TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | "Private," "Lars," and "Young Girls" Offer Troubled Youth; "Besieged Fortress" Doc Shows War in Nature

Frustrated youth form the centerpieces of several smaller films at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, and a few bigger ones, too--although even those entries come from filmmakers currently in nascent stages of their careers. "Nothing is Private," a late festival feature purchased by Warner Independent and focused on the discomfiting sexual awakening of a Persian-American teenager, marks the directorial debut of Alan Ball, whose was the creator of the HBO television series "Six Feet Under" and wrote the screenplay for "American Beauty." Ball's screenplay for "Private" frequently confuses depravity for dark humor, and it's hard to tell what the film is trying to say and at what points it intends to be taken seriously. Still, it's easy to see audiences take a liking to the story--which involves young Jasira (Summer Bishil) and her taboo-soaked sexual encounters (including a few with a next door neighbor played by Aaron Eckhart)--since its main provocations suggest an unholy marriage of "American Beauty" and "American Pie."
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TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Dylan, Who, Lou Reed Music Fims Rock, "Margot" Is Bittersweet, Lumet Thrills

Rock flicks, crime thrillers, domestic melodramas, political statements and cult auteurs--the panoply of genres and styles at Toronto is an evergreen achievement befitting one of the very best international festivals. But this year's edition delivered an especially heady cross-pollination that made certain themes and ideas reverberate more than they would by themselves. Take music: a trio of films with completely different approaches to Bob Dylan, The Who and Lou Reed were rhapsodic viewing in tandem. Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," easily one of the best and most ambitious films of the year, fragments the many chapters of the folk-rock troubadour's life and reshuffles the cards to form a fascinating meditation on identity and personal responsibility, transforming the pop prophet's intimidating, cryptic life into a deeply empathetic and surprisingly accessible journey.
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TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Discovery Section A Mixed Bag; "King of the Hill" and "Cocochi" Shine

Containing fourteen films from a dozen countries, the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival is like a miniature festival on its own. Yet the ambiguous definition of the section's title, rather than the cultural range of the program, suggests the nature of its content. Technically, Discovery is programmed as a means of showcasing emerging talent and searching for future success stories--but, based on this year's line up, it could also refer to the categorical experiments conducted by beginning filmmakers. Several of the films rely on specific technical or narrative-based techniques, as though the creators are exploring (and hence "discovering") the potential of their medium. Predictably enough, the result is a mixed bag, but not without a few gems.
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TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Canadian Filmmakers Cronenberg and Maddin Shine, Greenaway Makes A Comeback with "Nightwatching"

It's impossible to be everything to everyone, right? Not if you're the Toronto International Film Festival, which has heartily served the insatiable cinematic needs of North American studios, stars, press, programmers and movie-mad civilians for more than 30 years. Safely vaccinated with the cream of the crop from Berlin, Cannes and Venice, the festival of festivals is perennially immune to having a disastrous year. The trick, of course, is to make the world premieres as memorable as all those other international festival faves. And at the halfway point, this year's edition has a trio of Canadian native sons holding that maple leaf high.
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TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Midnight Madness Mixed, With Duds "Sukiyaki," "Frontier(s)," Standouts "Dainipponjin" and "Inside"

With The Toronto International Film Festival, being as large and prestigious as it is, its no surprise that their Midnight Madness lineup would be one of the more varied and sophisticated programs out there. In a program containing new works for classic cult directors like Dario Argento, George Romero and Takashi Miike, there's bound to be some high points and some duds along the way. Cops, cowboys, Nazis, zombies and drug-hungry nurses all come out to play, and some of it is not pretty.
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Two New Documentaries Feature Filmmakers Focusing on Their Fathers

At this year's Toronto International Film Festival two very different documentaries celebrated their world premieres, each with a similar premise -- a filmmaker son turns the lens to his father in a quest to understand and honor their complicated relationship. Thomas Allen Harris' "Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela: A Son's Tribute to Unsung Heroes" looks at a stepfather who tried to balance being a leading member of the African National Congress with his paternal duties, while Doug Block's "51 Birch Street" explores a father's complicated relationship with his wife, his children, and a woman from his past.

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Critics Diary: New And Noteworthy At Toronto '05

Until last week, this year's Oscar frontrunner looked to be a leftover from last year's Toronto International Film Festival. Though a startling number of critics have gotten behind "Crash," I belong to the equally outspoken contingent that can't stand Paul Haggis' hateration ensemble, with its condescendingly simple-minded "racism is bad" message and the manipulative emotional theatrics it uses to hammer it home. But as Toronto 2005 draws to a close, I'm pleased to report that I've seen enough top-notch entries here that "Crash" should be a non-issue come Oscar-time.
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Critics Diary: Romance, Cigarettes, Capote, and an Irish Transvestite

Romance and cigarettes. You could make a compelling case that those two ingredients are what the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival is all about. Romance, of course, remains the age-old standby. As for cigarettes, it seems like everyone's lighting up on screen these days (everyone, that is, except the characters in "Thank You for Smoking," a satire in which Aaron Eckhart plays an unscrupulous tobacco lobbyist). In keeping with the theme, it seems only fitting that John Turturro's new film, "Romance and Cigarettes," should kick off the latest round of award-worthy performances worth pointing out at the festival.
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Critics Diary: Adaptations, "Pride & Prejudice," "Bee Season," "Tristram Shandy," "Everything Is Illuminated"

When it comes to spotting awards contenders at the Toronto International Film Festival, it helps to start by finding the films that started off as books. Adaptations don't always make the best movies, but at least you have a pretty good idea of what you're in for. Take "Pride & Prejudice", for example. Focus Features just unveiled an intoxicating new version of Jane Austen's beloved novel starring Keira Knightely that stands a fair shot at a Best Picture nomination (insofar as it's better than a couple of last year's Best Picture nominees, although it remains to be seen what competition the fall season holds).
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Critics Diary: Reese & Charlize, "Walk the Line" and "North Country"

It's a strange thing being only two weeks into September and feeling fairly certain that at least one major category of the Oscar race is already over, done, and decided. Then again, that's the nature of the Toronto International Film Festival, where the press and public get their first look at the year's top award contenders. Consider the response to Jamie Foxx in "Ray" at last year's festival, then imagine the same momentum applied to the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line", which premieres today in Toronto. However, it's not Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Cash with the single-minded focus of a runaway train, but co-star Reese Witherspoon who steals the show, and if the Academy is listening, they might as well go ahead and give her the award.
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Critics Diary: The 'O Word', "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"

As always, the "O word" is on everybody's lips at the Toronto International Film Festival. It's still a bit early in the festival to start calling favorites, but as far as this critic is concerned, Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" and Tommy Lee Jones' "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" lead the pack so far. For those with their eyes on awards season, both films have already enjoyed their first round of accolades, with Jones roping best actor honors at Cannes and Lee fresh from wrangling the Golden Lion in Venice.
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