Review: TIFF 2017 — Top 10 films we saw this year (Includes first-hand account)

Every year following Labour Day weekend in September, downtown Toronto is flooded with moviegoers seeking a transcendent viewing experience and stargazers hoping for a glimpse of any number of the celebrities passing through the city. The Toronto International Film Festival celebrated its 42nd anniversary this year and marked the occasion with some significant changes, including the elimination of the City to City and fan-favourite Vanguard programs as well as two venues, an overall 20 per cent reduction in the number of films selected, and the announcement of CEO Piers Handling’s retirement. Nonetheless, there was still plenty to see and most of the adjustments weren’t even a blip on the radar.

Over eight days, I watched 36 films, which is just a fraction of the hundreds of events programmed. They ranged in genre from Western to horror to non-fiction; the cast and filmmakers ranged in experience from novice to veteran; and the screening times ranged from early mornings to midnight. Once a year, we spend multiple, consecutive days in the dark, away from our nearest and dearest for the love of film… and this year the vitamin D sacrifice was amply awarded.

After some reflection, below is a list of some of my favourites from this year.

Special mentions also go to the following films:
• Vince Vaughn joins the aging-actor-turned-action-star club with Brawl in Cell Block 99, in which he destroys a car by hand Street Fighter-style before turning his attention to his opponent’s bodies for a fun, violent and fast-paced bone-breaker.
• The Lodgers is an enchanting gothic ghost story that occurs just after WWI in rural Ireland. In it, twins are doomed to reside in a haunted house for the entirety of their lives, never staying out after midnight or having guests, or risk the wrath of the manor’s other inhabitants.
• In the wake of Wonder Woman’s burgeoning success, Professor Marston & the Wonder Women adeptly tells the eccentric but romantic story of how a man (Luke Evans) was inspired to create a strong female superhero by the two, simultaneous loves of his life (Rebecca Hall and Bella Heathcote)
• Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin makes his directorial debut with Molly’s Game, a sharp drama recounting the rise and fall of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), the proprietor of L.A.’s and New York’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game before she was shut down by the FBI and required the defence of a reluctant, condescending lawyer (Idris Elba).
• Hostiles is an enticing 19th century Western drama that addresses issues of racism and revenge as an Army captain (Christian Bale), Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) and frontier widow (Rosamund Pike) are forced together in more than one way as they face indiscriminately murderous Comanche, a deranged soldier and territorial cowboys.

Don’t miss the rest of our TIFF 2017 coverage.

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