TIFF 2023: Day Three
The beat goes on
Now that the centerpiece Nickelback concert came off the docket Friday night, it seems like people were on the stage throughout the entire day Saturday. That coupled with premieres at the Royal Alexandria and Princess of Wales meant King Street was packed. Just a mass of people suddenly stopping in the middle of the thoroughfare to reply to a text with zero consideration of the world around them.
Speaking of masses: I will say that it appears more people are wearing masks this year than last. Still not nearly enough, but it is nice to see with a new variant circulating and still no new vaccine (October maybe?). Always funny to see someone walk into a theater with it on and out with it off, though. At what point is bringing it just a way to assuage your own guilt without actually using it?
I finally saw some faces from the movies today amongst the crowds too. First, I walked by the two Danish champions that were interviewed during COPA 71 on my way to Scotiabank Theatre in the morning. It was one of those, “Why do I know this person?” moments that needed me to clock the second face in close proximity before it clicked.
Then there was Brian Helgeland introducing his latest film FINESTKIND with an anecdote about growing up in a commercial fishing family, getting an English degree, and returning home to fish before stumbling upon a beginners guide to going to film school. He admitted he didn’t know film school was a thing back then. So, he read the book, applied to a few colleges, and the rest is Oscar-winning history.
(I assume he was allowed to speak in his capacity as director since the WGA and SAG-AFTRA continue to be on strike until the AMPTP pays them fair wages.)
And last was the producer (Guneet Monga, another Oscar winner) and director (Nikhil Nagesh Bhat) of the wild Indian actioner KILL. They were super psyched to show us how it was “made with a lot of heart … and blood, blood, blood.” No sweat or tears needed. I think some of the cast was present too for a post-screening Q&A, but I had to leave in the hopes of getting at least five hours of sleep before today’s early start.
REVIEWS:
BACKSPOT
(world premiere)
You might assume that D.W. Waterson's BACKSPOT is going to be in the vein of WHIPLASH or THE NOVICE as far as the high stress nature of a character pushing the boundaries of their body and mind to achieve greatness. You'd be wrong. Yes, that is an aspect here, but Waterson and screenwriter Joanne Sarazen skew younger. Riley (Devery Jacobs) isn't a co-ed with career aspirations. She's a teenager prone to belting out songs in the car with her girlfriend (Kudakwashe Rutendo's Amanda) after cheer practice. I'm not saying twenty-somethings can't have fun, but these kids want to have fun. They're merely trying to balance it with the growing responsibilities teenage living demands.
That also doesn't mean there won't be undue stress to be the best. Existing on that fine line is where the film excels because it doesn't pretend you can't have both. You simply must do the work to get there. It's so difficult at this age, though, because so many aspects are outside of their control. Riley can't make her mother (Shannyn Sossamon) more approachable as far as being able to tell her what's going on in her life (she doesn't even know Amanda is more than a friend). Amanda can't make her household more financially secure to not have to juggle a part-time job with everything else. And they're both too young to fully grasp how different their lives and foreign their priorities truly are.
Enter Eileen McNamara (Evan Rachel Wood) and her elite squad of Thunderhawks. Riley, Amanda, Rachel (Noa DiBerto), and the other girls would do anything to join them. Well, now is the chance because a recent spate of injuries opened three spots that Eileen is desperate to fill due to a tournament fast approaching. And she has just the right mix of tough love, empathetic understanding, and unrealistic expectations to open the girls' eyes to what it is they want and how they must act to get it. The line between cheer as sport and male gaze exploitation is blurred and the pressure becomes less about panic-inducing anxiety than a fear of realistic, life-altering danger.
So, Riley is thrown to the wolves in many respects. Her enjoyment of cheering as an identity has blinded her to objective criticism. It is a legitimate sport where these girls work regimens akin to Olympic hopeful gymnasts. But it's also about entertainment and sex appeal. It's about presenting an archaic image for the judges wherein Eileen yells at her athletes to stop treating her like their mother in one breath ("You wouldn't look at Bill Belichick that way.") and demand they "fix their face" and smile in the next. It's a clash of ideals and double standards that's only exacerbated by the fact too many teens can't afford to give everything to one single sport.
Riley loses herself in Eileen's fascistic coaching style and pushes boundaries with her friends because she doesn't have to worry about anything else. Her family has money and thus she doesn't need to work to own a car. Her mother is depressed and unlikely to question whatever Riley tells her, so accountability is nonexistent too. But what about Amanda? What about Rachel? You want to believe every kid this age has the same amount to lose, but the reality is that they have a whole lot more. Amanda needs work to help at home. Rachel is flying through the air while the others stand on the ground. The risk/reward ratio is skewed the opposite direction.
BACKSPOT isn't necessarily treading new ground in revealing these truths, but it presents them in an effective, entertaining, and thoughtful way. The drama and action are palpable throughout, but this is more coming-of-age teen-centered journey than existential pit of dread. The characters on-screen are very specifically depicted as kids, not young adults. That makes a huge difference to the tone and stakes, and it also matters when watching and deciding whether Waterson and Sarazen supply enough weight. I think they do. And the quick turnaround in attitudes is also believable at that age because we weren't so crushed under the crippling pressure of the future. This is about working for the present.
Finding balance needs allies. Amanda, Mom, and Eileen have their moments, but they're also serving other roles that prevent them from fully coming on-board. It's why I think Thomas Antony Olajide's Devon stands out. He's Eileen's right-hand and acts accordingly, but he's also a realist who's had many years to figure out his own equilibrium and realize that no one is perfect and nothing is set in stone. His is the real tough love because he delivers it with a soft hand that's willing to recognize a hug can be more powerful than a scream. Devon has made mistakes and he owns them. He's not hiding beneath impossible expectations. He remembers what it is to be happy.
And that's the message here. Be happy. Maybe killing yourself to be the best backspot on the mat brings joy, but the moment it destroys everything else is the moment you must wonder if that joy was just hollow accomplishment. To watch these bubbly teens in love at the start become withdrawn and angry is to literally see innocence die. Because that's what happens when you don't know how to take a step back and diagnose the problems rather than brute force through them. The win here isn't therefore to earn a trophy. The win is to smile again without being told you're not. It's about finding Riley and Amanda in that car singing at the top of their lungs again because the rest is simply noise.
- 7/10
DAYS OF HAPPINESS [Les Jours heureux]
(world premiere)
“What initially feels like a solid drama lifted by its soulful lead performance actually proves a slow burning crescendo of catharsis wherein Emma must find the strength to cut the strings that have been leading her forward.”
– Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
DICKS: THE MUSICAL
(world premiere)
“[Lane and Mullally] are the real draw, leaving all shame at the door to debase themselves for chuckles and guffaws alike. It’s enough to recommend DICKS, even if you find yourself regretting it too.”
– Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
SUMMER QAMP
(world premiere)
The state of equality in North America can be summed up by a reminder the counselors at Camp fYrefly know is necessary to deliver: If you see a fellow camper out in the wild of rural Alberta, be careful how you say hello. They relay the mesage with humor, but it’s a serious topic since blurting out “Don’t I know you from gay camp?” can have devastating consequences when the person on the receiving end hasn’t yet come out to friends/family. It’s why safe spaces like fYrefly are so crucial for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. In many instances, it provides these kids the first real community in which they’ve ever been able to be themselves.
Jennifer Markowitz’s SUMMER QAMP showcases this truth by documenting a season full of newcomers and return campers alike. With candid testimonials spliced in from a sprawling cast of characters that ensures there are no “stars” overshadowing the others just because they’re more extroverted or comfortable with the camera, we’re able to get a great sense of the myriad ways in which prejudice, anxiety, and fear manifests for vulnerable teens who have never been surrounded by so many relatable people in their lives.
You get the commiseration of talking to someone who’s gone through what you’re going through. The zero judgment assistance from those in the know to better educate you on topics you’ve had to research and learn on your own. And amidst the rock climbing and archery are drag shows and lessons on intersectionality—the whole endeavor proving its own over-arching trust exercise by simply letting everyone be who they are without having to worry about bullies waiting around the corner. It’s the sort of experience that can deliver the much-needed empowerment boost to figure out who it is you truly are.
And you know it works from the fact that this film exists. Everyone involved is baring their heart and soul on-camera. Whether Ren looking for voices with experience to learn from or Ghoul being able to safely reject gender altogether or Kingston finding the courage to fully come out to his parents as a trans man after thus far only admitting to bisexuality: the words and feelings expressed are potent. These kids are cogent, authentic, and inspiring. In a world ravaged by bigotry to the point where the LGBTQIA2S+ community is labeled as abusers and groomers, Markowitz lets these kids prove the opposite.
They describe how they came to their identities alone and often despite extremely scary circumstances and how this place is conversely an escape from the real abuse of a world steeped in prejudice—one Jade admits to confusedly embracing in an attempt to erase herself by adhering to its vehement rejection of her. Surrounding them with those that relate to their plight makes fYrefly a salvation instead. A camp to help deprogram them from the indoctrinating cult of heteronormativity. To remind them that they matter too. That they’re human. That they’re loved.
- 7/10
THE TEACHER
(world premiere)
“There's no vagueness here to the fact that a clandestine war is being waged by rebels as opposed to terrorists. That's not to say it condones their actions either. It merely contextualizes them.”
– Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE:
HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, d. Azazel Jacobs
DEAR JASSI, d. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar
NEXT GOAL WINS, d. Taika Waititi