As Boys II Men would say, we’ve come to the end of the road for our time at the Toronto International Film Festival. After nearly 90 films (yes, really) the wide array of films are still being processed in my over stimulated brain. An official Best Of list is still being compiled, as I will have to start digging through the very long Letterboxd log and really ordering the vast catalog. But as many of them are still fresh, I thought it would be fun to begin to at least start putting films into unique categories and recapping the overall experience, as well as guide you through the fall movie season with films to put on your radar, films to avoid, and films to bring a box of tissues for.
The TIFF experience has been another great one, filled with plenty of late nights, horrible food decisions, and terrific conversations with friends and colleagues. I even got the random chance encounter to chat about movies with Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel herself) who just happened to be at the same screening as me and was more than willing to chat about her favs she’s seen so far. That’s part of the joy of TIFF: you never really know who you’re going to bump into at any time. So many actors, directors, writers, and working professionals come to this place for magic, and for an hour and a half are united by cinema. Waiting in the pouring rain without an umbrella (happened on my very first day in Toronto and yes it was miserable), filed into a dark theater eating popcorn for breakfast AGAIN on 3 hours of sleep, we’re all just people watching a movie, hoping to be moved. It’s those experiences that truly make the chaos of the festival worth it.
The discoveries, the excitement of premieres, the between screening conversations, the late nights taking the city in and much, much more all help to contribute to making TIFF an exciting time at the movies. So let’s take a little bit more of a deeper dive into those movies and where they fall on the radar; the good, the bad, and everything else in between!
Buzzy Premieres and Awards Contenders That Delivered
One thing TIFF does really well is pulling most if not all of the most championed films from previous festivals like Cannes and Venice and adding them to the lineup. These are usually comprised of some of the buzziest and award worthy titles and prep viewers for the Oscar race on the horizon. This year was packed with big international titles from acclaimed directors like Joachim Trier, Jafar Panahi, and Park Chan-wok. We also saw the return of Chloe Zhao with her tender, emotionally wrecking machine “Hamnet.” We’re gonna move that deeper discussion about it to another category, but it definitely earns its place here too. Trier’s “Sentimental Value” was a highly touted follow up to his critically acclaimed “The Worst Person in the World” and more than delivered on the promise of greatness. Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident” stunned with a striking balance of humor and trauma, sporting one of the best endings of the entire festival.
Never count out Park Chan-wok, whose “No Other Choice” proved to be his most accessible, darkly funny but also deeply relevant film to date. Of course, it wouldn’t be buzzy without Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who returns for the third installment of the Rian Johnson detective series in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Johnson is 3 for 3 with these in my book, and highlights an incredible performance from Josh O’Connor who all but carries the film with his undeniable charm and perfect pairing with Craig. I’d offer than Johnson maybe needs to take a break a let us miss him in the mystery genre for a bit, but “Wake Up Dead Man” does not disappoint and fans will be happy to return to the murder mystery detective world once again.
The last two films in this category are “Rental Family” and “The Testament of Ann Lee” which sees beloved Brendan Fraser return in a warm blanket cinema package and Amanda Seyfried entering her name into the nomination list. While the former probably won’t survive the race until the end, it was certainly the buzziest TIFF World Premiere with the strongest prospects and has a hard to resist feel good charm that puts it here among some of the greats. “Ann Lee” is like the younger sister of “The Brutalist” which is complimentary for me but may be a big turn off for academy voters. Despite its somewhat divisive nature, it still delivered for me and ranks among some of the best films of the festival.
Most Disappointing Festival Films
I’m sure you’re wondering where “Frankenstein” is in the above category, and I’m sad to say it lands here instead. Jacob Elordi is quite phenomenal, but this is the first big title that simply didn’t match the hype. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it despite being one of my most anticipated films of the fest. Likewise, “The Smashing Machine” also disappointed. A film tailor made for me and the only sport I actually enjoy watching, the overwhelming positive reception this received out of Venice didn’t translate for me at all and I could feel its awards prospects slipping away with each passing minute. Added to the disappointment list is “Hamlet” and “The Secret Agent,” both of which left me with varying degrees of tepid response. Riz Ahmed as the titular lead of a modern day reimagining of the timeless tale is a helluva selling point, but I found it to be ultimately flat and lacking despite its bold experimentation.
Hot out of Cannes, “The Secret Agent” was said to be Netflix’ international golden goose. Unfortunately, I found it to be an incredible slog and actually hard to get through. Some of that could be the expectations I brought to it – thinking it one thing and turning out to be something else entirely – so I’m willing to give it another chance but that first watch was quite rough. Some other let downs include “The Fence” from Claire Denis that was met with out of the most muted responses I’ve ever seen at a festival premiere and “Ballad of a Small Player,” a film that all but defines style over substance filmmaking. Sadly, Steven Soderbergh makes the list with “The Christophers” but I’m sure he’ll have like 4 more films in 2026 so we’ll forget all about it next year.
Lastly, the star studded “Sacrifice” adds another miss for non MCU Chris Evans. This one isn’t entirely his fault as he’s actually the best part of the movie and the only one that seems to understand the assignment. “Sacrifice” is a film that starts incredibly strong but quickly goes off the rails and delivers an almost unbearable second half. A disappointment in the truest sense of the word and huge bummer considering the anticipation. One thing I will say about this list though is that there were very films I outright hated. considering how many I watched, that’s a pretty sold track record to have very few 2 star ratings. Most of the films listed here are still 3 out of 5 and were truly more disappointing than outright bad, so good on TIFF to have far more hits than misses.
Biggest TIFF Surprises
I’ve already highlighted some of the big surprises (read the reviews here) but it is truly one of the best parts of the festival, sifting through the enormous lineup to find those hidden gems that fly under the radar but creep into your best of list. This year saw quick a few of them, including “My Father’s Shadow” and “The President’s Cake” two films that feature unseen worlds through the eyes of a child and reframes places like Lagos and Iraq in ways I’ve never seen before. While they may be a bit too small to crack into the award contender race, these two films are destined to be critical darlings. Don’t be surprised if you hear more about them as more and more critics and industry get a chance to see them. “Tuner” makes the list twice, both in my previous recap and here because it is genuinely one of the biggest surprise bangers of the festival. A film comprised of everything I love in movies and a star making performance from Leo Woodall, “Tuner” is sure to be a crowd favorite when hits theaters and has a broader, more general reach. Mark this one, folks. It rules.
Some more surprises include “Nuremberg,” your dad’s new favorite WWII courtroom drama and “A Poet,” a pressure cooker of self destruction that is almost hard to sit through in the best of ways. One plays it incredibly safe to great success and the other powers forward with unnerving energy I haven’t felt in cinema in a while. Remarkable work and I don’t know where or how you’ll be able to catch it, but definitely do so if you get a chance. Also on the surprise list is “Little Amelie or The Character of Rain,” a sweet, emotionally stirring animated feature that just may hang on long enough to make the shortlist of nominees this year. Truthfully this will be the longest list as the discoveries were quite good, so I’ll stop by adding these last two: “Train Dreams” and “Obsession.”
Out of Sundance originally, “Train Dreams” enters the fray as Netflix’ best chance at winning an Oscar. The next great American frontier drama piece that is as beautiful as it is stirring. I was stunned by this film and was not expecting it to be as affecting as it was. “Obsession” just may be the best Midnight Madness film of the festival, a funny, gory, edge of your seat horror comedy that kicks into high gear early and never lets go until the final frame. I cannot believe I almost missed this one, and I am so glad I gave “Obsession” a chance. This one is sure to come to theaters and when it does, run don’t walk to this new best in the genre!
Festival Tear Jerkers
I’ll keep this one relatively brief, but TIFF had me wiping my eyes more than most this year with things like “Hamnet,” (told you it was going to come back) and “Sentimental Value,” but the ones that really got me unexpectedly were “Eternity” and “Carolina Caroline,” two films about love that, for whatever reason got me deep in my feels and broke me into a million pieces. “Eternity” is a romcom done right, and packs so much heart it found its way into mine and tugged on the strings. “Carolina Caroline” was probably the most unexpected tear jerker that got me, its stars so electric with chemistry I found it impossible to hold back as the film headed toward its heartbreaking conclusion. The last real one that got me was “Homebound,” a sometimes on nose melodrama that caught me by surprise with how emotionally invested I was into what it was doing. By the time it concluded I was in too deep and the waterworks began. If you catch any of these, I recommend a box of tissues.
The TIFF Honorable Mentions
There are still so many more films to review and rank and talk about, but there were plenty that don’t really fall into any of the categories above that are worth putting on your radar. “Hedda” comes to mind first, Nia DaCosta out of her franchise shackles and in her BAG with this fresh adaption of the famed play. She directs the hell out of this thing, and Tessa Thompson has never been better. Think “Downton Abbey After Dark” and you’ll be in for a treat.
If you’re into high octane martial arts action, “The Furious” is everything you want it to be, and if you’re a fan brutal, bloody elevator fights I’d recommend “Motor City” which I enjoyed despite its gimmicky framework. David Johnson is starting to get the love he deserves on the heels of “A Long Walk,” so best start buying stalk in him now because he is equally incredible in “Wasteman” along side another rising star in Tom Blyth. Oh and if you wanna get weird, “A Useful Ghost,” “Dust Bunny” and “Dandelion’s Odyssey” are solid off the beaten path features.
I’m sure I’m missing some, but that’s quite the comprehensive list to get you started. Be sure to keep checking for more reviews and recaps!
