The exhilarating thrill of the start of a TIFF 2023 may be waning as the international press and many visitors head home, but there are still plenty of screenings to take in. The team at That Shelf has seen dozens of films so far and we have recommendations to round out your festival.
As we head into the back half of TIFF and exhaustion sets in, here are our picks for the best bets, hidden gems, and must-see movies that have screenings on the schedule between September 13 and 17.
The Tundra Within Me
Lena (Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup) is an artist who returns to her Sámi community in northern Norway for her latest art project about women reindeer herders. Confronted with her past decisions that threaten to derail a blossoming romance, The Tundra Within Me star Gaup is a true revelation in her first feature film role. Writer-director Sara Margrethe Oskal’s debut feature is one of the festival’s true hidden gems. (Rachel West).
The Tundra Within Me screens on Sept. 13 at 2:45pm.
National Anthem
Photographer Luke Gilford makes a stirring featuring directorial debut with this drama that draws inspiration from his portraits of gay rodeos. Charlie Plummer stars as Dylan, a ranch-hand for hire who lands a gig at a queer ranch that opens his eyes. And, well, let’s say he “doesn’t go there to fish.” Easy-going, joyous, and full of attractive people drenched in warm summer sunlight, National Anthem is a perfect sunset screening for the festival. Gilford proves himself a natural behind the camera with this visual marvel, while Plummer gives a rich, assured performance alongside many of the cowboys who inspired the original photos. (Pat Mullen).
National Anthem screens on Sept. 14 at 7:35pm and Sept. 15 at 3:45pm.
The Peasants
Directing couple Hugh and DK Welchman awed the world of animation and beyond when they released Loving Vincent, their hand-painted ode to the great Vincent Van Gogh. Now, they have skyrocketed their singular style with follow-up The Peasants, based on Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel of the same name. Set in the late-19th century, the film follows a tumultuous year for Jagna (Kamila Urzedowska), a young Polish woman pressured to marry an older, widowed farmer (Miroslaw Baka) while she is in love with his son (Robert Gulaczyk). Very few films you’ll see at TIFF this year can be considered “historic,” but this is one of them; the film’s impressionist landscapes and brush strokes breathe these characters to life in ways that inspire the most poetic beauty but also the most harrowing despair. An epic work of epic proportions that is unlikely to ever be made again. (Larry Fried)
The Peasants screens Sept. 16 at 5:45pm.
Four Daughters
The critics had to play Sophie’s Choice this year with pretty much all the Oscar submissions for Best International Feature playing on the first Thursday of TIFF. As of press time, four of them screened during the same slot. Fortunately, for the public–and the skin of whomever at TIFF scheduling should be tarred and feathered as punishment for the P&I schedule–audiences can catch Tunisia’s entry Four Daughters in the back half. A co-recipient of the l’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary at Cannes, the film is a brilliant hybrid film in which six women—three family members, three actors—confront the past. Also recommended for critics looking to use their same-day tickets or vouchers smartly. (Pat Mullen).
Four Daughters screens on Sept. 13 at 2:00pm and Sept. 14 at 9:45pm.
God Is a Woman
What a great study in the ethics of representation. This documentary observes the Indigenous Kuna community of Panama as members search for a print of the Academy Award-winning 1961 film The Sky Above, The Mud Below, which captured their community’s stories, customs, and culture. The classic doc was lauded as a landmark ethnographic work at its time, but has since become a bit too Nanook of the North-y for comfort. But as the community rallies to screen the film on home turf and enjoy a rare glimpse of their ancestors, God Is a Woman reminds us that films that are products of their time may still have value today. (Pat Mullen)
God Is a Woman screens Sept. 14 at 9:05pm and Sept. 15 at 5:10pm.
His Three Daughters
Following a misfire with French Exit, director Azazel Jacobs returns in a big way with arguably the best-cast film of the entire festival. His latest stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne as three sisters all living together amidst the final days of their father’s life. Jacobs keeps the action contained largely to a single apartment, yet the cinematography never lacks of cinematic quality; it captures the minutiae in every interaction and reaction so granularly that even the slightest affect has dramatic grandeur. The film’s triptych of stars are each superb; Coon has never been sharper and Olsen has never been more dramatically dexterous, but this Lyonne’s time to shine. Never before has a film better showcased her innate sensitivity and strength. The ending will knock the wind out of your sails. (Larry Fried)
His Three Daughters screens Sept. 17 at 5:30pm.
Sleep
Staying awake is sometimes the scariest part of Midnight Madness but Jason Yu’s horror Sleep will have you second-guessing some shut-eye. Expectant mother Soo-jin’s (Jung Yu-mi) marriage is tested when her husband Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) develops some bizarre nocturnal behaviours that are more chilling than the average nightmare. The once-happy couple’s life deteriorates as Soo-jin is gripped by the paranoia that something evil is lurking behind her husband’s increasingly volatile sleepwalking. (Rachel West)
Sleep screens on Sept. 15 at 11:59pm and Sept. 16 at 9:30pm.
One Life
You would not be remiss if you didn’t know the name Sir Nicholas Winton. Winton was an unassuming British stockbroker who helped spearhead the rescue of hundreds of children from Czechoslovakia in 1938 under the threat of WWII and Hitler’s invasion. His courageous act was forgotten for 50 years until his actions came to light on a BBC television series in the 1980s. Director James Hawes directs Sir Anthony Hopkins as the elder Winton with Johnny Flynn taking on the role in flashbacks documenting his tireless efforts along with a small team, including his mother Babi (Helena Bonham Carter). A solid script and ensemble, this is a rousing prestige drama that will make audiences teary-eyed as the unassuming Winton (and his collaborators) have their story told to a new generation. (Rachel West).
One Life screens on Sept. 13 at 5:30pm and Sept. 16 at 3:30pm.
Catch up with all of our reviews from TIFF 2023 here.
