Normally one of the most jam-packed, star-studded film festivals in the world, the Toronto International Film Festival is back in not-quite-full swing this year, owing to international travel restrictions and overall uncertainty around the delta variant. But! For audiences in the Canadian city, there is still plenty to see this year, from a strong handful of Oscar-buzzy contenders to powerful documentaries to indies in search of a distributor, ones that just might become the next Rabbit Hole or I, Tonya.
Ahead, David Canfield, Rebecca Ford, and Katey Rich have handicapped the titles worth watching out for, many of which are available for viewers around the world on the TIFF digital platform.
The Must-See Debuts
The hot Jessica Chastain project of the fall that doesn’t involve Oscar Isaac kissing her arm, it’s a biopic of larger-than-life televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, with Andrew Garfield on hand as her scheming husband, Jim. TIFF is the festival where Margot Robbie’s I, Tonya began its road to Oscar, and there’s reason to hope Tammy Faye could follow the same path.
Is it a documentary shot behind the scenes at his radical Oscar ceremony? Is it yet another boat trip with Meryl Streep and Dianne Wiest? Nobody is telling, and with TIFF calling it a “top secret collaboration,” the intrigue factor is certainly there. Sure, it could be another The Laundromat, which showed at TIFF in 2019. But when it’s Soderbergh, hope—and buzz—springs eternal.
After dabbling in English-language features (2018’s Galveston), actor-director Mélanie Laurent’s latest returns to her native language with this film set in 19th-century France, following a young woman who is admitted to a psychiatric clinic. Laurent also stars as a nurse at the institution, who helps hatch a plan for the young woman’s escape.
Stephen Karam adapted his own haunting, moving, award-winning play for his directorial debut. His all-star cast is the main point of intrigue here, from Amy Schumer in a rare dramatic turn to Steven Yeun and Richard Jenkins back in juicy parts after recent Oscar nominations. Watch out for Jayne Houdyshell too, reprising the role that won her a Tony and due for a big-screen breakout.
TIFF’s opening night film is also one of the few at this year’s festival coming from a major studio, and Universal is hoping the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical can capture the same fervent fandom. Even without the Golden Globes’ comedy or musical category on hand this year, it could be one to watch.
A look back at Alanis Morissette’s decade-defining breakthrough album 25 years later, Jagged promises it is more than a nostalgia trip—but even just that would probably be enough to make it a hit too.
The Hot (Already Premiered) Projects
Edgar Wright’s thriller stars Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) as a young woman who travels back to the 1960s and into the body of a famous singer (played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who catapulted to stardom with The Queen’s Gambit). It earned strong reviews out of Venice, especially for Wright’s stylish filmmaking and ability to jump from comedy to horror with ease.
Even though it’s a smaller film in scale, Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white drama about his childhood in Belfast charmed Telluride. With a standout performance by Caitríona Balfe, the drama is a deeply personal story with an homage to movies that will likely win over any fans of film.
Look, it had to premiere at Venice for that red-carpet moment, but Denis Villeneuve is taking his artful blockbuster home for its North American premiere. The Canadian filmmaker’s epic, gorgeous, somewhat divisive adaptation of the beloved sci-fi novel features Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in lead roles, with Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, and more in support. But the overpowering craft, from Hans Zimmer’s score to Greig Fraser’s cinematography, may be the real star of this one.
The much-hyped Pablo Larraín film about three days in the life of Princess Diana is in no way a traditional biopic, but rather a mashup of a drama and a psychological thriller, with a dash of body horror and fantasy elements. Anchored by a deeply committed performance by Kristen Stewart, the project had filmgoers talking at Telluride, whether with passionate praise or deep dislike.
Amazon Studios is steadily building buzz for Asghar Farhadi’s riveting new morality play, an examination of the dynamic between a man and his society when one disingenuously framed good deed takes an entire city by storm. The writer-director of Oscar-winning smashes A Separation and The Salesman may be in the hunt for his first-ever directing nomination, as well as a return to the screenplay race.
Marking the midpoint of its fall-festival run, The Power of the Dog arrives to its TIFF screening with the wind in its sails: Jane Campion’s neo-Western scored stellar reviews out of its Venice debut and ample awards buzz following its U.S. launch in Telluride. If it can keep the momentum going here, Campion and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Kirsten Dunst will be well positioned for major Oscar runs.
Renate Reinsve won Cannes’s prestigious best-actress prize for her breakout performance in this wise Norwegian drama from director Joachim Trier, about a woman’s experiences in life, love, and work as she ages out of her 20s. Neon acquired the acclaimed title out of France and will release it following this North American premiere.
Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin chronicle the rescue of the 12 Thai soccer players trapped in a cave for 18 days with the same thrilling and taut storytelling they used in Free Solo, the doc that won them the Oscar in 2019.
The Potential Surprises
The typically prolific Barry Levinson took a larger break than usual between features (and his last release, Rock the Kasbah, was widely considered a miss), but returns with an intense film sure to resonate with many: the real-life story of Harry Haft (Ben Foster), an Auschwitz survivor who boxed his fellow inmates to survive. The eclectic supporting cast features Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Danny DeVito, and more.
Both Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal have big Netflix projects out this fall and winter, and while Maggie’s The Lost Daughter is skipping TIFF, Jake will be on hand with this Antoine Fuqua–directed thriller, a remake of a Danish film of the same name. At audience-friendly TIFF, never underestimate the power of a high-stakes thriller to balance out the artier fare.
Zhang Yimou, the masterful director behind Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers, centers his latest on his love of movies. It follows a group of people in a rural Chinese village attempting to restore a destroyed film reel. Neon scooped up the title—which will serve as TIFF’s closing night film—in July.
Husband-and-wife filmmaking team Maya Forbes (Infinitely Polar Bear) and Wally Wolodarsky (Seeing Other People) take on Ann Leary’s 2013 best seller about a secretive realtor’s rekindled romance with an old flame. The directors’ track record is pretty good, but the main reason to show up is their leads: Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline.
As if Jessica Chastain didn’t have enough going on right now, getting her arm kissed by Oscar Isaac and also starring in TIFF debut The Eyes of Tammy Faye, she also stars opposite Ralph Fiennes in this tense drama that’s set at a lavish weekend party and explores the darkest secrets of privilege.
Written by the man behind 2010’s TIFF breakout Buried, this film sees Naomi Watts carrying a thriller as a one-woman show, as she’s stuck in the woods and using her phone to try to save her son’s life. With director Phillip Noyce behind it, it’s a genre exercise that might have the power to surprise.
Another exploration of class and privilege, this black comedy starring Keira Knightley and Lily-Rose Depp is set at a holiday dinner where the attendees discover that everyone is going to die from a poisonous cloud descending upon the U.K. Camille Griffin’s feature directorial debut boasts an all-star ensemble cast including Matthew Goode and Jojo Rabbit breakout Roman Griffin Davis.
Director Ted Melfi gave Melissa McCarthy a chance to exercise her dramatic chops in 2014’s St. Vincent, and now they’re reuniting for this story about a grieving woman trying to rebuild her life with the help of both a psychologist turned veterinarian (look, it’s Kevin Kline again!) and the titular bird hanging around her garden. Hey, the healing process happens in all kinds of ways, right?
Attention, Miriam Toews fans! A book by the great novelist (whose last release, Women Talking, is in development with Sarah Polley directing and Frances McDormand starring) has at last been adapted for the screen. Directed by Canadian native Michael McGowan (Saint Ralph), Puny Sorrows unpacks the fraught relationship between two Mennonite sisters, played by Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon, who embark on very different kinds of lives.
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