Hello everyone. This week’s newsletter is almost completely dedicated to my experience at TIFF 2021. I will share some of my favorite films that I have watched at the festival so far and why TIFF is so important for filmmakers and the film industry. I also share some thoughts on the second season of the prestigious Apple TV+ show, THE MORNING SHOW. There’s also a playlist of five songs I enjoyed last week.
TIFF 2021
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off, September 9th, and runs through September 18th. TIFF is one of the biggest and most important film festivals of the year. Its early September date generally marks the start of the film industry's awards season. The Festival has also been a reliable predictor of Oscar’s success. Some of the biggest award winners’ films of the past have premiered at TIFF. Films such as AMERICAN BEAUTY, 127 HOURS, BLACK SWAN, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and last year’s big Oscar winner, NOMADLAND all had their first screenings at the Festival.
This year due to the pandemic, TIFF is providing both an in-person experience for fully vaccinated journalists, industry professionals, and audience members, as well as a digital platform for critics and cinema fans to enjoy the festival from the comfort of their own homes. Since I live in Europe and, even though I’m fully vaccinated, I didn’t feel comfortable traveling and opted to cover the festival from home.
I spent the whole week watching some amazing new films from all over the world. And I’m making today’s and next week’s “Quick thoughts” section of the newsletter completely about my favorite films at TIFF 2021. Enjoy!
Quick Thoughts (TIFF edition)
VIOLET - The feature debut of writer/director Justine Bateman immerses viewers in the main character of the film anxieties in a strange and visceral manner. At this point in my life, I’m pretty sure that most of us have that annoying inner voice. The one that whispers inside our heads and tells us we're not good enough. VIOLET explores the gap between a person's internal thoughts and its exterior persona. Olivia Munn portrays the central character, a Hollywood executive who is tormented by the "committee," the voice in her head (played by Justin Theroux) that dictates all of her decisions. The film combines audio and visual components to express Violet’s inner struggle as she battles with thoughts of not being good enough. And honestly, I've never seen a more realistic representation of anxiety on film. Olivia Munn’s performance is by far the best of her career and the creative brilliance of Justine Bateman as well as the clever utilization of engaging storytelling methods culminated in a memorable experience for everybody.
ALONERS - Hong Seong-Eun’s impressive debut, ALONERS, has a simple script that is very well-executed. Jina is a person who would rather be on her own than interacting with others. She lives alone in an apartment building and makes a living by working at a credit card call center. She immerses herself in her phone in the hopes of becoming completely invisible to anyone who tries to engage with her. But gradually she begins to experience the anguish of loneliness. The film is incredibly realistic, and it occasionally feels more like a documentary and it was cool to see Korean urban life in a realistic manner. I really loved ALONERS. Hong Sung-Eun is really talented, and I'm excited to see what she creates next.
SUNDOWN - I have to start by saying that this film is not for everyone. SUNDOWN is complex and unusual. The film unfolds like a puzzle and always goes in unexpected directions. Tim Roth, who reunites with Mexican filmmaker Michel Francom, plays Neil, a wealthy British man who decides to leave his life behind while on vacation in Acapulco. Neil seems so unconcerned with what's going on around him, it is unsettling. Tim Roth did a great job, his performance is very restrained and has almost no dialog. Franco is purposefully vague with facts, assuming that viewers would form biased opinions and, as a result, create wrong assumptions of what is really going on in the film. This approach worked really well for me but I’m sure a lot of people will be upset by that.
JAGGED - This is a film celebrating the 25th anniversary of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill”. The film, which covers Morissette's path to stardom at a young age, includes family photographs, early interviews, and lots of nuggets detailing Morissette's early childhood career. Access was clearly not an issue, as the film was expertly put together from a multitude of archived videos. Morissette also gives some interesting interviews. One of them even contains delicate material, such as her addressing sexual assault she suffered when she was only 15 years old. But the film also encountered some controversy right before its release. Morissette, who refuse to promote the film at TIFF, said the filmmakers had misled her and she felt betrayed. But after watching the film, I was puzzled because the film felt like a pure tribute to her in all her brilliance. I wonder if something she said has been taken out of context and upset her. Anyway, I adore JLP, such a great album. But Alanis Morissette was someone that I didn't know much about, so it was nice to understand a little about her. However, if you are an Alanis fan, you shouldn’t hold your breath for anything new.
SCARBOROUGH - This film is so upsetting and gave me all the feels. It follows three children over the course of a school year and provides insight into the difficulties of culturally diverse communities and underprivileged residents of the infamous Toronto suburb. It perfectly captures these families’ determination as they frantically strive to keep their heads above water in the face of a structure that is meant to make them fail. Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson, the filmmakers, have a background in documentary filmmaking, and the majority of the actors have never acted before. This combination could have been disastrous, but it is what makes Scarborough seem authentic. My only problem with the film was that it’s a little long, and it could've been cut down even more to emphasize the story. Overall, this is a heartbreaking film, but it is also a defiant one.
THE MORNING SHOW Season 2
Apple TV+’s THE MORNING SHOW was one of the biggest surprises of 2019. It did not please everyone at first but it ended the first season with a bang. Season two, which premieres today, picks up precisely where the first season left off, before skipping ahead several months. The show unfolds in the first months of 2020 leading up to the declaration of a pandemic.
I had a chance to watch all ten episodes of the second season but I promise not to spoil anything for you guys. The first two episodes are pretty much the show dealing with the aftermath of the season one finale. But after things are clean up and all the pieces are in the right place, THE MORNING SHOW becomes a very fun rollercoaster ride. There are so many twists and turns. It is just like a soap opera but with beautiful cinematography, great production values, and an amazing cast. Talking about the cast, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, and the newcomer Greta Lee, who plays the News Exec Stella Bak, are all giving us outstanding performances. But it is Billy Crudup, who plays the forward-thinking CEO of the Network Corey Ellison, that steals the show. He is great in every scene he is in and the whole subplot of him trying to lunch a new streaming service is hilarious.
The second season of THE MORNING SHOW is a wild ride. But It's the series' absurd, over-the-top, reality-bending storylines that make it so enjoyable to watch. However, those ten episodes are more than just a fun watch. They also give us very important discussions about #MeToo, race, cancel culture and sexuality. The first episode of the season debuts today, September 17th, with new episodes hitting every Friday after.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube