The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is back in full swing for the first time in two years. Film critics and fans are heading to Canada’s largest city to see dozens of new projects from the hottest talent in Hollywood and elsewhere.
When one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world gets ready to show hundreds of films, both big-budget studio projects and small-budget indies, there’s always a buzz of excitement among attendees and guests. The Screen Zealots team will be there in person to cover the festival this year. Here are the top 10 movies we’re most looking forward to at TIFF:
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and starred in In Bruges with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, brings them back together for The Banshees of Inisherin.
The director who won an Oscar is back with this story about the end of a lifelong friendship and what each man does to fix the damage. This one took place on a remote island in Ireland and was shot by cinematographer Ben Davis. It looks like it will be both beautiful and painful to watch.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
This tongue-in-cheek fake biopic began in 2010 with a very popular Funny or Die skit by writer/director Eric Appel that made headlines and became an instant classic among Weird Al fans. This full-fledged version of the true story of the accordion fan and parody singer’s life looks like it will be just as funny.
With Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role, the choice of actors alone is geek heaven. In a truly brilliant movie, Evan Rachel Wood plays Madonna, and Rainn Wilson plays the famous Dr. Demento. Expect this to make fun of all the ways celebrity biopics usually go.
Women Talking
The book by Miriam Toews is turned into a movie by director Sarah Polley, who also wrote the screenplay. This drama is about women who live in a religious colony and have to deal with a culture of abuse. It stars Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Wishaw, and Frances McDormand. This is Polley’s first full-length movie in over ten years.
Good Night Oppy
After a successful premiere at Telluride earlier this month, the room geek documentary Good Night Oppy focuses on NASA’s Opportunity Rover and its 15-year mission to explore Mars.
The film, directed by Ryan White, is a tribute to the scientists and engineers who worked hard to make their dream come true. It shows how happy they were when Oppy lived much longer than the 90 days they thought he would. This movie should be fun for people who are interested in science.
A Man of Reason
South Korea is known for making some of the most action-packed thrillers in recent years (Train to Busan, The Outlaws), which makes A Man of Reason one of our top choices this year.
In his first movie as a director, Jung Woo-sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) tells the story of a kidnapping that goes wrong in Seoul’s criminal underworld. The movie promises action scenes with explosions, car chases, and violent chaos. This thriller looks fun because Woo-sung is both in front of and behind the camera.
Butcher’s Crossing
Nicolas Cage is a hard-working actor who always seems to make interesting choices, so we’re especially excited to see him in the literary Western Butcher’s Crossing.
Based on the book by John Williams, which was turned into a movie by Gabe Polsky, this 1870s-set movie stars Nicolas Cage as a buffalo hunter who tries to get an inexperienced young man (Fred Hechinger) to go with him on a dangerous and possibly deadly trip. The story takes place in the Colorado Rockies so cinematographer David Gallego will show you beautiful views of the wild.
The Son
Florian Zeller’s new movie is the sequel to his family drama The Father, which won an Oscar in 2020. It is the second portion of a trilogy of his plays. The movie is based on a book by Christopher Hampton. Hugh Jackman and Vanessa Kirby play a couple who are very happy after the birth of their first child.
Their happiness is cut short when the man’s severely depressed son from a previous marriage, played by Zen McGrath, shows up and throws everything into chaos. This movie looks like a dramatic and emotional look at painful family relationships.
Causeway
Jennifer Lawrence hasn’t been in the spotlight for a while, and the psychological drama Causeway marks her return to the world of acting. In her first film as a director, Lila Neugebauer looks at how soldiers feel when they come home from war.
Jennifer Lawrence plays a wounded Army veteran who is having trouble adjusting to life in New Orleans. Brian Tyree Henry is also in the movie. He plays a mechanic who becomes friends with a woman who is hurt both physically and emotionally.
The Whale
Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale made a big splash at the Venice International Film Festival, where it got a 6-minute standing ovation. Now, it’s one of the most talked-about films at TIFF.
This controversy about a 600-pound English professor who decides to live alone and eat himself to death because he’s ashamed of what he’s become doesn’t sound like a feel-good movie. But this is a story about learning to love and accept yourself, and Brendan Fraser’s performance is said to be more than Oscar-worthy.
The Fabelmans
Few directors are as popular as the legendary Steven Spielberg, which helps make his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans one of the most-wanted tickets at the festival. Spielberg and Tony Kushner wrote the script together.
Spielberg was inspired by his love of movies and filmmaking growing up in Arizona. Gabriel LaBelle plays Sammy Fabelman, and Michelle Williams plays Sammy’s mother. Paul Dano and Seth Rogen are also in the cast. All movie fans probably have this film on their shortlist for TIFF.