The Middle Man played at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. In that time, Kenneth Welsh passed away in real life. The strength of the English language Canadian film lineup in 2022 was in the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film category. Very memorable films as was The Middle Man.
The Middle Man is Norway meets Canada sprinkled with American flags in a dismal small town. Frank (Norwegian actor Pål Sverre Hagen) gets a big break. The small town where they live needs a middle man, someone to break bad news to people. The pay is good but things are slow for Frank. Soon the bad news gets a little personal. Frank's secretary becomes his girlfriend. Frank starts to change subtly. Canadian actors include Paul Gross, Don McKellar, Rossif Sutherland, Sheila McCarthy, and Kenneth Welsh. The humour is as dark as the Scandivanian rye bread on an open faced sandwich. You almost have to see the film twice to get a true sense of what is happening. This film played at TIFF 2021 so hopefully momentum is building on this film. Not your typical film in a very good way.
Wolves wants to be a lot of different kinds of films, mostly a horror film. Him (Mark Nocent) is a total loser. Not a very interesting loser. We root for his turtle to escape and find a better life. Him becomes obsessed with a serial criminal who mutilates animals. Does Him see himself in this criminal? Maybe. Him fancies himself a detective though his interrogation scenes are more laughable than serious. The skittish neighbour is more funny than creepy. Writer/director Danny Dunlop uses really good music to create fake tension that doesn't lead anywhere. This isn't a good film but the film tries hard. More focus, a sincere purpose, and better editing would have greatly helped.
So Much Tenderness starts out with Aurora (Colombian actor Noëlle Schönwald) smuggled into Canada by Deragh Campbell and Kazik Radwanski (star and director of Anne at 13,000 Feet) as themselves. Lucía (Natalia Aranguren), Aurora's daughter, follows shortly afterward to Canada. Lucía adapts rather easily to her new country while Aurora struggles. Aurora sees someone from her past. Writer/director Lina Rodriguez tells more about the adjustment Aurora makes with almost every aspect of her life. The film is slow and subtle. Interesting but not deeply satisfying. The daughter is more intriguing, especially with some of her conversations, but the film is mostly about the mother.
Hands That Bind reminds us that farming is a sad life, especially when you don't own the land. Andy (Paul Sparks) works on Mac Longridge's (Nicholas Campbell) farm. Mac's son Dirk (Landon Liboiron) comes back, forcing Andy's family out of the house and into a trailer. Dirk doesn't know about farming but has a higher position in the hierarchy. Andy's wife Susan (Susan Kent) can take a lot but only so much. You want to have the energy to yell at the screen to convince her to leave, knowing that will speed up to the end of the film. Bruce Dern is in this film but he doesn't have to suffer as much as we did. Writer/director Kyle Armstrong introduces us to UFO type imagery. A connection would have helped but is more of a distraction. If you want a film that is sad, consistently sad, find this film.
WIFF Prize in Canadian Film
Brother features young Black Canadian men Francis (Aaron Pierre) and his younger brother Michael (2018 TIFF Rising Star Lamar Johnson) growing up in the Galloway Road neighbourhood of Scarborough in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the early 1990s. Francis is a quiet giant interested in music. He is their mother's favourite. Francis is protective of Michael as both try to avoid the gang life all around them. Michael is interested in Aisha (Kiana Madeira), who becomes a friend of the family. Clement Virgo adapted the David Chariandy novel of the same name. Virgo uses flashbacks to show the dynamic between the brothers in better times. The story is powerful and not upbeat, reflecting the reality of that time and place for young men of colour. The police often come into the film to frisk young Black people with flimsy excuses. The dialogue is difficult to follow at times so you might need subtitles to follow along better. An excellent, emotional film with complex portrayals of young Black men.
I Like Movies tells the story about a teenager who loves films a little too much, as if that was possible. Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen) is so convinced he will get into film school at New York University that he doesn't apply anywhere else. Lawrence ends up getting a job at the video store, which he thinks will be great because he loves movies. Except Lawrence has to upsell films that are too broad. Lawrence has an intriguing dynamic with his older boss (Romina D'Ugo) and dealing with his single mother (Krista Bridges). Percy Hynes White and Andy McQueen are great in the film as well. Chandler Levack brings a depth to the surface comedy plot that is lovely and fun to watch. The fact that Lawrence doesn't want to be a Canadian filmmaker is hilarious. Levack does give some Canadian film love to titles such as Last Night, Child Star, and Saddest Music in the World. If you like movies, you will like I Like Movies.
North of Normal is based off the memoir of Cea Sunrise Person, who grew up in part in the Yukon (hence the north of normal). The film shows her as a young age (River Price-Maenpaa) and as a teenager (Amanda Fix) with her hippie mother (Sarah Gadon). The mother-daughter relationship is filled with abandonment as she literally left Cea behind to live with her parents. The teenage version is debating about whether to stay in school or become a model. She wants the independence and her mother's love. The story from Person and Alexandra Weir (screenplay) is compelling as Cea has more questions than answers. She tries to follow her grandfather's advice to "never give into fear." This film exemplifies why you can't give up on most directors. Carly Stone's debut The New Romantic was a terrible film yet Stone does a much better job, helped out because someone else wrote the screenplay. The story and acting are outstanding. In a sea of a bunch of films in a row, this film kept standing out.
Riceboy Sleeps tells a majestic story about Dong-Hyun, a young Korean boy who moves to Canada in a time where that transition isn't that easy. Dong-Hyun is asked to draw a family tree but can't because he doesn't know anything about his father. So-Young (Korean actor Choi Seung Yoon) is the single mother, juggling a new country, a new job, and taking care of her son. Dong-Hyun has issues with violence, which is likely traced back to his father. We see the young version and then teenage version of Dong-Hyun. Writer/director Anthony Shim also casts himself as a suitor for So-Young. The struggles feel real and all too sad for both mother and son. Mother and son finally take a trip to South Korea so the son can meet his paternal relatives. The only flaw of note is the pacing of the ending as we feel like the film ends at different points. The editing is loose making for a longer film than is otherwise needed. Still, the story is so engaging and the acting and scenery is so good that you will enjoy the experience.
Something You Said Last Night celebrates Renata, a trans character, and doesn't treat her as a strange occurrence. The film is about the family, except for the son, at a summer resort. The film should be celebrated for all that it does in showcasing Renata. The major problem with the film is that the story is boring. The sisters have inside jokes that are so inside the audience can't follow along. Renata is having issues in her life. Do we know what they are? No. Why is Anthony not there? We won't know. The mother is a reasonably well-developed character and is the only interesting person in the film. The father is loving but virtually invisible. Luis De Filippis shows us a multi-layer trans character as the lead, a very good idea. Unfortunately, you will count the minutes until the film is over, if you get that far.
The Swearing Jar could easily be dismissed as a conflicted love story but has some meaningful depth. Carey (Adelaide Clemens) is married to Simon (Patrick J. Adams). After trying for some time to get pregnant, Carey is finally with child. Then Carey falls in love with Owen (Douglas Smith). Bev (American actor Kathleen Turner) is Simon's mother who feels abandoned because her husband died on her. The film is interrupted at various intervals with Carey singing with Owen on guitar with songs about relationships. Kate Hewlett wrote the original play, the songs, and the screenplay directed by Lindsay MacKay. The twists are significant and needed. This film treats adults as adults dealing with adult messes. There is a giant leap of faith when the film moves forward that defies logic and throws off an otherwise above average film.
photo credits: So Much Tenderness film; North of Normal film
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