Today marks the start of 2023's Toronto International Film Festival,free underground sex videos and Mashable is on the ground to report back on the good, the bad, and the wtf of the fest.
Last year, that included the whiz-bang whodunnit Glass Onion, the darkly comic tale of a shattered friendship that was The Banshees of Inisherin, the awe-inspiring performances Viola Davis and her co-stars brought to the rapturous historical drama The Woman King, and the outrageous parody of musician-centered biopics with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. This year — even as the WGA and SAG/AFTRA join forces in a strike, fighting for the future of Hollywood — a slew of star-studded, peculiar, and promising films are set to roll out in Toronto.
Some of TIFF's most enticing titles made our Fall Movie Preview, including the seemingly bonkers comedy Dicks: The Musicaland the Pedro Pascal-fronted Western Strange Way of Life. But there are plenty more alluring movies where these will come from. Whether you're looking for true stories that are stranger than fiction, nail-biting thrillers, heart-juggling drama, side-splitting comedies, or a documentary that might well pitch you into a mid-life crisis, we've got you covered.
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Here are the 11 movies out of TIFF you won't want to miss.
1. Flipside
Chris Wilcha stands in front of the Flipside record store. Credit: Toronto International Film Festival At first blush, Flipside might seem the kind of navel-gazing doc that film festivals are prone to indulging. Its director, Chris Wilcha, is also its subject as he looks back on his career, which went from rebellious, Gen-X filmmaker to "sellout" commercial director. However, his latest is not just a tale of his own middle-aged angst. Instead, Wilcha sifts through his hard drives for footage from several abandoned passion projects, deftly tying together seemingly disparate narratives about writing, photography, and the record store where he worked as a teen into a documentary about what it means to seek purpose in your employment.
A fascinating collage of information, interviews, and ideas, Flipside folds in stories from an eccentric vinyl collector, a fading novelty act, and an old flame, along with those from Deadwood creator David Milch, acclaimed podcaster Starlee Kine, and comedy heavyweight Judd Apatow, who not only produces but also gets a brutally hilarious tongue-lashing from Wilcha's mom. Tender but not treacly, Flipside plays like a mixtape that takes you back to a defiant youth, jolts you back to the present, then flings you into an unknowable future.
Starring: Judd Apatow, Starlee Kine, and David Milch
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
2. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
This title is a litmus test. If you read it and assess this will be a grimly funny rom-com about a squeamish vampire seeking a partner for a night neither will ever forget, and you are into that– then Ariane Louis-Seize's TIFF entry will surely please. If that all sounds too much for you, promising a heady intermingling of fumbled flirtations, spurts of blood, and discussions of suicidal ideation, then best to look elsewhere on this list.
A tale of late bloomers, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person stars Sara Montpetit as a teen blood-sucker who hates to cause pain and Félix-Antoine Bénard as the death-focused boy of her dreams. What begins as a morbid premise finds surprisingly sweet footing as this unlikely pair crashes a high school party, pushes back at bullies, and other superbly juvenile hijinks. Played like a teen sex comedy with a tender naiveté, this Quebecois comedy is a dark gem.
Starring: Sara Montpetit, Félix-Antoine Bénard, Steve Laplante, Sophie Cadieux, Noémie O’Farrell, Marie Brassard, Patrick Hivon, and Marc Beaupré
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
3. Dumb Money
Director Craig Gillespie has had a curious career in filmmaking. He's leapt from the offbeat romance of Lars and the Real Girl to the bitingly scary remake Fright Night, to the critically heralded biographical comedy I, Tonyaand the ferociously stylish — though unwieldy — villainess origin story Cruella. So, it could have been anyone's guess what he'd do next. As it turns out, he found inspiration in the GameStop short squeezeof January 2021.
Wall Street is typically the terrain of wolves and hedge fund bros in expensive suits. But this is the David versus Goliath story, in which an online community of amateur investors threatened to change the game. Based on Ben Mezrich's book The Antisocial Network, Dumb Money's big-short-for-nerds premise doesn't scream comedy. However, a cast stuffed with hilarious stars and a screenplay penned by Orange Is the New Black writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo has us betting this risk will pay off big.
Starring: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, and Seth Rogen
How to watch: Dumb Money opens in limited theaters on Sept. 15, before expanding wide Oct. 6.
4. Next Goal Wins
Writer/director Taika Waititi has given us such comedy gems as the hilarious vampire mockumentary What We Do In the Shadows, the quirky coming-of-age romp Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and the superpowered pleasures of Thor: Ragnarok. Now, he's found inspiration in the true story of a soccer team whose claim to fame was the worst loss in FIFA history: 31 to 0.
Michael Fassbender stars as the down-but-not-quite-out coach who travels to American Samoa to bring this team them back from the brink. But this guy is no Ted Lasso. He's a drunk. They're losers. But together...could they pull off something great? With shades of Bad News Bears, Next Goal Wins is sure to be funny and likely to be feel-good, and we can't wait.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Uli Latukefu, Kaimana, Rachel House, Elisabeth Moss, Will Arnett, and Rhys Darby
How to watch: Next Goal Wins opens in theaters Nov. 17.
5. Anatomy of a Fall
Who knows what goes on in a marriage? Winner of this year's coveted Palme d’Or prize out of the Cannes Film Festival, Anatomy of a Fall explores this curious question in a legal drama that begins with the strange death of a husband and the suspicion that falls on his wife.
French director Justine Triet has been earning fervent praise for the film ahead of TIFF. And we can't wait to see what all the buzz is about.
Starring:Sandra Hüller, Samuel Theis, Swann Arlaud, and Milo Machado Graner
How to watch: Anatomy of a Fall opens in limited theaters Oct. 13.
6. His Three Daughters
Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon play sisters in "His Three Daughters." Credit: TIFF As a follow-up to his riveting mother-son dramedy French Exit, writer/director Azazel Jacobs offers a claustrophobic and compelling exploration of grief and family. Set in a Lower East Side apartment, His Three Daughters stars Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen as three estranged sisters who are forced to come together as their father enters the last days of his life.
There are plenty of star-studded family dramas that dot many a film festival line-up. But the combination of these three spectacularly sharp leading ladies, plus Jacobs' reputation for scorching character studies, suggests His Three Daughters will be a drama that'll be as heart-wrenching as it is enthralling.
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Jovan Adepo
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
7. National Anthem
Charlie Plummer and Eve Lindley enjoy the open dessert in "National Anthem." Credit: TIFF If you can't get enough of proudly queer Westerns, Strange Way of Lifemight well lead you to National Anthem. Director Luke Gilford ushers audiences into a New Mexico terrain where the work is hard, the days are long, and family is complicated. But out amid stretches of desert and ranches, one lonely introverted construction worker (Charlie Plummer) finds new love and a promising path to a better tomorrow when he comes across a found family full of rural LGBTQ+ people.
At a queer rodeo, National Anthem's hero witnesses an eclectic and gorgeous collision of cultures: drag queens in ten-gallon hats, burly bears making out and clicking belt buckles, trans and gender-nonconforming cowpokes giving their all in the pen and on a stage. It's a vision of America that is radiant, rebellious, and absolutely necessary.
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Eve Lindley, Mason Alexander Park, Rene Rosado, and Robyn Lively
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
8. Poolman
Chris Pine directs and headlines "Poolman." Credit: TIFF Chris Pine has long been a contender for Best Chris, an enchanting yet enigmatic internet boyfriend known for his mischievously hot persona, as well as a winsomely Luddite tendency toward old-school flip phones. Whether it was Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Hell or High Water, or the wild ride of the Don't Worry Darling press tour, he's been a solidly compelling star. And now he's making the leap into directing with Poolman,which he also co-wrote with Ian Gotler.
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A deeply Los Angeles narrative, Poolman centers on a high-minded pool cleaner (Pine) who idolizes Erin Brockovich. So, when his job puts him in the path of a strange clue that could hint to a twisted conspiracy, he decides it's up to him to save L.A. Naturally, he'll need a little help from his network, which includes a pilates instructor (Jennifer Jason Leigh), his therapist (Annette Bening), and a washed-up director (Danny DeVito) with dangerous ties. A comedy noir that could walk in the footsteps of Under the Silver Lake, Inherent Vice, or The Big Lebowski, Poolman is one of the most curious titles hitting TIFF this year.
Starring: Chris Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annette Bening, and Danny DeVito
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
9. The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki returns with "The Boy and the Heron." Credit: TIFF Japanese animated film master Hayao Miyazaki has given us such splendid cinema as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle. With The Boy and the Heron, he presents a liberal adaptation of Genzaburo Yoshino's novel How Do You Live?, a book he adored as a child.
Set during World War II, The Boy and the Heron follows young Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) as he faces not only a family tragedy but a life-rattling move to the countryside. There, among lush landscapes of flora and fauna (including herons), the boy escapes into a world of color, mystery, and awe-inspiring animated spectacle. However, as the film deals with death and loss, audiences are being advised this cartoon might be too much for younger kids.
Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, and Takuya Kimura
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
10. Hell of a Summer
Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk wrote, direct, and star in "Hell of a Summer." Credit: TIFF If the wait for the next installment of Stranger Thingsfeels interminably long, we've got some good news for you. TIFF offers fresh features from two Hawkins residents. Maya Hawke headlines Wildcat, a biographical drama directed by dad Ethan Hawke in which she stars as American novelist Flannery O'Connor. But more likely to appeal to Hellfire Club fans is Hell of a Summer, which is co-written, co-directed, and co-starring Finn Wolfhard, opposite his Ghostbusters: Afterlife bud Billy Bryk.
Playing in TIFF's Midnight Madness section, Hell of a Summer follows camp counselors who are being stalked by a masked killer. Far from a straight-up slashers like Halloween or Friday the 13th, this spin on the subgenre leans into comedy, mashing together elements of the grimy '80s heyday and their flashy '90s revival. You'll likely laugh, scream, and maybe yearn for the Upside Down. What more could you ask for?
Starring: Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, Billy Bryk, Finn Wolfhard, Pardis Saremi, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Rosebud Baker, Krista Nazaire, Matthew Finlan, Julia Lalonde, Daniel Gravelle, Julia Doyle, and Susan Coyne
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
11. Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero
Lil Nas X in repose. Credit: TIFF One of the most captivating and provocative musicians working today, Lil Nas X collided rap with country for his first hit, "Old Town Road," then unfurled Montero, an eponymous album that exploded with proudly queer longing and one banger after another, with bonkers and boldly irreverent music videos to match. This documentary from Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel offers fans (and haters too, I guess) a front-row seat to the meteoric rise of Lil Nas X, aka Montero Lamar Hill.
Concert footage will collide with behind-the-scenes shots and even some home movies before the whole world knew his name(s). The Black gay superstar hasn't missed yet, so his bio-doc is sure to be a stunner.
Starring:Lil Nas X
How to watch: Theatrical and streaming release plans are TBD.
Topics Film