. Regardless of where you land on Mother! and Noah, they were both a creative detour for Aronofsky that saw him fall from grace in the eyes of many cinephiles. The Whale appears to be a course correction for the esteemed filmmaker that will likely be seen as a welcomed comeback for both him and of course the film’s star, Brendan Fraser. Fraser has always been a captivating and extremely likeable actor who has unfortunately never been given roles that challenge him and prove what he’s capable of. After a long hiatus, Fraser is making his long-awaited return to cinema will the role of a lifetime that earned him this year’s TIFF tribute award. Adapted from the acclaimed play of the same name, Fraser portrays a 600-pound man who attempts to reconnect with his 17-year old daughter (Sadie Sink). The film is likely going to be an emotionally devastating drama with brilliant performances all around, and could potentially rank among Aronofsky’s very best works.
WOMAN TALKING (Dir. Sarah Polley)
Canadian actress, screenwriter and filmmaker Sarah Polley impressed cinephiles with her astounding documentary Stories We Tell in 2012, which has gone on to become one of the most beloved documentaries of the 2010s. After working predominantly in the television industry for the past decade, Polley has finally returned to the film world to direct an adaptation of Miriam Toews acclaimed novel Women Talking. The film is an ensemble piece following eight Mennonite women who conduct a series of meetings to discuss their experiences being sexually assaulted by the men of their colony. With some very timely and serious subject matter, and a stacked cast of prestige actors including Frances McDormand, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Ben Whishaw, the film will surely be a massive contender during awards season.
Stay tuned for our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival starting next week.
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