TIFF ’21 ‘The Guilty’ Review

By: Amanda Guarragi Antoine Fuqua’s The Guilty has him reuniting with Jake Gyllenhaal in a tension-filled situational thriller. As a wildfire rages towards Los Angeles, after getting demoted ahead of his disciplinary hearing, police officer Joe Bayler (Jake Gyllenhaal) is winding down from a chaotic but tedious shift answering emergency calls. His evening is soon interrupted by a cryptic call from a woman (Riley Keough) … Continue reading TIFF ’21 ‘The Guilty’ Review

TIFF ’21: ‘Bergman Island’ Review

By: Amanda Guarragi Ingmar Bergman is one of the best filmmakers of all time. The way he presented life with all it’s flaws, darkness, trauma, and horrors is something that he brought to the screen so well. Cinema served as a stage for hauntings of the soul and battles against psychological and spiritual demons for Bergman. So to have an entire island dedicated to his … Continue reading TIFF ’21: ‘Bergman Island’ Review

TIFF ’21: ‘Violet’ Review

By: Amanda Guarragi Justine Bateman’s directorial feature debut has rich experimental elements and an internal dialogue that all women can relate to. Olivia Munn stars as Violet, a Los Angeles–based film executive, who has worked extremely hard to gain status in an industry still dominated by older white men. Nowhere is this more apparent than in her relationship to her boss (Dennis Boutsikaris), who exerts … Continue reading TIFF ’21: ‘Violet’ Review

TIFF ’21: ‘Memoria’ Review

By: Amanda Guarragi Apichatpong Weerasethakul Memoria is beautifully striking in its landscapes, as he delivers a character-driven story, about human connectivity through archaeological study. How truly connected are we to this world? How many generations have passed through us. From stories that are passed down through generations, or studying the actual land ancestors walked on, the human connection runs deep. Memoria centres on Jessica (Tilda Swinton), … Continue reading TIFF ’21: ‘Memoria’ Review

TIFF ’21: ‘Mothering Sunday’ Review

By: Amanda Guarragi Director Eva Husson’s Mothering Sunday is a period piece that explores the meaning of love and friendship. Jane (Odessa Young) works as a maid for the Nivens (Olivia Colman and Colin Firth), an aging home counties couple who, like so many other families, lost their sons on the battlefields of the First World War. Jane is having a secret affair with Paul … Continue reading TIFF ’21: ‘Mothering Sunday’ Review