“Tramps”
Adam Leon’s feature debut “Gimme The Loot” was a real indie joy a few years ago, but never quite found the audience it deserved. Hopefully his follow-up “Tramps,” bolstered by some stellar reviews and a fast-rising cast, won’t share the same fate. A caper romance starring Callum Turner (“Green Room”) and Grace Van Patten (who has a major role in Noah Baumbach’s next film) as two strangers who pursue a lost briefcase they’ve been hired to find by Turner’s character’s shady brother, it’s a film that, per Kevin’s review, has “multiple charms so sly, performances so perfectly unflashy, you’ll likely be surprised at how affecting it becomes in its final stages.” Like its predecessor, it has a rare vibrancy and beauty to its one-long-night romance, and with a “soundtrack that actually seems like it was lifted from the streets and bodegas of New York City,” it proved to be one of the hidden gems of the festival (and Netflix just picked it up today, beating out competitors A24 and Sony Pictures Classics among others).
“Searchers”
The return of acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharius Kunuk, who made a splash a decade or so ago with “Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner,” “Searchers” (or “Maliglutit”) is the second film in the space of eighteen months to riff on John Ford’s classic “The Searchers,” following Thomas Bidegain’s “Les Cowboys.” Fortunately, it’s far, far more successful. Following Kuanana (Benjamin Kunuk), who sets off into the Arctic tundra to find the men who killed his wife and daughter, the film fascinatingly recontextualizes the story in a world without European colonists, but nevertheless proves “as thrilling as one could hope” for a version of this story, according to Bradley Warren’s review. Led by Kunuk’s “consistently impressive” filmmaking, it “affords his audiences a thrilling Inuk western, recreating frontier hardships with a sensitivity to the racial and colonial implications of the established western, Canadian and broader cinematic canons.” Fingers crossed it gets a release so more of us can catch up with it.
“Little Wing”
With literally hundreds of films screening, there’s an argument to be made that foreign-language films are perhaps better off premiering somewhere other than Toronto, given that it’s easy for them to get overlooked. But we sincerely hope that’s not the fate of “Little Wing,” a rather lovely feature debut from Oscar nominated Finnish filmmaker Selma Vilhunen. Telling the story of 13-year-old Varpu (Linnea Skog), who runs away from home in order to track down her long-lost father, it’s, per Will Ashton’s review for us, “a sensitive, deeply personal and richly introspective look into the mindset of an early teenager… a sympathetic, heartfelt coming-of-age drama that’s equally appealing to children and adults.” Centered on lovely performances by both Skog and Varpu’s mother (Paula Vesala), but fired by generous, sweet and endearing filmmaking by Vilhunen, it seemed to mark the arrival of a serious talent.
“Colossal”
There were films more perfect at TIFF this year than “Colossal.” Films that were better, certainly. But not many as interesting or original, which is why, despite its flaws, the latest from Nacho Vigalondo (“Time Crimes”) has lingered longer than most films from the festival. The pitch is utterly unique: a hard-drinking young woman (Anne Hathaway) returns to her home town, where she discovers that she might have a strange link to a giant monster currently attacking Seoul. But the film also takes unexpected turns beyond that, going on to be, as Kevin’s review said, “a chilling look at how self-hatred, perceived emasculation coupled with jealousy and regret creates a swirling set of ingredients by which abusers and emotional manipulators take root.” It’s Vigalondo’s “most ambitious film to date,” and not all of the ambitions pay off, but with top-notch performances from Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, and the filmmaker’s refusal to play things by the book, it’s one of the most interesting films you’ll see in the next year.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Anne Hathaway & Jason Sudeikis Talk The Kaiju Monsters Of ‘Colossal’
“Manchester By The Sea”
Unfolding with the patience of a great novel, and carrying an emotional wallop that you know is coming but loses none of its impact when it arrives, “Manchester By The Sea” is what Kenneth Lonergan’s film career has been building toward for years. His keen eye for character in “You Can Count On Me” combines with the larger canvas of “Margaret” for the story of a janitor who faces upheaval and possible redemption following the death of his brother. Through flashback, Lonergan carefully reveals the ghosts that haunt Casey Affleck’s Lee Chandler, with the actor giving another wonderfully insular turn. Michelle Williams also shines in her role that’s much smaller than what the marketing suggests, but the real highlight might just be Lucas Hedges, who brings a balance of warmth and humor to Lonergan’s raw tale. And even after all the secrets revealed, the real feat of ‘Manchester’ is that it might be even more enriching on a second viewing. It debuted at Sundance (read our review from there), but was undoubtedly one of the most talked about at TIFF this year too.
Elle and Things to Come could’ve been listed as well.