Hello once again from Toronto, where for a week every year I watch far too many movies and tell you all about them. The festival, better known as TIFF, is always a great preview of the months ahead in film, with a nice mix of mainstream fare, awards contenders, indie surprises, and genre flicks destined to be cult classics. The streamers also love to make their presence felt here, previewing some of their most anticipated projects. Last year, for instance, Netflix showed off both Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited Frankenstein as well as the third Knives Out movie, and I was also able to watch everything from the terrifying video game adaptation Exit 8 to Park-Chan wook’s dark satire No Other Choice.
This year looks similarly promising. There are new films from directors like Takashi Miike, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and Werner Herzog, and very intriguing features including a four-hour-long documentary on Elon Musk. There are also previews of a surprising number of Halloween-adjacent streaming series in the form of Netflix’s Below, Peacock’s Crystal Lake, and Amazon’s Carrie. I’m aiming to see just shy of 30 films and series over the next week or so, and, just like last year, I’ll be writing daily dispatches covering every single thing I see with a brief review.
And things have gotten off to a very interesting start. On my first day I watched four movies and the premiere of a streaming series, highlighted by John Turturro’s wonderful turn as a technophobic petty thief in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. I also saw one of the most Canadian things I’ve ever watched and a three-hour drama that somehow doesn’t feel overlong.
Here, in no particular order, is what I’ve seen so far.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
In theaters on October 30th
Imagine if Uncut Gems was a little less stressful, but much more heart-wrenching. Harry (Turturro) is an aging pickpocket, one who sticks to what he knows while the world advances around him. He doesn’t understand smartphones, has no idea what USB means, and laments that no one carries cash anymore. But he’s still able to make a dishonest living and take care of his sick wife. Then one day he accidentally steals a crypto gizmo from the wrong guy, and is pulled into a tense thriller that puts everyone around him at risk. The film is a beautiful love letter to the city of New York, with lots of shots of busy streets and packed subways, but it’s mostly an incredible showcase for Turturro. He plays a genuinely bad guy, but you can’t help but love him in spite of it; at one point he literally steals candy from a child, and it made me smile. The final moments of the film are just about perfect.
In theaters on November 25th
A story about conversation and connection, and one that — despite being over three hours long — absolutely breezes by, much like a great evening out where you suddenly realize it’s 2AM. Split between France and Japan, and helmed by Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, All of a Sudden comes to life after a chance meeting between Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira), the workaholic director of a nursing home, and Mari (Tao Okamoto), a playwright who is coping with a terminal cancer diagnosis. The two connect instantly and spend an entire night talking about everything from the ruinous impact of capitalism to the practical aspects of caring for elderly patients. It all feels natural and heartfelt, though, and at its core, All of a Sudden is a movie about what it means to be human: how we want to spend our time, and how we treat those around us, particularly those who are different or difficult. It sounds cliché, but it left me feeling both hopeful and terrified for the future. The film is also downright gorgeous, and there’s a good chance you’ll immediately start pricing tickets to Paris or Kyoto after you step out of the theater.
Streaming on Netflix on October 8th
Below is the rare story set in Newfoundland, on the east coast of Canada. It’s a compelling creature feature, a thriller where a mysterious monster is slowly terrorizing a remote fishing village that has been decimated by dwindling fish stocks. Josh Hartnett stars as a father of three who is just trying to survive, when strange chunks of ice start appearing in the harbor, portending something real bad. I watched the first two (of six) episodes, and even though it’s pretty clear what is going on, the show does a remarkable job of building up the mood and suspense, which makes the horrific reveals hit harder. Below is also surprisingly authentic and funny; anyone who has been to the East Coast will feel right at home when they see a bucket of salt beef or the dreaded screech.
An animated satirical sci-fi movie based on the comic of the same name, Duncan Jones’ Rogue Trooper is set on a toxic planet that is home to a never-ending war that is a lucrative venture back on Earth. It follows a squad of genetically engineered supersoldiers who find themselves stranded in enemy territory, and their numbers steadily dwindle over the course of the film. Unfortunately, despite some occasionally beautiful sci-fi imagery that imbues a real sense of scale, Rogue Trooper mostly falls flat, with a drab story, forgettable characters, and action that lacks any real weight. Even worse, despite boasting a cast including Jemaine Clement, Matthew Berry, and Philomena Cunk herself, Diane Morgan, it’s also not funny at all.
After moving to Los Angeles as part of the Indian Relocation Act in the 1950s, three sisters find themselves separated from each other after their mother is killed. The story then jumps forward a few decades, when each sister is living a very different life; one is trying to make it as an actress despite being typecast, one is a doctor after being adopted by a white family, and the youngest is struggling after passing through dozens of foster families. How We Stand explores the real impact of some truly horrific policies and programs, and the trio of actors at its core — Amber Midthunder, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, and Isabel DeRoy-Olson — are all excellent. But the film is saddled with writing that can feel too on the nose, and its magical realism elements feel underutilized until the very end.