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The best and worst of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival

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After a week and a half of shows both in-person and in homes across Canada, today is the last day of the 46th Toronto International Film Festival. Whether in the city or at home, the festival is a cinema and art lovers paradise.

There were distanced and sometimes limited audiences for shows in-person, but by having most offerings with digital rentals, tens of thousands of people around the country have been able to watch world premieres of new movies at home. Like last year, this is how most people have enjoyed the films. But unlike last year, there are still more than 100 movies still available to rent this weekend.

Oakville News has been regularly reporting TIFF events throughout the festival, including ticket guides, reviews, and our profile on the world premiere of a Sheridan grad's first movie. But if you're still looking for something to watch, how do you choose? What are the highlights (both good and bad) of TIFF 2021?

That's where I'm here to help: as the critic has been busy seeing as many titles as possible to help you decide for the final weekend. I've seen 62 movies at this year's festival and all 51 new shorts, totalling more than 120 hours of movie watching since last Thursday. (That's even more than my challenge from last year to watch every single movies at TIFF 2020.)

All of the programming spans dozens of countries and more than 30 languages, and seeing the variety of talented filmmakers and artists around the globe is a lot of fun. Becoming an expert in film programming is also an incredibly detailed and sleep-depriving research assignment, and now all that's left is to share what I've seen with you.

Because we had a safe way to enjoy the work of these filmmakers, I'm extraordinarily grateful. There'd be no higher compliment for me than knowing you read about the movies over the last two weeks and rented one - I hope this list helps you pick something fun to see this weekend.

Until the Oakville Festivals of Film & Art releases their fall line-up of screenings and events, TIFF is a great way to see some great new films before coming to theatres. (But there's also great offerings at our local cinemas too if you miss the festival this year.)

90% of the titles in this year's digital offerings still have tickets and digital access available. As today is the last day, you can still buy tickets to rent a movie in your own living room with TIFF. All Digital Access movies are available for 4 hours once you begin playing them, and start times vary based on title. Today, however, is the last day that purchases can be made.

Here are the best, worst, and most unforgettable films of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. You can also read a full online catalogue of my reviews for the 100+ titles I've seen this year, in order, by clicking here.

THE BEST FILMS

Each of these eight films are my personal highlights from the festival, listed alphabetically.

ATTICA

There's something really special about having this film premiere at TIFF because its opening was timed exactly 50 years to the day when the 1971 protest uprising at Attica prison, the largest in United States history. It’s a great primary source for a landmark moment in the history of law, journalism and American civil rights. The ending is sadly predictable, but the scene "You will not be harmed" is one of the best this year. A must-watch documentary.

BELFAST

Kenneth Branagh's made his most personal film to date, loosely based on his childhood during the 1969 Northern Ireland riots. It's all-star ensemble cast delivers everything you want in a movie: first love, big laughs, a heartwarming family, high stakes and just a smidge of action.

It's a great all-around movie and front runner for this year's People's Choice Award winner. Watch for Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds to all be in the Oscars conversation, but young Jude Hill as main character Buddy is the best of them all.

THE GRAVEDIGGER'S WIFE

Stories from Africa rarely get shown with this kind of love and acceptance. The two leads, about a husband finding the money he needs for his wife's life-saving operation, is full of optimism and a joy for life even in the face of tragedy. It's a great story and, in a year with more than a dozen romance films, this one really stands out for its originality and love.

MONTANA STORY

This is a film of astonishing beauty: McGhee and Siegel have coached outstanding work from their actors so they all give quiet, focused performances, in a story about two siblings coming home, after seven years apart, to their ranch in Montana after their father has a stroke.

There isn't a single moment of heightened reality - there is deep, detailed naturalism that makes Montana Story fully believable. Owen Teague, as brother Cal, is giving not just one of the performances in the festival but one of the best this year. Add in Giles Nuttgens' breathtaking Big Sky cinematography and this is a front runner for the Platform prize.

NIGHT RAIDERS

This gets my vote as the best movie of the festival this year. It's action-packed, brilliantly designed and has white-knuckle thrills from start to finish. The parallels between the militarized Emerson State authorities and legacy of residential schools that were in Canada for over 100 years are no accident, and while there is nuance is how the authoritarian power is described, the condemnation of their tyrannical privilege is far from subtle. 

Yes, it's timely, but it's not just a film highlighting the conversation of Indigenous reconciliation - this is everything great cinema should be: exciting, engaging and deeply purposeful. Read the full review here.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

This comedy from Spain, about two feuding actors and an avant-garde director, is the most fun I had all week. The jokes come often in big, from dialogue to props to set pieces and good, old-fashioned situation comedy. Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez are an unstoppable trio.

SCARBOROUGH

Catherine Hernandez has adapted her own novel into an incredible screenplay - the resulting film is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, showing tenderness and a stunning attention to detail in portraying life in the outskirts of the city forgotten by most.

But what makes Scarborough come alive is the surrounding cast of people who breathe troubled yet hopeful life into the streets: the mural artist, the dog walker, the restaurant owner - all of them. This is a love letter to communities uncared for and those brave enough to make them better.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

A grand epic told in 12 short chapters, this is one of the best romantic comedies I've seen in a long time. Renate Reinsve deservingly won Best Actress at Cannes this past summer, and her love story crossed with the existential crisis of turning 30, provide one of the best human stories and some of the most unforgettable lines. It will leave you with an enormous smile on your face.

THE WORST FILMS

Listed alphabetically, these are the three films that really didn't live up to snuff, nor the great work they were presented beside.

DASHCAM

By far this was the worst film of the festival and one of the worst of 2021. The "mobile footage" horror trope hasn't been effectively since the early 2000s, and its justification as a creative project during COVID-19 doesn't excuse having a boring, lazy, and nonsensical story. What makes Dashcam close to unwatchable, however, is that its main character Annie (Annie Hardy) is the most arrogant, rude, profane and unredeemable character I may have ever had the misfortune of seeing in a movie.

MOTHERING SUNDAY

Less sexy and more snore-inducing, Mothering Sunday has everything it needs to be a hit movie. Yet the all-star cast can’t overcome a slow, unoriginal and confusing script that shouldn’t have been made into a movie in the first place. Even Odessa Young, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Olivia Colman can't save this bad script.

Read the full review here.

WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE

This abstract film about a city trying to nonchalantly prepare for a hurricane just after one came through town is way too drawn out. The absurdity doesn't work, and it's often confusing. The characters are treating the fantasy and abstract details with sourness, making it really hard to stay interested in lead heroes Andrea and Miguel. I will say, I like the moral message about the danger of misinformation, and hiding the danger of an impending storm from the citizens of Talcoban is a great allegory for this.

Some dishonourable mentions include three disappointments: Out of Sync and Wochiigii Lo: End of the Peace.

THE MEMORABLE MOVIES AND MOMENTS

As today is the last day of the festival, there will be more events and updates to come throughout the day. Keep checking back over the weekend for more details from TIFF 2020.


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Tyler Collins

About the Author: Tyler Collins

Tyler Collins is the editor for Oakville News. Originally from Campbellton, New Brunswick, he's lived in Oakville more than 20 years. Tyler is a proud Sheridan College graduate of both Journalism and Performing Arts.
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