THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
When you’re sitting in the movie theatre and take a peek to your right and see that Danny Boyle and James Franco are sitting two rows away from you, you realize that you are not at a normal film screening. This kind of thing can only happen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Now going strong in its 35th year, TIFF remains one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. All you need is a passing glance at the festival program to realize that there are more films playing at the festival than one person can see in a year, much less one weekend.
I was lucky enough to attend the opening weekend at TIFF. Although the red carpets and the celebrity sightings were exhilarating and clearly not your everyday occurrences, the real pleasures of TIFF came from the atmosphere, the expectant buzz that fills a room prior to a world premiere. It’s the opportunity to see films before the world sees them, to share the experience with other cinephiles who pine for the dark of the movie theatre and the collective dreaming of the silver screen, that makes the festival really special.
Sure, the festival is primarily a money-driven, industry event that focuses on selling movies, gauging reactions, creating a market and building an awards campaign. But beyond that, it’s about the feeling that you get from the person sitting next to you in the theatre, the feeling that what really matters about the festival is not the celebrities or the industry buzz but the films themselves.
The weekend began with a Friday evening viewing of I’m Still Here, Casey Affleck’s documentary on the breakdown of his brother-in-law, Joaquin Phoenix. Unfortunately, Affleck was not present to shed light on whether the whole breakdown was real or fake.
Cameron Bailey (the co-director of TIFF) opened the screening by reading a letter written by Affleck in which Affleck apologized for not being able to make the beginning of the screening and relayed his gladness at not being there for its ending; rightly so because the perplexed audience that left the theatre wanted clarity and was a little angry that the film raised more questions than it answered.
I’m Still Here certainly is an oddity. It’s the chronicle of one man’s professional breakdown. Whether this breakdown is fabricated or not becomes unimportant. The situations that the film portrays are genuinely awkward and often depressing. There’s humour, something akin to Borat without the deliberate satire, but that quickly fades in light of the self-destruction on display. I’m Still Here is a troubling film, but well worth seeking out, especially if you have an interest in Joaquin Phoenix, the actor. It proved to be an odd way to start a festival weekend that consisted of more deliberate Hollywood fare.
On Saturday I saw The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper’s (The Damned United) period piece about King George VI (Colin Firth) and his struggle to overcome his stutter with the help of unconventional Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Don’t be surprised if this film sweeps up some Oscars come awards time. Not only does it chronicle an obscure piece of recent history and contain great performances from both of its leads, it hits home with an odd visual style and a wealth of humour. The audience at TIFF loved it, becoming completely engrossed in the film to the point of clapping at the characters’ successes or witty repartee between the leads. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s appearances after the film only bolstered the audience’s immense enjoyment. Every woman swooned (for Firth, not Rush) and the entire audience was brought to their feet in ovation.
The King’s Speech proves that there is little that audiences like more than a period drama with a rousing message and powerful performances (and Colin Firth as a cursing King)
Later Saturday, I attended the world premiere of Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanek’s (One Hour Photo) adaptation of Kazuo Ishugiro’s (Remains of the Day) speculative fiction novel of the same name. Being a melancholy film and an adaptation of a much-loved novel, Never Let Me Go was met with a mixed reaction by the audience.
While some applauded the film’s beautiful visuals or complimented Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield’s strong performances (both stars were in attendance), the majority of questions were leveled at the visibly annoyed screenwriter, Alex Garland (28 Days Later), who garnered criticism for the film’s departures from the novel. Although Ishugiro himself was at the screening to defend the film, fans of the novel insisted to view the novel and the film as separate pieces of art. Although I have yet to read the novel, I found the film visually and intellectually rewarding, and well worth a second watch.
On Sunday afternoon, The Illusionist was screened at the Elgin Theatre. An animated feature by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) based on an un-filmed script by Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle), The Illusionist tells the story of an aging magician who befriends a Scottish village girl in the waning days of the music hall.
Virtually free of dialogue, the film is beautifully drawn but will render the average filmgoer bored. Its TIFF audience seemed entranced by the film’s visuals and touching story but they were aware of the type of film they were approaching.
As the film’s producer mentioned prior to the screening, The Illusionist is not catering to the same market at Shrek Forever After. It’s a niche film and should be treated as such. It fulfilled my modest expectations of it, but it seemed a little too short on plot to warrant any further exploration.
That evening, 127 Hours also had its world premiere. Danny Boyle’s (Slumdog Millionaire) film tells the true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco), a rock-climber who made headlines in 2003 when he severed his own arm with a pocketknife to free himself from a boulder that trapped him for 127 hours.
An engaging film on many levels, 127 Hours is a one-man show by Franco who spends the majority of the film in one spot. It contains the most intense scene of the year thus far, with Franco’s Ralston struggling to cut off his own arm with a blunt knife. Sensitive stomachs beware, the scene forced groans and gasps from the TIFF audience.
The film’s close was met with thundering ovation, especially when an emotionally distraught Aron Ralston was brought onto the stage to react to it. Boyle and Franco proceeded to give an in-depth account of the challenges they had making the film and the absolute need for it to reflect the reality that Ralston experienced for five days. Expect awards talk regarding 127 Hours, specifically for Franco who gives an intense, tour-de-force performance, easily the best of his career.
The weekend closed with a midnight screening of Brad Anderson’s (The Machinist) Vanishing on 7th Street, an apocalyptic tale about four survivors of a mysterious darkness that caused the majority of humanity to vanish. Playing like an episode of the Twilight Zone or an older film of M. Night Shyamalan’s (minus the twist), Vanishing on 7th Street seems an exercise in suspense.
The audience lapped up the film’s dark mood and sizeable tension, although more than a few individuals were unclear as to the meaning of it all. Anderson explained after the viewing that he purposefully refused to give concrete explanations in the film and wanted the audience to make up its own theories, a noble desire though one that infuriated some viewers. If Vanishing on 7th Street ever gets a wide release, expect it to divide viewers, with some applauding the technical brilliance of the film and others decrying its futility, and insulting Hayden Christensen’s acting ability.
– –
image: Flickr