TIFF 2020 Film Reviews Portal

ALL OF MY 2020 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL COVERAGE IN ONE PLACE

My coverage of 2020’s Toronto International Film Festival begins here! One of the most prestigious film festivals, TIFF is a major predictor of Academy Awards success, screening some of the best films the world has to offer. From documentaries to dramas to its horror-leaning Midnight Madness slate, TIFF is a cinematic experience unlike any other. This year marks my first year as accredited press, and I’m so excited to be able to review a selection of films from the festival. You can find my entire coverage here. All reviews in viewing order…

One Night in Miami

My TIFF 2020 coverage starts here! Regina King, in her first full-length feature, crafts a dialogue-driven triumph grounded by evocative performances, powerful debate, and a gripping timeliness. Following four Black icons of the 20th Century as they navigate the winds of change in a semi-fictional meeting of the minds, One Night in Miami hews close to its stage play roots, translating Kemp Powers’ theater into rousing, intimate cinema. Read my full review here.

Pieces of a Woman

Vanessa Kirby shines in Kornél Mundruczó’s and Kata Wéber’s Pieces of a Woman, a devastating drama that details the act of living in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. The film finds considerable buoyancy in its awards-worthy performances, but struggles to escape the shadow of its searing single-take opening scene. Unable to commit to its most powerful thread, Pieces of a Woman flounders in its scattered and callow narratives. Read my full review here.

Violation

One of only three titles in TIFF’s Midnight Madness slate this year, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s Violation is a haunting and disturbing deconstruction of the rape-revenge genre. Exacting to watch and remarkably complex, the film eschews formula and withholds catharsis to chilling effect, delivering a horror experience that is as harrowing as it is challenging. Read my full review here.

Shadow in the Cloud

With its nonsensical story, unlikeable characters, and tawdry effects, Shadow in the Cloud is a flight better off grounded. Chloë Grace Moretz does her best to anchor this installment of TIFF’s Midnight Madness, but it’s mostly a weightless and messy endeavor that squanders its potential. Read my full review here.

Nomadland

A vérité mix of fiction and documentary, Chloé Zhao’s enthralling Nomadland captures a lost sliver of American life. Frances McDormand is astounding as the understated Fern, bringing a quiet dignity to one of the most soulful performances of the year. Nomadland jettisons melodrama and traditional narrative tensions, choosing instead to explore life on the road with lightly-fictionalized versions of real-life nomads. A graceful elegy and a hopeful portrait, Nomadland - like Zhao’s The Rider before it - is a new standard for the American western. Read my full review here.