FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINÉMA DE MONTRÉAL 2026: A SOLID SELECTION

Movie Review by Sergio Martínez

The recent edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal, held from October 8 to 18, left us with a pleasant impression: once again, it struck a good balance between films by established auteurs and works by young filmmakers just starting out on their journey to bring their stories to the big screen.

Below is a review, through our critical lens, of the films we had the opportunity to see.

SOMETIMES SADNESS, SOMETIMES REBELLION—An encounter and reflections in a minimalist tone

Dir. María Aparicio (Argentina-Spain)

Dante (Roger Kosa) is a historian conducting research in Spain on the work of another scholar—a Spaniard who, in the early 20th century, had studied the vicissitudes of the working class and the labour movement in Argentina. Eva (Eva Bianco), meanwhile, is a filmmaker who has stopped in Madrid for a few days after attending an event in France. Their encounter lets the film delve into a reflection that oscillates between personal experience and the political backdrop of the moment.

This film is interesting because it encourages viewers to reflect on the subject themselves. It also contains what we might see as a veiled critique of an intellectual pursuit that focuses on an obscure topic from the past while ignoring what is happening in the present. To address this, the film includes documentary-style elements toward the end, featuring interviews with real people. This insertion, while effective, feels somewhat forced in terms of the narrative flow.

LA BOLA NEGRA—Love, in a transversal dimension

Dir. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Spain-France)

This is a film that arrived with a lot of accolades: it won the Best Director award at Cannes, took home the Audience Award at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, and also won an award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival—and it certainly did not disappoint those of us who had the opportunity to see it here in Montreal.

The story unfolds across three historical periods: 1932, 1937, and 2017.  In the first, a young man from Granada, born into a high-society family, has applied for membership in the city’s casino, an institution of great social prestige. The casino’s board members vote on the application by assigning white balls (acceptance) or black balls (rejection). The young man receives a majority of black balls. The reason for the rejection is the applicant’s alleged homosexuality.

The theme of homosexuality runs through the other time periods, which are in turn intertwined: the young recruit in the nationalist forces who must guard a wounded republican officer from whom he is tasked with extracting information, and the frustrated playwright in 2017 who must suddenly tie up the loose ends that will lead to the discovery of the lost pages of a play by Federico García Lorca.

The narrative structure is impeccable and subtly guides the viewer to uncover the plot’s connections, like a game where, in the end, all the pieces fall into place. In the process, however, love's persistence emerges as the common thread running through each character’s story. We dare to call it a masterpiece.

LE VERTIGE —With a bold technique and a story that’s just as dizzying

Dir. Quentin Dupieux (France)

The director uses an animation technique in which the movements are deliberately uncoordinated—like animated photographs where the continuity is sometimes slow—which, in turn, contributes to the story’s absurdist atmosphere.

The story begins when one of the characters shows up at an unusual hour to tell his friend about his shocking discovery: the world and the life we live are not real, but rather part of a program similar to what was seen in the movie The Matrix.

From that premise, a series of events unfolds that ultimately shows us how an entire movement of devoted followers can be created around a skillfully crafted scheme. Another form of social manipulation, in essence.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JO—Everything happens so fast…

Dir. Jacqueline Lentzou (Greece-France-Germany)

Jo (Josephine) is a fifteen-year-old girl who lives with her mother. That day, things aren’t going well: she misses the bus to school, her mother refuses to drive her, and scolds her for not getting up earlier. Once at school—where she isn’t exactly a model student—she is suddenly captivated during music class by the voice and unique personality of a classmate, Phaedra, who, in addition to having a wonderful voice, has tastes very different from her own and those of her friends. This leads Jo to arrange to meet her new friend after school.

After school, Jo runs into her boyfriend and some other friends, but things don’t go as she expected.

This is a film that, through strong performances and a story that raises questions at every turn, ultimately shows us how quickly life can pass, leaving many things unfinished.

THE DAY WE EMBRACED THE UNIVERSE—A silly story, a poor performance, but it seems to have a following

Dir. Kenichi Ugana (Japan)

There isn’t much to say about this movie, whose story is very simple: strange creatures that look like stuffed animals are invading Earth. They are, however, merely an advance guard for other characters who, under the command of a queen of the universe, have come to destroy the human race. The reason is said to be humans' careless treatment of the planet—an obvious environmental message that serves as a pretext.

The story itself—and even more so the acting—is poor, leading us to declare this film the worst we’ve seen.

THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (LE JOURNAL D’UNE FEMME DE CHAMBRE)—A classic story with modern twists

Dir. Radu Jude (Romania-France)

This new adaptation of Octave Mirbeau’s novel (Luis Buñuel had filmed a version in 1964) is interesting in that it introduces new elements, particularly the fact that the chambermaid is not a girl from the provinces, but rather, in this case, a Romanian immigrant, Gianina (Ana Dumitrascu), who has left her daughter behind in her home country, promising to visit her by the end of the year.

Unlike the previous version, this one takes a more dramatic than satirical tone in its critique of the society that welcomes Gianina as an immigrant. There are also other immigrants who face the possibility of deportation. The young Romanian woman, coming from a European Union country, has a more secure legal status, but what she cannot control is the chain of unforeseen events that affect her employer’s family and that, in turn, will force her into a difficult dilemma regarding her relationship with her daughter.

The film presents Gianina’s story in a way that easily draws the viewer in; the beautiful actress’s performance is very solid and convincing.

SHUMEI: THE LIVING LEGACY OF KABUKI—Between theatre and ritual

Dir. Takashi Miike (Japan)

This documentary offers a fascinating exploration of kabuki, a traditional form of theatre that has evolved in Japan over the centuries. The film focuses on Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, the actor who has succeeded his father in a long and traditional dynasty of Kabuki performers. He, in turn, introduces his five-year-old son, who will also follow the path of an art form that incorporates a significant amount of ritual.

WHERE THE RIVER BEGINS – Social reality and the mysterious nature

Dir. Juan Andrés Arango (Colombia-Canada)

Undoubtedly, this powerful film brings two elements together to form a poetic synthesis: the social reality of a Colombia still ravaged by violence and poverty in the slums of Bogotá, and the lush, mysterious jungle the protagonists enter in search of salvation.

Yajaira (Girlesa Duave Cerezo), a young Indigenous woman from the Emberá community, lives with her parents and her daughter in a poor Bogotá slum.  Overwhelmed by the violence surrounding her, she decides to leave the city with her 9-year-old daughter. She is joined by a white boy (Juan David Junca Linares), who is also on the margins of society and belongs to a gang that has just had an armed confrontation with another local gang. The film narrates, with great visual beauty, the journey of the two young people and the girl into the deep jungle, during which a bitter secret that the young guy has been carrying will also be revealed.

BITTER CHRISTMAS—Almodóvar dissects the creative process

Dir. Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)

The Spanish director had already dissected the creative process in his previous film, Pain and Glory (2019). While his approach on that occasion was more introspective, in this new film he takes a more detached stance by employing the technique of making “two films in one,” so to speak. At the beginning, we see Elsa (Bárbara Lennie), a filmmaker now working in advertising, and her partner, Bonifacio—or simply Beau (Patrick Criado)—a firefighter who works as a stripper at a nightclub on his nights off. However, we soon discover that this is actually a film that director Raúl Rosetti (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is trying to finish but has been hampered by a sudden creative block. To make matters worse, his chief artistic advisor decides to quit her job.

The film Rosetti is still writing enters a phase of conflict and loose ends when Elsa tries to help her friends Patricia (Victoria Luengo) and Natalia (Milena Smit), which in turn strains her relationship with Beau, who feels left out. A loose end in the script Rosetti is writing—but one that will bring him even more trouble when his former consultant discovers that he has used (“drawn inspiration from,” as he puts it) a personal situation of hers for his film.

A thought-provoking film that will surely cause controversy.

THE ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG — Surviving rituals and prejudice

Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah (Nepal-France-Germany-Brazil)

This film tackles an unexpected and certainly controversial topic in its home country: Pirati, a woman in a leadership role—backed by the community’s spiritual leader—faces the dilemma of either fulfilling the expectations of her ritual role or taking the liberty to be with her lover. In her family life, things become complicated by the sudden disappearance of her transgender daughter, Apsara, who has gone missing in a forest inhabited by wild elephants. Although the community initially took a tolerant stance toward young women who work as transvestite prostitutes, that begins to change as prejudices surface and eventually escalate into violence.

This film effectively portrays the dynamics of a small, devoutly Hindu community that is simultaneously grappling with the challenge of living more freely.  Excellent cinematography and compelling performances enhance this film.

THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE—Nothing very concrete about it

Dir. John Wilson (United States)

Known for his television documentaries tinged with humour, this—Wilson’s first feature-length documentary—nevertheless falls short of its aspirations: it sheds little light on the history of this material, which is essential to the development of modern cities, and instead veers off into featuring forgotten nightclub musicians and other topics unrelated to the supposedly central theme.

Although it initially touches on historical aspects of concrete’s use dating back to Roman times, the film offers little further context on a subject with so much to explore: after all, and especially in the United States, reinforced concrete was essential to the construction of the skyscrapers that have defined the skyline of American cities like New York and Chicago. Nor does it mention the material’s vulnerability during the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001.  In short, a failed attempt to tackle a topic about which much could have been said.

FATHERLAND—An intellectual’s return to a war-torn country

Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland-Germany-France-Italy)

In our opinion, one of the most powerful films screened at the festival. Shot in black and white, the film conveys the atmosphere of the historical period in which the story unfolds: 1949, when Germany lay devastated by war, and its territory was divided into occupation zones, whose ideological differences were already becoming apparent.

Against this backdrop, the writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller)—who had been in exile in the United States during the Nazi era—travel back to their homeland. First to Frankfurt, in the American occupation zone, where they are welcomed in a festive atmosphere, and then to Weimar, in the Soviet occupation zone, where the writer will give a lecture on Goethe, while his hosts try to win his support for what they call the building of a new Germany.

It is a film that, in turn, prompts reflection on the effects of war on the people who suffer it and on how people like Mann and his daughter—both intellectuals capable of seeing beyond appearances, yet at the same time committed to what is, after all, their homeland—will cope with this new reality.

***

A FESTIVAL ON SOLID GROUND

In short, we believe that, for both critics and the general audience, the 55th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal has once again fulfilled its mission of bringing to the city, on the one hand, examples of avant-garde cinema that challenge conventions, and, on the other, works that—within a more conventional thematic and narrative framework—contribute to the body of cinema as an artistic expression. A fine selection, without a doubt.

FESTIVAL DEL NUEVO CINE 2026: UNA SÓLIDA SELECCIÓN

Comentario de Sergio Martínez

La reciente edición del Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal, celebrada entre el 8 y el 18 de octubre, nos ha dejado un grato sabor: una vez más se ha visto un buen equilibrio entre  el cine de consagrados autores y la exhibición de filmes de realizadores jóvenes que se inician en esto de poner sus historias en la gran pantalla.

A continuación, una revisión con nuestro ojo crítico de las películas que tuvimos la oportunidad de ver.

A VECES ME ENTRA TRISTEZA, A VECES REBELIÓN—Un encuentro y unas reflexiones en un tono minimalista

Dir. María Aparicio (Argentina-España)

Dante (Roger Kosa) es un historiador que está realizando una investigación en España sobre el trabajo de otro investigador, un español que a comienzos del siglo 20 había estudiado las vicisitudes de la clase obrera y del movimiento sindical en Argentina. Por su parte, Eva (Eva Bianco) es una cineasta que ha parado en Madrid unos días luego de asistir a un evento en Francia. El encuentro de ambos permite adentrarse en una reflexión que oscila entre las experiencias personales y el trasfondo político del momento.

Se trata de un film interesante, en el sentido de motivar al espectador a lanzarse a su propia reflexión sobre el tema. También contiene lo que podemos ver como una velada crítica de un quehacer intelectual, enfocado en una temática arcana del pasado, mientras no observa lo que ocurre en el presente.  Remediando esto último, el film incluye hacia su parte final, algunos elementos de documental con entrevistas a personajes reales. Esta inserción, aunque efectiva, desde el punto de vista del flujo narrativo parece un tanto forzada.

LA BOLA NEGRA—El amor, en una dimensión transversal

Dir. Javier Calvo y Javier Ambrossi (España-Francia)

Este es un film que vino con muchos pergaminos: en Cannes obtuvo el premio a la mejor dirección, fue galardonado con el premio del público en el reciente Festival Internacional de Toronto y también obtuvo un premio en el Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, y que, sin duda, no ha decepcionado a quienes tuvimos la oportunidad de verlo ahora en Montreal.

La historia transcurre en tres tiempos históricos: 1932, 1937 y 2017.  En el primero, un joven granadino de una familia de la alta sociedad ha solicitado su admisión como socio en el casino de la ciudad, una institución de gran prestigio social. Los miembros del consejo de la entidad votan mediante la asignación de bolas blancas (aceptación) o negras (rechazo) a la solicitud. El joven recibe la mayoría de las bolas negras. La razón del rechazo es la supuesta homosexualidad del solicitante.

El tema de la homosexualidad es el que está presente a través de los otros períodos que a su vez se entrelazan: el joven recluta de las tropas nacionalistas que debe custodiar a un oficial republicano herido y del cual tiene la misión de extraer información, y el frustrado autor teatral en 2017 que de manera intempestiva debe atar los cabos sueltos que deben llevar al descubrimiento de las páginas perdidas de una obra de Federico García Lorca.

La construcción de la narrativa es impecable y lleva sutilmente al espectador a descubrir los lazos de la trama, en una suerte de juego en el que, al final, todas las piezas encajan. En el proceso, sin embargo, se ha revelado la persistencia del amor como hilo conductor en la historia de cada personaje. Nos atrevemos a catalogarla como una obra maestra.

LE VERTIGE (EL VÉRTIGO)—Con una técnica audaz, una historia también vertiginosa

Dir. Quentin Dupieux (Francia)

El director utiliza una técnica de animación en la que los movimientos son deliberadamente poco coordinados, algo así como fotografías animadas en las que a veces la continuidad es lenta, lo que a su vez contribuye al entorno absurdista de la historia.

La historia empieza cuando uno de los personajes acude a una hora inusual donde su amigo a comunicarle su impactante descubrimiento: el mundo y la vida que vivimos no es real, sino que es parte de un programa al estilo de lo que se vio en la película Matrix.

A partir de esa premisa, se desarrolla una serie de eventos que, al final, nos lleva a cómo se puede crear todo un movimiento de fieles seguidores de un esquema hábilmente elaborado. Otro tipo de manipulación social, en buenas cuentas.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JO (UN DÍA EN LA VIDA DE JO)—Todo transcurre tan rápidamente…

Dir. Jacqueline Lentzou (Grecia-Francia-Alemania)

Jo (Josephine) es una chica de quince años que vive con su madre. Ese día las cosas no van bien: pierde el bus que la lleva a la escuela, su madre se niega a llevarla en su auto y la regaña por no haberse levantado más temprano. Una vez en la escuela, donde no es una alumna muy aplicada, en clase de música, sin embargo, se ve súbitamente fascinada por la voz y la especial personalidad de una compañera de curso, Phaedra, que además de tener una estupenda voz, tiene gustos muy diferentes a los de ella y sus amigas.  Eso lleva a Jo a concertar un encuentro con su nueva amiga después de terminar las clases.

A la salida de la escuela, Jo se encuentra con su novio y otras amistades, pero las cosas no saldrán como esperaba.

Este es un film que, a través de una sólida actuación y una historia que nos plantea interrogantes en cada instante, termina por mostrarnos cuán rápido puede transcurrir la vida, dejando muchas cosas inconclusas. 

THE DAY WE EMBRACED THE UNIVERSE (EL DÍA EN QUE ABRAZAMOS EL UNIVERSO)—Una historia tonta, una actuación pobre, pero que parece tener seguidores

Dir. Kenichi Ugana (Japón)

No hay mucho que decir de esta película, cuya historia es muy simple: unas extrañas criaturas que se parecen a muñecos de peluche están invadiendo la Tierra. Ellas, sin embargo, sólo son una suerte de avanzada de otros personajes que, bajo las órdenes de una reina del universo han venido para destruir la especie humana. La razón se debería al descuido con que los humanos han tratado el planeta en que vivimos, un obvio mensaje ambientalista que sirve de pretexto.

La historia misma y más aun la actuación es pobre, lo que nos lleva a declarar este film como el peor que vimos.

LE JOURNAL D’UNE FEMME DE CHAMBRE (DIARIO DE UNA CAMARERA)—Una historia clásica con elementos actualizados

Dir. Radu Jude (Rumania-Francia)

Esta nueva adaptación de la novela de Octave Mirbeau (en 1964 Luis Buñuel había filmado una versión), es interesante en cuanto introduce nuevos elementos, en particular el hecho que la camarera no es una muchacha de la provincia, sino en este caso una inmigrante rumana, Gianina (Ana Dumitrascu) quien ha dejado a su hija en su país, prometiéndole ir a verla para fines de ese año.

A diferencia de la versión anterior, esta adopta un tono más dramático que satírico en su crítica a la sociedad que acoge a Gianina como inmigrante. También hay otros inmigrantes que están sujetos a la posibilidad de deportación. La joven rumana, proviniendo de un país de la Unión Europea, tiene un status legal más seguro, pero en lo que no tiene seguridad es en el desencadenamiento de eventos imprevistos que  afectan a la familia de sus empleadores y que, a su vez, la forzarán a un difícil dilema en la relación con su hija.

El film presenta la historia de Gianina de una manera que fácilmente envuelve al espectador; la performance de la bella actriz es muy sólida y convincente.

SHUMEI: THE LIVING LEGACY OF KABUKI (SHUMEI: EL VIVO LEGADO DEL KABUKI)—Entre el teatro y el ritual

Dir. Takashi Miike (Japón)

Los espectadores se encuentran en este documental con una muy interesante incursión en el kabuki, una forma tradicional de teatro desarrollada en Japón a través de los siglos. El film se centra en Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, el actor que ha sucedido a su padre en lo que es una larga y tradicional dinastía de artistas del kabuki. Por su parte, él mismo introduce a su hijo de cinco años que seguirá también la senda de una manifestación artística que además contiene una alta dosis de rituales.

DONDE EL RÍO COMIENZA – Realidad social y la misteriosa naturaleza

Dir. Juan Andrés Arango (Colombia-Canadá)

Sin duda, un film de gran impacto en el que concurren dos elementos que se funden en una poética síntesis: la realidad social de una Colombia aún azotada por la violencia y la pobreza en las barriadas de Bogotá, y, por otro, la exuberante y misteriosa selva en la cual los protagonistas se adentrarán en busca de su salvación.

Yajaira (Girlesa Duave Cerezo), una joven indígena de la comunidad emberá, vive con sus padres y su hija en una barriada pobre de Bogotá.  Agobiada por las circunstancias de violencia que la rodean, decide abandonar la ciudad junto a su hija de 9 años. A ella se une un muchacho blanco (Juan David Junca Linares), también  marginal, y que hace parte de una pandilla que viene de tener un enfrentamiento armado con otra banda local.  La película narra con una gran belleza visual la trayectoria de los dos jóvenes y la niña hacia la selva profunda, durante la cual se revelará además un amargo secreto que arrastraba el muchacho. 

AMARGA NAVIDAD (AUTOFICTION)—Almodóvar hace una vivisección del proceso creativo

Dir. Pedro Almodóvar (España)

El director español ya había hecho lo que llamamos una vivisección del proceso creativo en el cine en su anterior film Dolor y gloria (2019). Mientras que en esa ocasión su enfoque había sido más introspectivo, en esta nueva cinta se sitúa más distante mediante el recurso de hacer “dos películas en una”, como podríamos decir. Al comienzo vemos a Elsa (Bárbara Lennie), una cineasta dedicada ahora a la realización de publicidad, y su pareja, Bonifacio o simplemente Beau (Patrick Criado) un bombero que en sus noches libres actúa como stripper en un club nocturno. Sin embargo, pronto descubrimos que en realidad ese es un film en el que el director Raúl Rosetti (Leonardo Sbaraglia) está tratando de terminar, pero se ha visto complicado por un súbito bloqueo creativo. Se suma a ello que su principal asesora artística ha decidido dejar su trabajo.

El film que Rosetti está aún escribiendo entra en una etapa de conflictos y cabos sueltos, cuando Elsa trata de ayudar a sus amigas Patricia (Victoria Luengo) y Natalia (Milena Smit) lo que a su vez plantea un problema para su propia relación con Beau, quien se siente dejado de lado. Un cabo suelto en el guión que escribe Rosetti, pero que le traerá aún más problemas cuando su ex asesora descubre que ha utilizado (“se ha inspirado”, dice él) en una situación personal de ella para su película.

Un film reflexivo y que seguramente suscitará más de una polémica.

LES ÉLÉPHANTS DANS LA BRUME (ELEFANTES EN LA BRUMA)—Sobreviviendo rituales y prejuicios

Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah (Nepal-Francia-Alemania-Brasil)

Una temática inesperada y ciertamente polémica en su país es la que confronta este film en el que Pirati, una mujer que ejerce cierto liderazgo, respaldada por la líder espiritual de la comunidad, se ve enfrentada al dilema de hacer lo que su rol ritual espera o darse la libertad de estar con su amante. En su vida familiar, las cosas se complican por la súbita desaparición de su hija transgénero, Apsara, que se ha perdido en un bosque habitado por elefantes salvajes. Aunque en un principio la comunidad ha tenido una actitud tolerante con las jóvenes que ejercen la prostitución como travestis, eso empieza a cambiar y los prejuicios afloran y en un momento alcanza un nivel de violencia.

Esta es una película que retrata muy bien la dinámica de la pequeña comunidad, devota practicante del hinduismo, pero que a su vez se debate ante el desafío de vivir más libremente.  Muy buena fotografía y una actuación convincente dan valor a este film.

THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE (LA HISTORIA DEL CONCRETO)—Nada muy concreto en ella

Dir. John Wilson (Estados Unidos)

Conocido por sus documentales televisivos matizados con notas de humor, este, el primer documental de largometraje realizado por Wilson, sin embargo, queda corto en sus aspiraciones: no da mucha luz sobre la historia de ese material esencial en el desarrollo de las ciudades modernas y, más bien, se desvía hacia la presentación de músicos de boliches olvidados y otras materias ajenas al tema supuestamente central. 

Si bien en un comienzo alude a aspectos históricos del uso del concreto desde tiempos romanos, el film no agrega mayores antecedentes sobre un tema en el que había mucho que decir: después de todo, y especialmente en Estados Unidos, el concreto en su versión de hormigón armado fue esencial para la construcción de los rascacielos que han marcado la fisonomía de ciudades estadounidenses como Nueva York o Chicago. Tampoco menciona la vulnerabilidad del material durante el ataque a las Torres Gemelas en 2001.  En suma, un intento frustrado de abordar un tema sobre el cual se podía decir mucho.

FATHERLAND—El regreso de un intelectual a un país devastado por la guerra

Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski (Polonia-Alemania-Francia-Italia)

A nuestro parecer, una de las películas de mayor fuerza exhibidas en el festival. Filmada en blanco y negro, la película contribuye a transmitir el aura del período histórico en el que se desarrolla la trama: 1949, cuando Alemania se halla devastada por la guerra y su territorio dividido en zonas de ocupación, cuyas divergencias ideológicas ya empezaban a hacerse notar.

Es en ese ambiente cuando el escritor Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) y su hija Erika (Sandra Hüller), que durante el período nazi habían estado exiliados en Estados Unidos, viajan de regreso a su patria. Primero en Frankfort, en la zona de ocupación estadounidense, donde son recibidos en un ambiente festivo, y luego en Weimar, en la zona de ocupación soviética, donde el escritor dará una conferencia sobre Goethe, mientras sus anfitriones tratarán de ganar su apoyo para lo que llaman la construcción de una nueva Alemania.

Se trata de un film que, a su vez, hace reflexionar sobre los efectos de la guerra en los pueblos que la sufren y sobre cómo van a lidiar con esa nueva realidad personas como Mann y su hija, ambos intelectuales capaces de ver más allá de las apariencias, pero a la vez comprometidos con lo que, al fin y al cabo, es su patria.

***

UN FESTIVAL EN BUEN PIÉ

En resumen, creemos que, tanto para los críticos como para los espectadores en general, la edición número 55 del Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal ha cumplido una vez más su mandato de traer a la ciudad, por un lado, muestras del cine vanguardista que desafían convenciones, y, por otro, obras que, dentro de una temática y una narrativa más convencionales, contribuyen al acerbo del cine como expresión artística. Un buen trabajo de selección, sin duda.

50 YEARS OF THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Part 2)

•    The Global Landscape

•    The Awards

Movie Review by Sergio Martínez

The selection of international films has been one of the factors that makes the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) appealing to such a diverse audience. Below are some of the titles—in addition to the Latin American and Spanish productions—that we had the opportunity to see.

THE HOUSEWIFE

Dir. Ben Shirinian

United States

Based on a true story, the film centers on Hermine (Naomi Watts), a typical housewife who, in 1964, shares a home with her husband, Russell (Luke Evans), in a middle-class New York neighbourhood. Everything changes when Joseph Lelyveld (Tye Sheridan), a New York Times reporter, begins an investigation into a possible former Nazi officer living under a false identity in the city. However, the outcome of the investigation will surprise everyone.

The film successfully builds suspense around the subject of the investigation, while showing the kind and helpful housewife as her world is turned upside down.

FAITH

Dir. Paul Andrew Williams

United Kingdom

A strangely crafted film in which mysticism and tragedy intertwine, though not always coherently. Some loose ends in the narrative leave the viewer somewhat uncertain about the plot and the story itself.

THE JULIA SET

Dir. Niki Byrne

United States

Women and mathematics haven’t always been a good match; however, that’s not the case for Julia (Chase Infiniti), an undergraduate student who is truly brilliant when it comes to working with numbers and equations. Of course, as is to be expected with young students, a romantic relationship will emerge that could throw the whole situation into disarray. Julia catches the eye of Pascal (Christopher Briney), a teaching assistant to a demanding professor. When the two take the famous Putnam Exam, new facets of their relationship come to light, along with social-class factors that will affect her. A film with a highly dynamic narrative and compelling performances. It also celebrates women’s role in mathematics.

CLOSING NIGHT

Dir. Cody Fern

Australia, Canada

When a famous stage actress invites her family to what turns out to be her final performance on Broadway, she sets off a chain of events that culminates in the revelation of a long-kept secret. This new knowledge will affect everyone’s life.

This is a film that stands out above all for its excellent performances: Sarah Paulson as the theatre star about to face a harsh reality; Naomi Watts as her emotionally impulsive and fragile sister; Toby Wallace as the nephew, who also has acting aspirations; as well as Odessa A’zion and Dianne Wiest.

ONWARD AND DOWNSIDES

Dir. John Madden

United Kingdom

Without a doubt, it was one of the most moving films of the festival, and it also raised awareness about Parkinson’s disease and how to cope with it—both for those who suffer from it and for those who share their lives with someone living with the condition.

Excellent performances by Rhys Ifans, as the elementary school teacher who is suddenly diagnosed with the disease, and Laura Linney, who is diagnosed that same day and meets him at the clinic.

THE BETRAYERS

Dir. David Bezmozgis

Canada, Ukraine

Apparently, the plot revolves around members of the Jewish community—who were dissidents in the former Soviet Union at the time—whose friendship was eventually destroyed by an act of betrayal that the film does not explicitly explain.

Baruch (Michael Aronov) has left Israel and is in Yalta with his lover Leora (Kaelen Ohm); the couple is enjoying their new life after leaving their jobs behind. That atmosphere of joy, however, is interrupted when, while walking through the city, they encounter a man (Simon McBurney) who brings back painful memories for Baruch.

The story, however, is not well told and leaves many loose ends.

IN WAVES

Dir. Phuong Mai Nguyen

France, Belgium

An animated film with beautifully rendered imagery and a story that weaves together the bonds of friendship, love, and the pain of loss. All of this is set against the backdrop of the protagonists’ passion for surfing, whose origins in the practices of the native Hawaiians are highlighted through imagery that alludes to history, featuring characters from the time before white settlers arrived on the islands. A very good film that highlights the value of friendship.

ALL ABOUT CORINNE

Dir. Marc Fitoussi

France

The great French actress Isabelle Huppert surprises us as Corinne, who works as an extra in a series of films, hoping that one day she’ll be promoted to a leading role. In her eagerness, she tries to befriend a famous actress, which she manages to do at one point, though this also creates new problems for her. It’s an enjoyable comedy that also offers a glimpse into the maneuvering and power plays of the world of cinema.

POSSIBLE LOVE

Dir. Lee Chang-dong

South Korea

For some time now, South Korean cinema has been surprising us with wonderful dramas and comedies. In this case, it’s a story that combines elements of both genres, along with social commentary.

Documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) is interviewing people affected by the closure of a factory, which had led to a long strike that was brutally suppressed by the police. The married couple Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) are one of the families who lived through that traumatic experience, which marked their lives forever. When Ye-ji contacts them to tell their story, they have reservations, but in the end they agree and even develop a closeness with both the documentary filmmaker and her husband, the young tycoon Sang-woo (Zou In-sung).

A strong film that also addresses the observer's ethical responsibilities—in this case, the documentary filmmaker.

THE AGE OF GOODBYES

Dir. Edmund Yeo

Taiwan, Malaysia

A well-developed story despite the interplay of different time periods and the film’s focus on various characters. A tale of love and misunderstandings. Well crafted, with excellent performances, especially Vivian Sung as the lead, Du Li An.

INK

Dir. Danny Boyle

United Kingdom, France, United States

The film focuses on the early days of the rise of the notorious media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1970s London. The story begins with Murdoch (Guy Pearce) persuading editor Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) to take on the challenge of turning The Sun, a newspaper with mediocre circulation, into the best-selling paper. This goal will be achieved through sensationalism taken to the extreme. Despite an incident that directly affects the tabloid, the pursuit of this objective will have no ethical restrictions.

The film undoubtedly provides a good account of Murdoch’s career; to this day, he maintains his power as a media mogul, using more or less the same formula.

ATONEMENT

Dir. Reed Van Dyk

United States

A good idea, but with weak dramatic execution and unconvincing performances, despite the fact that the cast includes none other than the renowned Kenneth Branagh in the role of the journalist who had covered an attack in Iraq by U.S. soldiers on a vehicle carrying three generations of Iraqi civilians. More than ten years later, at the request of the soldier who killed the civilians, the journalist will try to arrange what will be an emotional encounter between the perpetrator and the victims.

THE IDIOT(S)

Dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert

Poland, Germany

A highly unorthodox and likely largely fictionalized account of what Fyodor Dostoevsky’s life might have been like while he was attempting to write what would become his magnum opus, The Idiot. Consumed by gambling and alcohol, the writer is said to have led a very tragic life. The novel was indeed published, but it did not achieve significant success until after the author’s death. It is not a particularly interesting film, either in terms of its story or its narrative.

THE AWARDS

Some of the major awards presented by the festival this year:

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS

GENERAL FEATURE: La bola negra (Dir. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Spain)

INTERNATIONAL: Elsinore (Dir. Simon Stone, United Kingdom)

DOCUMENTARY: Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been (Dir. Barry Avrich, Canada)

MIDNIGHT MADNESS: Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney (Dir. Matthew Rankin, Canada)

PLATFORM

Angh (Dir. Theja Rio, India)

FIFRESCI

Ancestors (Dir. David Turpin, Ireland, United Kingdom)

NETPAC (ASIAN FILMS)

Thirteen in Gaza (Dir. Hosam Abu Dam, Palestine)

NEXT EDITION

The 2027 edition of TIFF will take place from September 9 to 19 next year.