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Sitting in a movie theater all day, every day, really starts to wear on you, so on my fifth day of the Toronto International Film Festival, I took a bit of a break from going to movie theaters where you are confined to a seat for the run of the movie, only seeing one film with a crowd, and used the rest of my time to watch a few screeners that I had received in advance of the festival.
One of the best screeners that I received was "Smudge the Blades" by writer and director Cody Lightning. The movie follows a team of indigenous kids who want to play hockey. When their rude but qualified Coach Bud (Ed Helms) quits, Zamboni driver Willie (Cody Lightning) takes over. Unfortunately, he seems more interested in using that to get with Chanelle (Jana Schmieding), one of the hockey moms, rather than actually coaching the team. As the season goes on, we get to know the kids, their desires and their frustrations in what is a lovely coming-of-age movie centered on hockey. The performances are solid throughout, especially since Lightning wanted to focus on kids who played hockey rather than finding actors who could learn to play. "Smudge the Blades" does not have distribution in the United States yet, but has an agreement with Crave in Canada. (3.5/5 stars)
Another Canadian film that I was invited to screen was "Toy Gun Bandit" from writer-director Rémi St-Michel. St-Michel heard a story about a friend who committed a robbery with a toy gun, and used that to base this film on. Felix Munger plays Felix, a young man who is a bit of an outcast and can't find his way into any kind of friend group. But when he successfully robs a convenience store, he discovers a new crowd that seems to have everything that he desires: money and a sense of belonging. But as time goes by, he realizes that the true friends were the people he left behind. The film grows more serious as it continues, as Felix places his friends in greater danger for the gang he has joined. Because of this darker tone, "Toy Gun Bandit" starts to feel its length. Still, the themes of what someone will do to fit in feel resonant and decently explored in the story. The film was purchased by h264 out of Montreal and will be distributed in Canada in 2027. (3/5 stars)
The film that I actually saw with a crowd was the new Jesse Eisenberg movie, "The Debut," and it is absolutely fantastic. Julianne Moore plays Mona, a mom entering the empty-nest stage of life, who decides to audition for a role in a local community theater production of "Nosy Neighbors." The play's director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti), has to turn her from a no-talent hack into a star on a tight timeline. In a festival with plenty of funny movies, this was easily the most entertaining, and Moore may have cinched her second Oscar with this performance. There is a scene midway through the film that got an applause break at the press screening I attended, which is rare. "The Debut" looks at finding your place after a lifetime of being ignored. Also, at a time when several women actors have talked about how method acting is almost exclusively available to men, this movie looks at what it would look like if a woman made that choice. This movie is being distributed by A24 and is coming to theaters on December 11. (5/5 stars)
Alise Chaffins is a freelance and Tomatometer-approved film critic.