The Top 30 Films I Want to See at TIFF 2021 (Toronto International Film Festival)
I'm the managing editor of IMDbPro and the senior film editor for IMDb. I'll be viewing all of these films on TIFF's quite efficient screening service as the pandemic is keeping so many away from Toronto. Here's to hoping that screenings next year take place in the glorious TIFF Lightbox. PS: I did not include Denis Villeneuve's DUNE on this list because, knowing Villeneuve and the source material, that movie has to, has to, has to be seen in a theater. - Keith Simanton
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- DirectorJane CampionStarsBenedict CumberbatchKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsCharismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.Reasons? Campion, of course, with Cumberbatch, Dunst, Plemons. Reviews coming out of Venice have been mixed but a few, from folks I trust, have been stellar and there was that four-minute standing ovation in the Sala Grande, the large, premiere theater. And they're not pushovers in that theater. You have to earn an ovation there.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.Every few years I'll get some drink and watch HENRY V. Some sobbing is usually involved. I imagine that, if Mr. Branagh manages to not get maudlin in this tale that sounds very autobiographical (named after the city of his birth), more sobbing will be called for. The film reminds me, without having seen it, of Boorman's HOPE AND GLORY. Early reviews from Telluride call BELFAST the first sure-fire Best Picture contender.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsAissam TaamartOmar GhazaouiDavid McSavageA fatal accident disrupts the lives of Western visitors to a lavish party in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and will ultimately lead to a reckoning in the desert.Love John Michael McDonagh (THE GUARD, CALVARY) and this cast is a ridiculous assemblage of superb-ness. His brother, Martin, finally had his big hit with THEE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE OF EBBING, MISSOURI in 2017. Will this be John's?
- DirectorMichael ShowalterStarsJessica ChastainAndrew GarfieldCherry JonesAn intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.Having done a senior English paper on Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (as they imploded, long before her redemption) I can't think of better casting for these two lost souls. Can director Showalter (THE BIG SICK) bring the gravitas needed to keep it from devolving into kitsch?
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsBen PlattJulianne MooreKaitlyn DeverFilm adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical about Evan Hansen, a high-school senior with social anxiety disorder, and his journey of self-discovery and acceptance after a classmate's suicide.I love this Tony-winning Best Musical from Pasek and Paull (who did the music for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN). And yes, I admit, I flinched seeing the remarkable Ben Platt looking like a digital botox victim in the trailer. And I'm worried about having Stephen Chbosky at the helm because he seems to be able to make one-half of a great film (WONDER, PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER). But damn all that. I won't care and I'll love it. I hope.
- DirectorMichael PearceStarsRiz AhmedOctavia SpencerLucian-River ChauhanTwo brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.It opened Telluride to reviews that clearly indicated confusion on the part of the critics. What was this film supposed to be? That sounds a lot like the early reviews for SOUND OF METAL and NIGHTCRAWLER, both which transcended the early misgivings, both with the incredible Riz Ahmed.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.Enraptured. That's what the reviews coming out of Cannes felt like. That the reviewers had been enraptured. It also landed Renate Reinsve a win for Best Actress. From director Joachim Trier (OSLO, AUGUST 31st, THELMA).
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsThomasin McKenzieAnya Taylor-JoyMatt SmithAspiring fashion designer Eloise is mysteriously able to return to 1960s London, where she encounters dazzling wannabe singer Sandie. But the glamour is not as it seems, and the dreams of the past crack and splinter into something darker.Writer/director Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, BABY DRIVER) seems out on a limb here but that's usually where he flourishes. I'm a big fan of both Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie (the girl in JOJO RABBIT) and it appears to be the last role for Diana Rigg. Unmissable.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsYi ZhangHaocun LiuWei FanA movie fan in a remote farmland strikes a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.All of the powers of legendary director, Zhang Yimou (RAISE THE RED LANTERN, HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS), appear to be on display here. Near the end of China's Cultural Revolution a man escapes a labor camp for a glimpse of his beloved daughter. She has been immortalized onscreen in a propaganda newsreel as a model worker for the very political system which enslaves him.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsKristen StewartTimothy SpallSally HawkinsDiana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.I'll admit, I'm hoping director Larrain, who made the impressive still-life that was JACKIE, gooses this movie up a bit. Makes it move. Injects some passion instead of restraint. Regardless I'm sure it will be a signature tour de force by Stewart, who has, to our collective shame, never been nominated for an Oscar (or even a lousy Globe! not that she probably laments that). Let's fix that.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.I adore Asghar Farhadi. A SEPARATION was one of my favorite films of the first 20 years of the new millennium. Plus the guy won the Grand Prix at Cannes, so there's that.
- DirectorBent HamerStarsPål Sverre HagenNicolas BroTrond FausaFrank Farrelli takes on the job as a middle man in the God-forsaken town of Karmack, USA, a community in a depression so deep that they need a middle man to professionally communicate more of the bad news.Director Bent Hamer did FACTOTUM, a film based on the book by Charles Bukowski starring Matt Dillon. While FACTOTUM is no BARFLY it's still a terrific movie about a shambling mess of man, a terrific drunk, who is also quite gifted as a writer. Hamer is quite gifted as a director.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsVincent CasselCarol BurnettLouis MalleA look at the life, passions, achievements and tragedies surrounding the famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, featuring an archive of his newly restored footage.Liz Garbus has been nominated twice for an Oscar, for 1998's THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA, and 2015's WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE. She's a thoughtful and fluid filmmaker and she's looking into the life of a man I didn't fully appreciate at the time.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsVincent LindonAgathe RousselleGarance MarillierFollowing a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years.Not often you see the winner of the Palme d'Or in the Midnight Madness section. This is also, a must.
- DirectorScott McGeheeDavid SiegelStarsHaley Lu RichardsonOwen TeagueGilbert OwuorTwo estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved, confronting a deep and bitter family legacy against a mythic American backdrop.McGehee and Siegel, a well-regarded duo who attract undeniable talent came closest to breaking out from beyond the festival circuit with WHAT MAISE KNEW. Perhaps this will be their true breakout. Plus Richardson and Teague are pretty great.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsBen FosterBilly MagnussenVicky KriepsAfter World War II, Harry Haft is a boxer who fought against his peers in concentration camps. Haunted by memories, he tries to use fighting legends as a way to find his love.Is there a more talented actor out there than Ben Foster? Happy to debate. Plus, I'd love to see Barry Levinson have one more ride around the crazy pole of a popular movie.
- DirectorAlison KlaymanStarsAlanis MorissetteNicola GledhillHanif AbdurraqibDocumentary centers on the life and work of Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette while making her breakout album 'Jagged Little Pill'Director Alison Klayman directed Ai Weiwei's NEVER SORRY plus I'm a sucker for music docs.
- DirectorPenny LaneStarsClive DavisCraig FergusonKenny GAn examination of the most popular instrumentalist of all time, Kenny G, and why he is polarizing to so many.The plot synopsis on this has me intrigued with a question I often ask myself: "what makes music good or bad?" Penny Lane directed HAIL SATAN, btw.
- DirectorMaria SchraderStarsMaren EggertDan StevensSandra HüllerIn order to obtain research funds for her studies, a scientist accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment: for three weeks, she is to live with a humanoid robot, created to make her happy.I eagerly await the film that finally leverages all of the skills that Dan Stevens possesses.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsJake GyllenhaalRiley KeoughPeter SarsgaardA demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.It will be hard, even for talents like Fuqua, Pizzolatto, and Gyllenhaal, to match the one-man-act, force of nature that director Gustav Möller and Jakob Cedergren brought to bear in the original 2018 GUILTY from Denmark.
- DirectorNathalie BiancheriStarsGeorge MacKayStuart GrahamHelen BehanYoung Jacob who suffers from zoanthropy believes he is a wolf and is committed to a mental asylum following an attack on his brother. There he meets and befriends the other patients and witnesses the brutal methods of treatment.George MacKay, one of our finest, most electric young actors (CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, 1917) is in it.
- DirectorEva HussonStarsOdessa YoungJosh O'ConnorColin FirthJane Fairchild is a maidservant who, between the wars, works for the wealthy Niven family. On Mothering Sunday, Jane is given the day off to spend as she likes. To her surprise, Paul Sheringham, the son of wealthy neighbours, invites her to spend the day with him at his family's house while his parents are out having lunch with the Nivens and the Hobdays.Sony Pictures Classics has this so it already has the "need to check it out" stamp. O'Connor and Young sound like a magnetic pair.
- DirectorCamille GriffinStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeRoman Griffin DavisNell, Simon, and their 3 sons are ready to welcome friends and family for what promises to be a perfect Christmas gathering. Perfect except for one thing: everyone is going to die.Well, this sounds irresistible. On Christmas Eve friends and family head to the home of Nell (Keira Knightley) and Simon (Matthew Goode) to celebrate. But, in a twist either delicious or grotesque, everyone knows they're going to die. A poisonous gas cloud is descending on the UK and no one will be spared. Ho-ho-ho. As a fan of SEEKING A FRIEND AT THE END OF THE WORLD I'm wondering what drew Knightley to slightly familiar ground. And I have to assume it's because it's damn original.
- DirectorTerence DaviesStarsJack LowdenThom AshleyOrlando JoplingLegendary 20th century English war poet Siegfried Sassoon embarks on a life-long quest for personal salvation through his experiences with family, war, his writing, and destructive relationships. True salvation can only come from within.Okay, okay, I'll admit that I often find the films of Terence Davies to be a bit...um, stuffy, but I think I could use stuffy in these crazed times.
- DirectorWill SharpeStarsBenedict CumberbatchClaire FoyAndrea RiseboroughEnglish artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.A "dazzling, career-best performance" The TIFF guide called it Louis Wain, "dazzling, career-best performance?" Well, I'm put my BIG EYES reservations aside.
- DirectorThyrone TommyStarsThomas Antony OlajideEmma FerreiraAndrea DavisTwo contemporary jazz musicians develop a stormy and tragic romance.This is the feature debut of the director Tommy but its two leads, Thomas Antony Olaj and Emma Ferreira, are two of TIFF's Rising Stars (which recognizes, often quite accurately, talent on the rise whose names you'll know several years from now).
- DirectorMong-Hong ChungStarsAlyssa ChiaGingle WangYi-Wen ChenWhile quarantining, the relationship between a mother and daughter takes an unexpected turn.Director Chung Mong-hong made A SUN, a film that seemingly was only discovered domestically once it hit Netflix, landing in the Oscar Short List for Best International Features (though it didn't make the final five).
- DirectorMaya ForbesWallace WolodarskyStarsSigourney WeaverKevin KlineMorena BaccarinLife for New England realtor Hildy Good begins to unravel when she hooks up with an old high school flame. Based on Ann Leary's 'The Good House.'Who doesn't want to see Weaver and Kline in a autumnal feature? And will I be able to NOT imagine that this is really THE ICE STORM sequel?
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.Not new but TIFF will be my chance to catch up on this well-reviewed Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner.
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsMelissa McCarthyChris O'DowdKevin KlineAfter Lilly suffers a loss, a combative Starling takes nest beside her quiet home. The feisty bird taunts and attacks the grief-stricken Lilly. On her journey to expel the Starling, she rediscovers her will to live and capacity for love.This is the kind of film that critics hate and audiences love (check out the trailer if you have lingering doubts about that assertion). And I'm going to give it a chance.