After the initial day of TIFF, the schedule turns towards the World Premieres. These are typically movies that haven’t been shown at other festivals, and TIFF gets all glitzy with its exclusive content. One of the biggest movies included in this list isn’t exactly a world premiere though! The Boy and the Heron, the latest film from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, came out in Japan in July. TIFF managed to get the first international premiere of the movie (I assume that includes the first time the film has been presented in a subtitled form). Undoubtedly, this international premiere was an incredible get anyway. It ended up being one of my most anticipated movies of the fest.
Some of the other movies included here made their world debut and have various release windows set up for when audiences can see them in theaters. This second dispatch has some of the better movies I saw over the weekend for sure.
The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron (B+) is Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film and his first in a decade. It was long thought that the 82-year-old director had retired after completing The Wind Rises, but the genius behind such films as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke had other plans in mind. Based on the Japanese novel Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka (How Do You Live?), The Boy and the Heron follows eleven-year-old Mahito who has moved to the countryside with his father Shoichi. They have decided to create a new life for themselves after the loss of Mahito’s mother in a tragic fire. Mahito struggles in the transition — his father is constantly busy at work, the new stepmother Natsuko will never take the place of his late mother (despite her being his late mother’s younger sister), and he has trouble fitting in at school.
Things begin to change when he’s visited by a magical grey heron. The heron promises to take Mahito to his late mother through a place where dreams mesh with reality. Whether or not Mahito will actually find his mother is a risk he’s willing to take. Elements of The Boy and the Heron will instantly feel familiar to those acquainted with Miyazaki’s filmography. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because even a greatest hits album from Miyazaki is far more interesting than other movies. One thing is for certain, there are some absolutely hilarious characters in this Miyazaki movie that I will certainly never forget. The Boy and the Heron is an absolute stunner of an animated movie. While not as visually arresting as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Boy and the Heron is a marvel in other ways. Even during the first ten minutes of the movie, which details the deadly fire that ravages Mahito’s town, it’s easy to see how much dedication and precision has gone into making every frame of this movie— It’s no wonder that The Boy and the Heron took roughly seven years to complete. Those who’ve waited this long for Miyazaki’s latest won’t be disappointed. Although it seems selfish to want more movies from him, if The Boy and the Heron proves anything, it’s that he still has magic to share. (In Cinemas on December 8th). A GKids Release.
American Fiction
American Fiction (B) features one of my all-time favorite Jeffrey Wright performances. In the debut feature from director Cord Jefferson (Watchmen), American Fiction follows college professor and novelist, Thelonious Ellison (Wright). Thelonious (known as Monk to his friends) is in a bit of a funk, as his novels have floundered on the shelves. After being asked to take a leave of absence at his university, Monk returns home to Boston, where his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) is frustrated by Monk’s lack of attention towards his family. His mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams) is showing signs of dementia and needs more assistance, while his brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) has his own family crisis to manage.
A freak tragedy pushes Monk to try something new. He needs to become reacquainted with his family, but he needs to find a new approach to his novels as well. While attending a book conference he comes in contact with a new hit novel, We’s Lives in Da Ghetto by Sinatra Golden (Issa Rae). It’s a novel that claims to know everything about the “black experience,” so of course white audiences are all over it. Monk doesn’t want to write a novel like that, but due to his mother’s increasing medical bills, he might not have a choice. American Fiction strikes a really good balance between being a family drama and a satire. It examines the pressures put on Black artists to create in a box; and how they can’t have new ideas outside of the prejudices that have already been preordained. Wright aptly guides the movie through some of its most challenging moments, showcasing the true range of his capabilities. Wright has never been better. (Opening in limited release on November 3rd before expanding on November 17th). A MGM Release.
Wicked Little Letters
Wicked Little Letters (B-) proves that if your movie has Olivia Colman and Jesse Buckley in it, chances are that it’s going to be swell. Based on true events in 1920s England, Wicked Little Letters follows Edith Swann (Colman) an unmarried woman who lives with her parents. Her parents (Timothy Spall and Gemma Jones) are old-fashioned and believe a woman should stay in the home and support her family, nothing more. When they learn that Edith is getting horrible letters in the mail, their first thought is that it must be their unseemly neighbor Rose (Buckley).
Edith and Rose used to have a fine relationship, but that changed after a curfuffle at Edith’s Father’s Birthday. Now they don’t talk much and Edith has reason to believe that Rose has been sending these awful poison pen letters to her home. Even if their rift didn’t exist, Rose is very outspoken, normally swearing in public freely. She’s already considered a town nuisance, even if the letters weren’t an issue. Even though Rose is accused of the crime, there is one officer, Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), who believes Rose could be innocent. Wicked Little Letters is light, but it’s hilarious hearing Colman and Buckley sware like sailors throughout this movie. And even though I’ve spent a lot of time talking about Colman and Buckley, Vasan holds her own as a capable and compelling third perspective in this story. If these women need to behave badly in order to be free, then so be it. (Release date pending). A StudioCanal Release.
Woman of the Hour
Woman of the Hour (B) is Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut of a wild true story. She plays Cheryl, an aspiring actress living in Los Angeles. She’s looking for her big break and her agent suggests she appear on the hit TV show, The Dating Game. It’s a lighthearted game show where a woman asks three different men questions. Based on their responses she picks one of them to go on a date with. It’s a good opportunity to get her in front of the cameras, but one of the men has a dangerous background. Apparently, serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) decided to appear on The Dating Game in the midst of his killing spree, hoping to get a date with his next victim.
Before Alcala appears on the show, we’re shown his perchance for violence. In sequences that emulate David Fincher’s Zodiac, Alcala is shown manipulating his victims before assaulting them. It’s deeply unsettling and sets up the tension when Cheryl is interacting with Alcala. Woman of the Hour is focused on how women are treated in our society. The Dating Game was simply a show for misogyny and sexism, something the women featured in the movie deal with all too often. Woman of the Hour proves that Kendrick has a knack for directing. (Release Date Pending). A Netflix Release.