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As I spend time in lines at TIFF, I have the opportunity to speak with people from all over the world in attendance. I’ve spoken with other critics, some who write, some who work in video spaces. I’ve talked to producers and filmmakers who are hoping to have a chance to speak to those producers to get their film financed. I’ve talked to film students who are trying to learn from established filmmakers. Because the festival is so diverse in its offerings, people are there to focus on different kinds of movies. There is no right way to approach film festivals, and it’s fun to see how different people plan their schedules.
For the third day, I focused on one of the things that I love about this festival: catching some big upcoming releases. I rarely have the opportunity to see major studio releases in advance of their arrival in theaters, and TIFF affords that opportunity in spades. So today I went to see three films with theatrical releases in the next few months.
The first film I saw was "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" from Bassam Tariq, starring Mahershala Ali. The pair were supposed to work together on a new "Blade" movie. Although that film never came to pass, the two formed a close relationship, leading to this movie. In it, Ali plays Latif, a Muslim hitman who is trying to feed his baby daughter after the death of his wife. I loved the opening sequence of the film because in those first three minutes, we learn so much about Latif with almost no dialogue. Come to "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" for Mahershala Ali, stay for a surprisingly tender story about family and faith, and how one influences the other. Funny without stepping on the drama, action without fatigue, sweet without being too sentimental. The movie is being released by Amazon MGM and has a wide release scheduled for October 9. (4.5/5 stars)
I then attended a screening of "Being Heumann." The film was directed by Siân Heder, who also directed the 2021 Best Picture winner, "CODA." This movie is a biopic about disability rights activist Judy Heumann (played brilliantly by Ruth Madeley), who staged a 1977 sit-in to pressure Secretary Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The film follows the events that occurred over those 28 days. What makes "Being Heumann" so powerful is not only that it includes one of the largest casts of disabled actors, but it refuses to make them victims. The movie shows that disabled people are still people, first and foremost. The film shows joy and sex and anger and sadness. "Being Heumann" is being distributed by Apple TV and will be available on that streaming service on November 13. (5/5 stars)
My final screening on the third day of the festival was for the new Andrew Scott movie, "Elsinore." I am a sucker for Scott's work, and in this Simon Stone film, he plays Ian Charleson, the actor who played Eric Liddell in "Chariots of Fire." "Elsinore" follows Charleson as he prepares to play Hamlet at the National Theatre in London while actively battling AIDS. Given that "Hamlet" is a play about death, the themes are deeply unsubtle, but incredibly moving nevertheless. Scott is impeccable as ever, turning in a gorgeous, heartfelt performance. Olivia Colman plays Dr. Margaret Johnson, the doctor treating Charleson, and I wish we had more time with the two of them, just to see the shift that she undergoes in her treatment of AIDS patients. Even so, this is a beautiful film. "Elsinore" is having a limited release from Focus Features on November 20 and will expand to more theaters over Thanksgiving and into December. (4/5)
Alise Chaffins is a freelance and Tomatometer-approved film critic.