TIFF 50: "Sentimental Value" falls victim to high expectations

by Cláudio Alves

To be loved so intensely, showered in adoration by a captive captivated crowd and the world beyond, can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Those who follow film festivals and the awards that come after are very familiar with such pitfalls. After all, who among us hasn't gone to the theater, hyped on months of exhaustive praise for a title that, when all is said and done, isn't as special as you thought it would be? Last year at TIFF, I wrote about my disappointment with Anora and loathing of Emilia Pérez, which was made worse by the reputation both films had accrued at Cannes and the palpable affection you could feel emanating from the Toronto crowd. 

This year, I come to you with a similar experience, another Cannes darling that failed to meet the high expectations placed upon it. Sorry, folks, but Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value left me cold…

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TIFF 50: "Aniki-Bóbó" shines in a new restoration

by Cláudio Alves

Few names in history are more synonymous with Portuguese cinema than that of Manoel de Oliveira. Perhaps we should go further still, as no cineaste in the medium's existence has followed its development for quite so long. His first project was 1931's Douro Fauna Fluvial, a non-fiction silent short whose radical form heralded the arrival of Modernism to Portuguese screens. His last major work before death was 2014's Gebo and the Shadow, a French-speaking chamber piece where theatrical tradition intersected with the digital vanguard. From pure kinetics to a studied staticity, from a cinema looking forward to one that found the future by glancing back at the past, 83 years of film. Even if he hadn't been a master of his craft, the man's sheer longevity and perseverance would have earned de Oliveira a place in the pantheon. Thankfully, historical importance is matched by the pictures' quality across the decades, metamorphoses and movie magics.

On its 50th edition, the Toronto International Film Festival honors this master of cinema's memory with a screening of his first feature, 1942's Aniki-Bóbó. The TIFF Classics selection marks the North American premiere of a new 4k restoration, bringing a film that was generally dismissed at the time of its original release to new, vibrant life. It's never looked or sounded better, a miracle on the silver screen…

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TIFF 50: Natalia Reyes loses her identity in "It Would Be Night in Caracas"

by Cláudio Alves

In the past decade, Natalia Reyes has consolidated her reputation as one of Latin American cinema's most promising rising stars. Though Birds of Passage put her on the map for many a cinephile, her sojourn into Hollywood filmmaking probably earned her more recognition. Six years ago, the Colombian actress was one of the highlights of Terminator: Dark Fate, and just this year, she appeared alongside Kerry Washington in Shadow Force. Indeed, 2025 is something of a banner year for Reyes, who stars in two new projects making their way through the fall festival season. Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás' It Would Be Night in Caracas and Tomás Corredor's Noviembre find their star amid moments of societal unrest – the 2017 Venezuelan protests and the 1985 Palace of Justice siege in Bogotá.

First up, the Caracas-set drama, which had its world premiere today at Venice before making its North American debut at TIFF…

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Review: "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" wins Locarno

by Cláudio Alves

Berlin, Cannes, and Venice are considered the major European film festivals, holding on to a level of world renown rarely afforded to such institutions. While not meaning to question their importance, it's worth noting that they are far from the only celebrations of cinema happening around the Old Continent, nor are they the ones most welcoming to the challenging and the avant-garde. Rotterdam has them beat on that account, not to mention more non-fiction-focused events and, of course, the Locarno Film Festival. With their propensity for honoring cineastes like Pedro Costa, Albert Serra, and Wang Bing, the Swiss fest will always struggle to capture the attention of more conventional-minded cinephiles, but they deserve some love. Indeed, it's about time we counted the Golden Leopard on par with the Bear, the Palme, the Lion. 

This year's victor was announced last weekend, as the festivities drew to a close at Piazza Grande, making Shô Miyake the fifth Japanese filmmaker to take Locarno's highest prize. And after all that talk about audacious artistry, it's worth noting that Two Seasons, Two Strangers is hardly radical. Nevertheless, it makes for a formally rigorous, moving, occasionally humorous look at the toll of loneliness through a graceful feat of mise en abyme…

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Best International Film: UK & Ireland

by Cláudio Alves

This past Sunday, there was a lot to entertain awards obsessives. Among the various votes and ceremonies, one can find the British Independent Film Awards, where two of this year's Best International Film Oscar submissions took home some honors. Well, a lot of them in Kneecap's case. The Irish music biopic is the most nominated film in BIFA history, and its final tally of wins is just as impressive – seven victories total. Then, there is Santosh, the UK's Hindi-language submission, which took home two awards, for Breakthrough Producer and Best Screenplay. Will the Academy be similarly in love with these two projects, both works of openly political cinema? Let's consider…

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