TIFF Digest: Part 8
Eden
A darkly comic tale of murder and survival, focusing on an eclectic group of characters who abandon civilization for the Galápagos Islands. They are all searching for the answer to that ever-pressing question that plagues us all: what is the meaning of life?
My list of favorite working filmmakers is in a constant state of flux, whether that be with new additions and emerging talent or because of others dropping off and slowly fading into irrelevancy and obscurity. Like most great rock bands or well-run professional sports teams, film directors seem to have a shelf life in the public consciousness, meaning they peak at some point if they're truly great at what they do before they gradually disappear. Those filmmakers who truly persist are rare and worth studying, even if they aren't your cup of tea. I say this with the utmost respect, but Ron Howard just won't go away. After peaking in the mid-90s and early 2000s as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, Howard has spent the last 25 years moving from one project to the next, trying new things, and always finding a way to keep his name in the mix. Since A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2002, he has made a dozen movies, including a handful of literary adaptations, a couple of sports movies, and a Star Wars movie (to name just a few). Many of these movies have been Oscar-baity in attempt to recapture some prestige and acclaim he previous enjoyed; many others have been designed to make do good business at the box office, tell a story he's particularly interested in, or come in as a steady, competent hand when called upon. His two most recent films, Hillbilly Elegy and Thirteen Lives, came out as direct-to-streaming options, the former of which I enjoyed quite a bit (I will not be addressing the latter here and now or ever again hopefully). Why am I walking through the last twenty-five years of Howard's filmography? Well, I do think it's relevant when answering the question of whether or not I liked Eden, his most recent film that premiered at TIFF and stars a slew of talented and interesting performers including but not limited to Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, Sydney Sweeney, and Ana de Armas. First off, if you're wondering whether or not Ron Howard is still a relevant filmmaker, I suggest you re-read that list of names. Whether it be the material or the director, I'm confident in saying that Eden is not only a high-profile movie but a buzzy one at that. The film is a survival thriller based on the true story of a few European settlers arriving at Floreana Island, in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. I'm not going to talk about the film's plotting or story details, because this is one of those cases where I think less is more for the audience. What I will say is that I truly had a great time watching Eden. Maybe that's not because it's a masterwork or something that will gravitate towards the center of movie culture, but I genuinely believe that with this film (and perhaps starting with Thirteen Lives), Howard has landed a late-career bump in my estimation. Eden is far from perfect and perhaps less than the sum of its parts, but it is a flashy movie with a lot of moves and a lot of ideas on its brain. I'm not sure it all comes together, but it did hold my attention and challenged my overall opinion on the trajectory of Howard going forward.
Conclave
After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.
I can say without hesitation or reservation that Edward Berger's latest film is one of my favorite films that I saw at TIFF this year. As the follow-up to his Oscar-winning German epic anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, Berger sets his sights on directing the adaptation of the 2016 novel by Robert Harris of the same name, Conclave, a mystery papal thriller that has more to say about politicking than most modern political thrillers do. The film is set in the context of the death of a pope and the subsequent papal conclave to elect his successor. To be honest, that's all you really need to know to get started! I'm not going into anymore details because I will certainly not be the reason why something in this film gets spoiled for you. There is a lot to love about what Berger not only attempts but pulls off with Conclave. First, the film is an on-the-nose two-hour film that moves with such pace and rhythm that it might've felt fifteen minutes shorter than it is. How often do things get drawn out where you really feel the runtime (in a bad way)? Second, while I know very little about the maneuverings of the Catholic Church (in particular the goings on at the very tippy top of power), this film does a great job of imagining what the behind-the-scenes may actually look and feel like. Whenever a film can pull back the curtain and bring you into a world this convincingly, it is hard not to be impressed by the filmmaking prowess and confidence in its storytelling. What stands out the most for me (not to shortchange the acting which I'll get to in a minute), is the visual flair and keen eye for imagery that Berger brings to the project. This is one of my favorite things that can happen when a director who can aptly handle a big-budget film with a lot of set pieces and moving parts sets their eyes on telling something stripped of the scope but gives it a gravitas and professionalism that feels polished and stylish. He may even be over-qualified to be in charge here, but I for one am truly glad he was all in on elevating this pulpy material into something rich and propulsive. I expect to see Berger only go up from here, but I hope that regardless of what he does next, he continues working with his excellent behind-the-scenes craftspeople and makes a point of carving out time to tackle projects like this. Lastly, I have to acknowledge at least the murder's row of talented performers in this film — Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini all bring their best stuff to this one. While everyone is fantastic, Fiennes is and will be the one to seriously get into the mix for an Academy Award nomination. For someone who is always great forever, it is absurd to think that he's only been nominated for an Oscar twice and has never won (where both times the film he was nominated for won Best Picture). Regardless of how things shake out, I am confident saying that Conclave will be in the mix, as will Fiennes (and maybe some others?) — who knew a quiet papal thriller could make this much noise?
Viktor
A uniquely intimate portrait of a Deaf person’s experience of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
From director and veteran war photographer Olivier Sarbil comes Viktor, a documentary that offers a micro and macro perspective on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film follows the titular Viktor, a deaf Ukrainian photographer living with his mother in Kharkiv during the invasion. Due to his different abilities, Viktor has left him on the sidelines of the conflict despite him wanting to serve in the Ukrainian military to fight for his country. That soon changes when Viktor begins volunteering as a photographer, and he begins capturing the overwhelming destruction and hardship that war has brought to his home. Viktor is a challenging film shot in black-and-white that presents its viewers with a wide array of thematic ideas to engage with head on. The sounds of war are inescapably loud, and through Viktor's muffled hearing his world sometimes feels quietly removed from some of the chaos while also feeling even more at risk. Sarbil brings Viktor to life on screen, presenting a complicated man navigating a dangerous world, where art and journalism clash with geopolitical warfare at its worst. Viktor is also in conversation with the influx of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing that have taken center stage of the film world in recent years, including the mega blockbuster A Quiet Place, the Best Picture-winning CODA, and Sound of Metal, whose Oscar-winning sound design team also worked on Sarbil's film. The attention to detail in how Viktor's world is communicated is effective and helps the audience get a better feel for what it is seemingly like to live your life this way. However, what I respected most is that the film is not just a piece of geopolitical propaganda catering to the film community. To his credit, Sarbil presents Viktor as a complicated man, not a victim, nor a martyr. His deafness does not define him but it does present both obstacles and opportunities alike. He is in some ways a product of his environment, and some his deeply held beliefs and ideologies stand in contrast to what many viewers might believe themselves. All that said, Viktor does what any great documentary should attempt to do — it has a story to tell and finds a way to bring its audience in, not shut it out.
Heretic
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
This was my festival closer! What's better than wrapping things up with a late-night horror premiere? Co-directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods comes the A24 psychological horror film Heretic, starring Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes, Chloe East as Sister Paxton respectively, and in a so bizarre it works heel turn from Hugh Grant, who plays Mr. Reed. I purposely went into this screening knowing very little about what the film was about, which I do believe helped my viewing experience in this case. It's easier now than ever to let your expectations dictate your feelings mid- and post-movie, especially when it is a genre film built on suspense and surprises. Let me start by saying that Heretic is certainly one of the talkiest horror movies I've ever seen, particularly in the first half of the runtime. It is far from uncommon for a film like this to have a lot of expository setup and thematic situating, but Heretic takes that sort of table setting much, much further in both good and bad ways. I've seen the film described as a piece of chamber horror, which I think brilliantly captures the mood and structure the filmmakers are going for. After the two young missionaries are somewhere between awkwardly stuck and legitimately trapped in Mr. Reed's orbit of semantics and philosophical sparring, the film lets Grant cook and jabber on and on and on. A lot of what he says is interesting — it always makes for a more entertaining movie when the villain makes some good points! And just as Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are trying to impart their beliefs to others, Mr. Reed flips the script and begins to slowly chip away at their own beliefs and the very reason why they found themselves in this position in the first place. As a piece of chamber horror, I think Heretic is pretty effective and worthwhile. Admittedly, I lost interest after about the 50-minute mark when I realized that this labyrinth of points Mr. Reed was playing around with started to spin its tires. In an effort to avoid spoilers, part of me wonders whether or not the film would've worked better if it really stuck to it's one-location promise that the characters settle into when they first meet Mr. Reed. The film kind of felt like it was in conversation with too many ideas and too many other films to really convince me it had something to say beyond, "don't be an asshole no matter how many people knock on your door trying to sell you something." Performance-wise I thought both Thatcher and East really nailed their parts; as for Grant, I could tell he was having a great time chewing up every line delivery and relishing in the opportunity to play against type.
