The Film Experience

Channing & Chastain hit TIFFAnd now, a superfluous but fun-to-write "awards" wrap of the 25 films I saw at TIFF to close out the coverage. I did a little wrap post for Towleroad as well, focused on the LGBT content and the celebs, but if you're a TFE regular I know what you like: awards and lists!

I had intended to see 40 films but with only 8 days of actual screening time (travelling the other 2 days) that proved ridiculous to even try for, impossible really. Especially since I was planning to AND DID write up everything I saw before the festival actually ended. I've never written this quickly so excuse the typos (yeesh).

If you were reading along the whole time this might feel redundant but who doesn't love to box their experiences up in list format? In a festival with hundreds of films everyone has a different experience so this was mine... with nominations only. Don't even ask me to pick winners because I like things to marinate. It's good to get a little distance before bold decrees of "THE BEST!"

BEST PICTURE
links go to the reviews

Xavier Dolan and Anne Dorval on the set of "Mommy"

Force Majeure (Sweden) -Magnolia Pictures. Opens October 24th
Mommy (Canada) - Roadside Attractions will release. When though? Unfortunately they aren't exactly a swift distributor. (A headscratcher addendum: Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm, which debuted last year at TIFF is still without a US distributor. US audiences just can't jump on the Dolan train without hitting festivals. Maybe that will change with all three of his first features currently winning new fans on Netflix Instant now)
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden) - Currently without US distributor
Wild (USA) - Fox Searchlight. Opens December 5th
Wild Tales (Argentina) - Sony Pictures Classics will release. When though?

My favorites at the fest turned out to be this eclectic mix of two Swedish comedies, one hyperstylized the other realistic and intellectually provocative, one Canadian melodrama about a bad seed and his wild mommy, one Oscar bound US solo hiking trip, and an exciting Argentian anthology mixing revenge, thrills and comedy.

Favorite Scenes and Performances After the Jump

10 FAVORITE SCENES

'Nature's Supermarket' Charlie's Country
'Second Couple Ripples,' Force Majeure
'Joan's Test,' Imitation Game
'Miyazaki & The Cat,' Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
'Dance Studio,' A Pigeon Sat on a Branch
'Third Encounter with Death,' A Pigeon Sat on a Branch
'The Owl Witch's Defeat' Song of the Sea
'Alice Discovers Her Own Instructions,' Still Alice
'Bridge of the Gods,' Wild
'Vertical Cars,' Wild Tales

I don't like to spoil any great moments but once you've seen these pictures you can return to this post later and nod through my brilliant assessment. It's too early to say that I'll never forget these scenes but they're the ones that I'm constantly flashing back to and thus became my takeaways from the movie binge.

BEST MUSICAL MOMENT

1943 via "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch"

1943 in A Pigeon Sat on a Branch
Drag Show in The New Girlfriend
"The Next Ten Minutes," from The Last Five Years
Schoenart Sings in A Little Chaos
"A Summer in Ohio," from The Last Five Years

The write-up on The Last Five Years was the single most popular post this month so obviously a lot of people are curious about the film. I wish I had had better news than "strong in ways that really count (performance/music), very weak in others that also really count (direction)" but I had to tell it like it is. That said, I hope to be able to ignore the flaws and just enjoy the music next time now that I know how the film turned out because this musical score is heaven, as is (even more) the act of hearing only actually gifted singers sing in a movie musical again.

I mean, it's been since, what, arguably Dreamgirls? But even that one had that Jamie Foxx number. And before that god knows how far back.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Alejandro Pérez - Behavior
Fredrik Wenzel -Force Majeure
Óscar Faura - Imitation Game
André Turpin - Mommy
Yves Belanger - Wild

COSTUME DESIGN

Sammy Sheldon - Imitation Game
Kasia Walicka-Maimone - Foxcatcher
Consolate Boyle - Miss Julie
Xavier Dolan - Mommy
Steven Noble - Theory of Everything

ART DIRECTION

Astrid Strøm Astrump & Tim Pannen -1001 Grams
Jess Gonchor - Foxcatcher
Maria Djurkovic -Imitation Game
??? - A Pigeon Sat on a Branch
John Paul Kelly - Theory of Everything

EDITING

Pedro Suarez - Behavior
William Goldenberg - Imitation Game
Amdrea Mertens - Labyrinth of Lies
Martin Pensa - Wild
Pablo Barbiere Carrera & Damián Szifrón - Wild Tales

SOUND DESIGN

ORIGINAL SCORE / ADAPTED SCORE / MUSIC IN GENERAL

Jason Robert Brown -The Last Five Years
Ramón Cordero, Benjamin de Menil, Edilio Paredes - Sand Dollars
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Theory of Everything
??? -Wild
Gustavo Santaolalla - Wild Tales

BEST ACTRESS

Oscar loves a senior citizen/young person drama. Cuba best submit "Behavior"

Anaïs Demoustier as "Claire" in The New Girlfriend
Great at opening the secret compartments in this woman's inner life and slamming them shut again without warning. This fresh ginger beauty (was new to me as an actress and I am ready for more.
Anne Dorval as "Die" in Mommy
Never less than riveting in this star turn that's both vulgar and vulnerable, highwire and well modulated
Julianne Moore as "Alice Howland" in Still Alice
Alice may be losing herself, but Julianne refinds that minimalist wonder we first spotted in Vanya on 42nd Street and [safe]
Alina Rodriguez as "Carmela" in Behavior
A heroic teacher but her inflexibility and superiority also cues you in to why she's such a handful for the school board
Reese Witherspoon as "Cheryl Strayed" in Wild
Subtly confident and with a wide range of feeling, particularly those directed inwardly as befits the subject matter

BEST ACTOR

He does, yes. Fehling knows just how to carry a movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch as "Alan Turing" in The Imitation Game
Multifaceted playing and vanity free and great with other actors
Alexander Fehling as "Johann Radmann" in Labyrinth of Lies
Expert modulation from another day at work to sleepless and haunted
Armando Valdez Friere as "Chala" in Behavior
A naturalistic wonder with a broad range of vulnerabilities and fronts
Eddie Redmayne as "Stephen Hawking" in Theory of Everything
Expert mimicry with touches of humor, despair, and observational survival compromises
Channing Tatum as "Mark Schultz" in Foxcatcher
An astonishing submersion into this inarticulate bruised man-child

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Suzanne Clement as "Kyla" in Mommy
Arguably a lead but I'm not fussy about this case. Love this movie
Keira Knightley as "Joan Clarke" in Imitation Game
Exactly what her movie needs... on such a roll right now
Erica Rivas as "Romina" in Wild Tales
Here comes the Bride(zilla)... but you can't say she wasn't provoked
Alina Rosen as "Yana" in The Farewell Party
Terse and angry but also unexpectedly warm and generous
Kristen Stewart as "Lydia" in Still Alice
Holding her own surprisingly well with real cluttered affection for her screen parents

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matthew Goode as "Hugh Alexander" in Imitation Game
The kind of performer and role that's strong in ways people don't even notice. And I swear he's not here just because he's the most beautiful British man on earth
Kristofer Hivju as "Mats" in Force Majeure
Beautifully sympathetic in his diplomacy and super funny, too. Plus so memorable looking, this giant ginger Viking
Kompheak Phoeung as "Douch" in The Gate
An untrained actor but he makes good as the curious antagonist who decides to be merciful... at least to one in a thousand
Ze'ez Revach as "Yehezkel" in The Farewell Party
Arguably the lead as the tinkererer who can't bear to see people suffer. But it is an ensemble movie through and through.
Mark Ruffalo as "David Schultz" in Foxcatcher
Brilliantly paternal, patient and tactile as this brother who has always been a father

LIMITED ROLE / CAMEO

Rita Cortese as "Cook" in Wild Tales
I can't imagine Almodóvar isn't now interested in casting half of these actors
Jennifer Ehle as "Madame de Montespan" in A Little Chaos
Just superb in her one important scene. 'Such kindness!'
Practically Anyone in Wild
the film gains a lot from its mosaic of brief impressions of people along Cheryl's path
Vanessa Redgrave as "Jean Du Pont" in Foxcatcher
Infinitely superior than thou!
not sure of her name in Force Majeure
a polyamorous friend

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

SEXPOT

Ole Giaever as "Martin" in Out of Nature
Hera Hilmar as "Eik" in Life in a Fishbowl
Michiel Huisman as "Johnathan" in Wild
Yanet Mojica as "Noeli" in Sand Dollars
Matthias Schoenaerts as "Andre Le Norte" in A Little Chaos

...and can I just say how thoroughly unnerved I continue to be that every other foreign actor of note that pops up in any festival movie from Norther Europe or Scandinavia has appeared on Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is to European actors what Law & Order once was to NYC SAG-holders.