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Fantasia International Film Festival · 2019

Fantasia International Film Festival 2019

Features

Programme

130 films · 56 reviews

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15 Minutes Of War (L'Intervention)

In 1976 Djibouti, a special unit try to children held hostage on a school bus.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Fred Grivois; Writer: Ileana Epsztajn, Fred Grivois, Jérémie Guez; Stars: Alban Lenoir, Olga Kurylenko, Sébastien Lalanne, David Murgia, Michaël Abiteboul, Guillaume Labbé, Ben Cura, Vincent Perez, Josiane Balasko, Kevin Layne, Andre Pierre, Salomé Guerreau, Yanisse Lrhorfi, Macéo Timmerman-Gabet, Nabil Azoufi)

Canadian premiere

1BR (Apartment 1BR)

Review preview for 1BR

Marmor resists the temptation to over-explain, yet every time you think you see a way out, some new confounding factor will emerge.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Terror in an apartment complex.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: David Marmor; Writer: David Marmor; Stars: Giles Matthey, Alan Blumenfeld, Taylor Nichols, Andrea Gabriel, Mark Krenik)

Full review See: Interview with David Marmor about 1BR, part two , Interview with David Marmor about 1BR

World premiere

21st Century Girl

An anthology of 15 shorts on the theme of gender and intimacy.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Yûka Eda, Aya Igashi; Stars: Ai Hashimoto, Sairi Itô, Erika Karata)

North American premiere

8

An old man, fated to collect souls for eternity, seeks atonement after trading his daughter's soul.

(Country: South Africa; Year: 2019; Director: Harold Holscher; Writer: Harold Holscher; Stars: Inge Beckmann, Garth Breytenbach, Keita Luna, Tashmano Sebe, Chris April)

World premiere

Alien Crystal Palace

Review preview for Alien Crystal Palace

This is a mess. An ambitious mess...but mess nonetheless.

Jane Fae · 2 out of 5
A crazy scientist is on a quest to create a new, immaculate, androgynous being.

(Country: France; Year: 2018; Director: Arielle Dombasle; Writer: Florian Bernas, Arielle Dombasle; Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Asia Argento, Arielle Dombasle, Nicolas Ker, Michel Fau)

Full review

North American premiere

Almost A Miracle (Machida's World)

A schoolboy develops a crush on the schoolmate who helps him after he's injured.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Yûya Ishii; Writer: Yûya Ishii, based on the manga by Yuki Andô; Stars: Kanata Hosoda, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Takanori Iwata, Atsuko Maeda)

North American premiere

American Fighter

A desperate teenager is forced into the dangerous world of underground fighting to win enough money to save his ailing mother. He finds out what he's made of in the face of these violent hungry competitors.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Shaun Paul Piccinino; Writer: Carl Morris, Shaun Paul Piccinino; Stars: Bryan Craig, Tommy Flanagan, Sean Patrick Flanery, Christine Moore)

World premiere

And Your Bird Can Sing (Kimi No Tori Wa Utaeru)

Sleepless nights and restless days in Hakodate.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Shô Miyake; Writer: Shô Miyake, based on the book by Yasushi Satô; Stars: Tasuku Emoto, Shizuka Ishibashi, Shôta Sometani)

Canadian premiere

Another Child

Two teenage girls struggle through their dysfunctional parents' affair.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Yoon-Seok Kim)

Canadian premiere

The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz

Review preview for The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz

Dreyfuss is a force of nature. His energy is boundless, his eyes sparkle with ideas, he runs (not walks), he gushes (not speaks), he laughs like a hyena.

Monica Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
The ambitions of an energetic young Jewish Canadian in Montreal, 1948.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1974; Director: Ted Kotcheff; Writer: Mordecai Richler, based on the novel by Mordecai Richler; Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Micheline Lanctot, Jack Warden, Randy Quaid, Joseph Wiseman, Denholm Elliott)

Full review

Aquaslash

A water park becomes the backdrop to a bloodbath... and everyone is a suspect.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Renaud Gauthier; Writer: Renaud Gauthier; Stars: Brittany Drisdelle, Nick Walker, Xavier Sotelo, Lanisa Dawn, Jessica Abruzzese, Samantha Hodhod, Ryan Ali, Jonathan Emond, Paul Zinno, Chip Chuipka, Suzanna Lenir, Howard Rosenstein, Nicolas Fontaine, Madeline Harvey, Cameron Geller)

World premiere

The Art Of Self-Defense (The Art Of Self Defence, The Art Of Self Defense)

Review preview for The Art Of Self-Defense

For those who get into the rhythm of it, this is an instant classic.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
After being beaten up on the street, an accountant joins a karate studio to learn how to protect himself.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Riley Stearns; Writer: Riley Stearns; Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, Phillip Andre Botello, Caroline Amiguet, Apollo Bacala, Jason Burkey, Justin Eaton, Dallas Edwards, Will Ellis Jr, Josh Fadem, John French, Darren Gaebel, Scott Goodman, Mocha, Roman)

Full review See: Alessandro Nivola in conversation on The Art Of Self-Defense and The Red Sea Diving Resort

Quebec premiere

Astronaut

Review preview for Astronaut

Astronaut is a charming fable given life by Dreyfuss' spirited performance.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A lonely widower's dream of going into space is reignited by a nationwide contest.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Shelagh McLeod; Writer: Shelagh McLeod; Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Lyriq Bent, Colm Feore, Krista Bridges, Art Hindle, Richie Lawrence, Graham Greene, Jennifer Phipps, Joan Gregson, Mimi Kuzyk, Paulino Nunes, Colin Mochrie, Karen LeBlanc, Lori Hallier, Maria Ricossa)

Full review See: Interview with Shelagh McLeod about Astronaut

North American premiere

Away

A boy and a little bird are on a journey across a strange island trying to get back home.

(Country: Latvia; Year: 2019; Director: Gints Zilbalodis; Writer: Gints Zilbalodis)

North American premiere

Black Magic For White Boys

Gentrification, race, and bodily autonomy in New York City.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Onur Tukel; Writer: Onur Tukel; Stars: Franck Raharinosy, Gesley Alexis, Bar Bar, Jami Block, Deni Bodzarova)

International premiere

Bliss

In need of creative inspiration, a professionally stagnant and hard-partying Los Angeles artist recklessly indulges in a series of drug binges. As the narcotics fly out of control, so does her newfound and inexplicable, yet unquenchable, craving for blood.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Joe Begos; Writer: Joe Begos; Stars: Dora Madison, Tru Collins, Rhys Wakefield, Jeremy Gardner, Graham Skipper, Chris McKenna, Rachel Avery, Mark Beltzman, George Wendt, Abraham Benrubi, Jesse Merlin, Matt Mercer, Josh Ethier, Jackson Birnbaum, Susan Slaughter)

Canadian premiere

Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death Of Al Adamson (Sick! Savage! Sensual! The Reel Life And Ghastly Death Of Al Adamson)

Review preview for Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death Of Al Adamson

A touching story of commonplace horror wrapped up in the trappings on Tinseltown, this is a thoroughly researched and carefully assembled piece of work that will intrigues fans of the director and newcomers alike.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A documentary about the uncommon life and unthinkable murder of the legendary no-budget exploitation filmmaker and the communities he inhabited in Seventies California.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: David Gregory; Stars: Al Adamson, Stevee Ashlock, John Bloom)

Full review

World premiere

Blood On Her Name

Review preview for Blood On Her Name

Lind is compelling in the lead.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A woman's panicked decision to cover up an accidental killing spins out of control when her conscience demands she return the dead man's body to his family.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Matthew Pope; Writer: Don M Thompson, Matthew Pope; Stars: Bethany Anne Lind, Will Patton, Elisabeth Röhm)

Full review

World premiere

The Boxer's Omen (Mo)

While in Thailand to avenge his brother who was crippled in a fight with a corrupt Thai boxer, a man gets caught up in a web of fate, Buddhism and black magic.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 1983; Director: Chih-Hung Kuei; Writer: Chih-Hung Kuei, On Szeto; Stars: Phillip Ko, Shao-Yen Lin, Kar-Man Wai)

Brave Father Online: Our Story Of Final Fantasy XIV

A young man tries to connect with his troubled workaholic father by encouraging him to play Final Fantasy XIV and interacting with him anonymously online.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Teruo Noguchi; Writer: Kôta Fukihara; Stars: Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kôtarô Yoshida)

International premiere

Cencoroll Connect

Surreal teen drama about a boy and his monster.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Atsuya Uki; Writer: Atsuya Uki; Stars: Hiro Shimono, Ryohei Kimura, Natsumi Takamori, Kenji Akabane)

Canadian premiere

Chiwawa (Chiwawa-Chan)

In Tokyo, Chiwawa is a popular girl. One day, her dead body is found in pieces in Tokyo Bay. Her friends gather to remember her, but they realise they do not know anything about her like her real name or her background.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Ken Ninomiya; Writer: Ken Ninomiya, based on the manga by Kyôko Okazaki; Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Kotone Furukawa, Mugi Kadowaki, Taikô Katôno, Chiaka Kuriyama, Honoka Matsumoto)

North American premiere

Come To Daddy

Review preview for Come To Daddy

This is one film that's really going to test the mettle of Wood's mainstream fanbase.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
After receiving a cryptic letter from his estranged father, Norval travels to his dad’s oceanfront home for what he hopes will be a positive experience. If only he’d known the dark truth about his old man beforehand.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Ant Timpson; Writer: Toby Harvard; Stars: Elijah Wood, Madeleine Sami, Stephen McHattie, Ona Grauer, Michael Smiley, Martin Donovan, Raresh DiMofte, Garfield Wilson, Simon Chin, Alla Rouba)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Critters Attack!

Review preview for Critters Attack!

A cheery little romp with the right balance of cuteness, comedy and gore.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A babysitter takes her young charges on a hike, unaware that mysterious alien critters have crash landed and started devouring every living thing they encounter.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Bobby Miller; Writer: Scott Lobdell, Domonic Muir; Stars: Tashiana Washington, Dee Wallace, Jaeden Noel, Jack Fulton, Ava Preston)

Full review

World premiere

The Crow

Review preview for The Crow

Full of gothic visuals and brooding melancholy, the bleak gloom is striking.

Stephen Carty · 3 out of 5
A restless soul comes back from the dead to seek vengeance.

(Country: US; Year: 1994; Director: Alex Proyas; Writer: James O'Barr, David J. Schow, John Shirley; Stars: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Ling Bai, Tony Todd)

Full review

Culture Shock

This thriller follows a young Mexican woman in pursuit of the American Dream, who crosses illegally into the United States, only to find herself in an American nightmare.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Gigi Saul Guerrero; Writer: James Benson, Efrén Hernández; Stars: Martha Higareda, Richard Cabral, Shawn Ashmore)

International premiere

Dachra

Review preview for Dachra

This is an unusually clever piece of genre cinema which also resonates emotionally.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A group of journalism students discover a hidden tribal society that has cultivated a way of life brimming with ancient practices and beliefs, rituals and blood.

(Country: Tunisia; Year: 2018; Director: Abdelhamid Bouchnak; Writer: Abdelhamid Bouchnak; Stars: Hela Ayed, Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jbali)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Dance With Me (Dansu Wizu Mê)

After being hypnotised, an ambitious financier is compelled to dance whenever she hears any kind of music.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Shinobu Yaguchi; Writer: Shinobu Yaguchi; Stars: Chay, Takahiro Miura, Ayaka Miyoshi, Tsuyoshi Muro)

Quebec premiere

Daniel Isn't Real

Review preview for Daniel Isn't Real

Schwarzenegger handles his role with a restraint unusual in actors his age, so that even viewers with a strong sense of what's coming will warm to him or wonder how bad he can really be.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A troubled college freshman, Luke, suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer; Writer: Brian DeLeeuw, Adam Egypt Mortimer; Stars: Miles Robbins, Sasha Lane, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hannah Marks)

Full review See: Interview with Sasha Lane about Daniel Isn't Real

Canadian premiere

Dare To Stop Us (Tomerareru Ka, Oretach O)

A young woman joins the team at a production company making films for young people, where everyone is living a hedonistic lifestyle in 1969.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Kazuya Shiraishi; Writer: Jun'ichi Inoue; Stars: Kisetsu Fujiwara, Ku Ijima, Arata Iura, Mugi Kadowaki)

Canadian premiere

Darlin'

Review preview for Darlin'

Lauryn Canny is stunning in the central role, easily adopting the same body language that Mcintosh has used continually to break away from conditioned patterns of movement and take up space.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A sequel to The Woman in which a feral teenage girl is taken into strict Catholic care and prepared for her First Holy Communion.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Pollyanna McIntosh; Writer: Pollyanna McIntosh, Jack Ketchum; Stars: Pollyanna McIntosh, Cooper Andrews, Nora-Jane Noone, Eugenie Bondurant, Brian Batt, Lauren Ashley Carter)

Full review See: Interview with Pollyanna McIntosh about Darlin

Canadian premiere

Day And Night

The son of a whistleblower who was driven to suicide meets a petty criminal who looks after orphans and is inspired to step outside the law in pursuit of revenge.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Michihito Fujii; Stars: Shin'nosuke Abe, Masanobu Andô, Yasushi Fuchikami)

Canadian premiere

Dead Dicks

After Becca receives a distressing call from her suicidal brother Richie, she rushes over to his apartment and finds him alive and well - surrounded by copies of his own dead body.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Chris Bavota, Lee Paula Springer; Writer: Chris Bavota, Lee Paula Springer; Stars: Heston Horwin, Jillian Harris, Matt Keyes, Kristina Sandev)

World premiere

Decoder

A burger shop employee discovers that by changing the background music from pleasantly calming to industrial noise music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government.

(Country: Germany; Year: 1984; Director: Muscha; Writer: Klaus Maeck; Stars: FM Einheit, William Rice, Christiane Felscherinow, William S Burroughs)

World premiere

The Deeper You Dig

Review preview for The Deeper You Dig

The tight-knit production unit brings natural chemistry to the film.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Driving home drunk one snowy Catskills night, Kurt Miller accidentally kills 14 year-old Echo Allen sledding in the dark. As Kurt desperately tries to cover up the crime and his tracks, Echo's mother is looking for her missing child - and her child is looking for her.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Toby Poser, John Adams; Stars: Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams, Shawn Wilson)

Full review

World premiere

Depraved

Review preview for Depraved

At the centre of the film, Breaux is superb, not only capturing the pathos vital to the monster but carrying him through the long, slow process of cognitive development and emotional realisation without ever striking a false note.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A disillusioned field surgeon suffering from PTSD makes a man out of body parts and brings him to life in a Brooklyn loft.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Larry Fessenden; Writer: Larry Fessenden; Stars: David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux, Ans Kayne)

Full review

Canadian premiere

The Divine Fury

Review preview for The Divine Fury

With beautifully choreographed fight scenes intercut with gentle comedy and character-focused drama, this film takes viewers on a thrilling ride.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An Ultimate Fighting champion with a tragic past that has stripped him of his religious faith meets a charismatic priest who draws him into the dangerous world of exorcism.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Kim Joo-hwan; Writer: Kim Joo-hwan; Stars: Park Seo-Joon, Ahn Sung-Ki, Woo Do-Hwan, Choi Woo-sik)

Full review

Door Lock (Do-eo-lak)

Review preview for Door Lock

This is a film full of little observations about the sort of things that women learn to be wary of but men are often blind to.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A woman wakes up one night in her one room apartment to hear somebody trying to force open the door.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Kwon Lee; Writer: Park Jung-Hee, Kwon Lee; Stars: Hyo-Jin Kong, Ye-Won Kim, Seong-oh Kim)

Full review

North American premiere

Dreadout: Tower Of Hell

Review preview for Dreadout: Tower Of Hell

It's all fun and games until somebody decides to read ancient manuscripts aloud.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A group of young people keen to look good on social media break into an abandoned apartment and accidentally open a portal to another realm.

(Country: Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore; Year: 2019; Director: Kimo Stamboel; Writer: Kimo Stamboel; Stars: Caitlin Halderman, Jefri Nichol, Marsha Aruan, Ciccio Manassero, Susan Sameh, Irsyadillah, Miller Khan)

Full review

North American premiere

Dreamland

Review preview for Dreamland

Lavishly staged and shot with dazzling confidence, Dreamland segues easily between these glamorous spaces and the scummy streets and decaying hotel rooms of contemporary noir.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
On the night of the strangest wedding in cinema history, a grotesque gang boss hires a stone cold killer to bring him the finger of a fading, drug-addicted jazz legend.

(Country: US, Canada, Luxembourg, Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Bruce McDonald; Writer: Tony Burgess, Patrick Whistler; Stars: Juliette Lewis, Henry Rollins, Stephen McHattie, Tómas Lemarquis, Lisa Houle)

Full review

North American premiere

The Dude In Me

A teenager and a gangster inadvertently swap bodies.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Kang Hyo-jin)

Canadian premiere

Extra Ordinary

Rose, a small-town driving instructor, must use her supernatural talent to save a local teenager from a washed-up rockstar who is using her in a Satanic pact which he hopes will reignite his fame.

(Country: Ireland, Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman; Writer: Mike Ahern, Demian Fox; Stars: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte)

Canadian premiere

Extreme Job

When a police narcotics team go undercover in a fried-chicken shop, they discover a surprising talent for cooking.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lee Byeong-heon; Writer: Bae Se-Young; Stars: Ryu Seung-yong, Lee Hanee)

The Fable

Review preview for The Fable

The film builds neatly, slowly to a serious turning point just past the half way mark. After that....you're on your own!

Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
A darkly comic portrait of an assassin who works for the yakuza.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Kan Eguchi; Writer: Watanabe Yusuke, based on the manga by Katsuhisa Minami; Stars: Jun'ichi Okada, Sôta Fukushi, Yûya Yagira, Osamu Mukai, Fumino Kimura)

Full review

Quebec premiere

The Father's Shadow (A Sombra Do Pai)

When a child is forced to become the house's adult because her father is sick and her mother is dead, there's an inversion in the natural order of things. Childhood becomes a saga. And the frustrated parenthood turns into a conviction.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2018; Director: Gabriela Amaral Almeida; Writer: Gabriela Amaral Almeida; Stars: Nina Medeiros, Julio Machado, Luciana Paes)

North American premiere

First Blood (Rambo: First Blood)

Review preview for First Blood

Stallone's energy and ambition knew no bounds in the Eighties.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
Sylvester Stallone in first Rambo movie.

(Country: US; Year: 1982; Director: Ted Kotcheff; Writer: Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone; Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, Chris Mulkey, John McLiam, Alf Humphreys, David Caruso, David L. Crowley)

Full review

Fly Me To The Saitama (Tonde Saitama)

In a world where people are discriminated against based on their birthplace, a resident of the much-reviled Saitama Prefecture embarks on a revolutionary campaign to improve things for his home.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Hideki Takeuchi; Writer: Tomokazu Tokunaga, based on the manga by Mineo Maya; Stars: Kumiko Asô, Gackt, Yûsuke Iseya)

Quebec premiere

Freaks

Review preview for Freaks

On a whole different level from most films of its ilk.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Seven-year-old Chloe's father tells her to adopt an assumed identity if she’s ever separated from him, or to hide in a well-provisioned panic room if he should not return from one of his forays outside. But Chloe is determined to find out what exactly lies outside the door he's frightened of.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2018; Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein; Writer: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein; Stars: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Lexy Kolker)

Full review See: Interview with Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein about Freaks

Quebec premiere

Full Contact (Xia Dao Gao Fei)

Two disreputable friends get tied in with a group of criminals who turn out to be excessively violent and deceptive.

(Country: Hong Kong, Thailand; Year: 1992; Director: Ringo Lam; Writer: Yin Nam; Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater)

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil

Review preview for The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil

The film may sometimes ramble but it's punctuated with action set pieces which combine great stunt work and a playful wit.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A gang boss survives an attack by a serial killer and works with a detective to try and track him down.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lee Won-Tae; Writer: Lee Won-Tae; Stars: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Moo-Yul, Kim Sung-Kyu)

Full review

Quebec premiere

Garo: Under The Moonbow

A man must board a train bound for the netherworld in a rescue attempt.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Keita Amemiya; Writer: Keita Amemiya; Stars: Natsumi Ishibashi, Atom Mizuishi, Masei Nakayama)

International premiere

Gintama 2: Rules Are Made To Be Broken (Gintama 2: Okite Wa Yaburu Tame Ni Koso Aru)

The Yorozuya gang returns to protect the country's shogun when the Shinsengumi police force finds itself in a crisis.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Yûichi Fukuda; Writer: Yûichi Fukuda, based on the manga by Hideaki Sorachi; Stars: Shun Oguri, Masaki Suda, Kanna Hashimoto)

North American premiere

A Good Woman Is Hard To Find

Review preview for A Good Woman Is Hard To Find

Beautifully observed and with a terrific central performance from Bolger, this is a film that takes a simple story and gives it real power.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A recently widowed young mother will go to any lengths to protect her children as she seeks the truth behind her husband's murder.

(Country: UK, Belgium, Ireland; Year: 2019; Director: Abner Pastoll; Writer: Roland Blaney; Stars: Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson)

Full review

Special advance screening

G Affairs (The Assassination Of G)

When the paths of a gifted female student, a cellist, an autistic teenager, a police officer, a prostitute, a teacher and a dog are entwined the very night a human head is discovered, attempting to crack the intriguing case leads to keywords all starting with the letter G.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2018; Director: Lee Cheuk-Pan; Writer: Chung-Yu Chiang; Stars: Hanna Chan, Lu Huang, Sen Lam)

Canadian premiere

Hard-Core

Two lonely treasure hunters befriend a robot and vow to change their lives.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita; Writer: Garon Tsuchiya, Takashi Imashiro; Stars: Takayuki Yamada, Takeru Satoh, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa)

Canadian premiere

Harpoon

Review preview for Harpoon

Held together by three impressive performances, with Tyra the standout, Harpoon deftly plays with audience assumptions and sympathies, exploiting our prejudices as each character gradually reveals hitherto unseen depths.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Rivalries, dark secrets, and sexual tension emerge when three best friends find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean under suspicious circumstances.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Rob Grant; Writer: Rob Grant, Mike Kovac; Stars: Munro Chambers, Emily Tyra, Christopher Gray)

Full review See: Interview with Rob Grant about Harpoon

Quebec premiere

His Bad Blood

A con artist left the tightly knit village on the day his wife gave birth. 30 years later, his traumatised son is chased because of him. They both end up sheltering in a church, knowing nothing about each other.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Koichiro Oyama; Writer: Koichiro Oyama, Fumiya Yasumoto; Stars: Ikkei Watanabe, Yu Toyama)

International premiere

Homewrecker

Review preview for Homewrecker

Flitting between the agonies of trying to be socially appropriate, real violence and frantic comedy, Homewrecker is a fast paced, character-driven film that will follow you around until you give it all of your attention.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A woman asks a stranger she meets at a yoga class to redecorate her home, then refuses to let her leave.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Zack Gayne; Writer: Zack Gayne; Stars: Alex Essoe, Precious Chong)

Full review

House Of Hummingbird

Review preview for House Of Hummingbird

House Of Hummingbird centres on a quiet yet never passive performance from Park, who draws us into Eun-hee's world as we watch her absorbing and processing the events going on around her.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
She roams the neighbourhood with her best friend, attempts to fall in love, is sent to the hospital with an unclear diagnosis. Untethered from the wider world, 14-year-old Eun-hee floats through Seoul.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Bora Kim; Writer: Bora Kim; Stars: Jeong In-gi, Kim Sae-byeok, ParkJi-hu, Lee Seung-Yeon)

Full review

Human Lost

A cyberpunk animé thriller.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Fuminori Kizaki)

Idol (Woo Sang)

Review preview for Idol

The challenging moral and psychological undercurrent that keeps it interesting as the primary narrative begins to flounder.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Politician Koo Myung-hui discovers his wife in the garage, cleaning their son’s bloodstained car. He has just run someone over.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lee Su-jin; Writer: Lee Su-jin; Stars: Han Seok-kyu, Sul Kyung-gu, Chun Woo-hee)

Full review

North American premiere

The Incredible Shrinking WKND

A woman falls into a timeloop that forces her to repeatedly relive the day of a sudden break-up.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Jon Mikel Caballero; Writer: Jon Mikel Caballero)

North American premiere

The Island Of Cats (Neko To Jiichan)

A 70-year-old widowed man named Daikichi, who lives on a small island with his beloved pet cat, has to contend with age and change.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Mitsuaki Iwagô; Writer: Fumi Tsubota, based on the manga by Nekomaki; Stars: Guin Poon Chaw, Tasuku Emoto, Shôno Hayama)

Quebec premiere

It Comes (Kuru)

Two years after hearing that he has a daughter he has never met, a man finds his house haunted and turns to a journalist with a clairvoyant girlfriend for help.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Tetsuya Nakashima; Writer: Hideto Iwai, Nobuhiro Monma; Stars: Jun'ichi Okada, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki)

Canadian premiere

Jade's Asylum

A young woman suffers from a psychotic episode while visiting a house built on sacred ground in Costa Rica.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Alexandre Carrière; Writer: Alexandre Carrière; Stars: Sebastian Pigott, Morgan Kohan, Kjartan Hewitt)

World premiere

Jessica Forever

Review preview for Jessica Forever

The real star here is Marine Altan's cinematography, investing locations both lavish and drab with the kind of spiritual wonder seen only through the eyes of those who have always been outsiders.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A group of orphan rebels are fortified in a villa with heavy arms to brace for a drone war with a faceless enemy in a dystopian future.

(Year: 2018; Director: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel; Writer: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel; Stars: Aomi Muyock, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Augustin Raguenet, Lukas Ionesco, Paul Hamy, Eddy Suiveng, Maya Coline, Angelina Woreth, Théo Costa-Marini, Franck Falise, Florian Kiniffo, Jordan Klioua, Ymanol Perset, Jean-Marie Pittilloni, Iliana Zabeth)

Full review

Quebec premiere

Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway

Review preview for Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway

Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway reboots the genre by both using and subverting its conventions.

Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
Two CIA agents are tasked with the perilous mission of destroying the Soviet Union, but as they enter a VR simulation their mission turns into a delirious trap, with the fabric of reality unravelling around them

(Country: Spain, Estonia, Ethiopia; Year: 2019; Director: Miguel Llansó; Writer: Miguel Llansó; Stars: Agustín Mateo, Daniel Tadesse, Guillermo Llansó)

Full review

North American premiere

JR 'Bob' Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius

A documentary about the Church of the Subgenius and its dedication to examining the simmering dystopia in their culture, and do absolutely nothing about it.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Sandy K Boone; Writer: Sandy K Boone, Jason Wehling; Stars: Nick Offerman, Richard Linklater, Penn Jillette, Reverend Lord Angry Larry)

Canadian premiere

Judy And Punch (Judy & Punch)

Review preview for Judy And Punch

There's layer upon layer of clever artifice here, yet the result is something that feels fresh and sexy.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit due to Judy's superior puppeteering but Punch's driving ambition and penchant for whisky lead to a inevitable tragedy that Judy must avenge.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2019; Director: Mirrah Foulkes; Writer: Mirrah Foulkes; Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Damon Herriman, Benedict Hardie, Eddie Baroo, Don Bridges, Tom Budge, Amy Christian, Virginia Gay, Terry Norris, Michael M. Foster, Gillian Jones, Daisy Axon, Lucy Honigman, Xavier Gouault, Brenda Palmer)

Full review See: Interview with Mirrah Foulkes about Judy And Punch

Canadian premiere

Killerman

A crime thriller about dirty cops and dirtier mobsters.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Malik Bader; Writer: Malik Bader; Stars: Diane Guerrero, Mike Moh, Liam Hemsworth, Emory Cohen, Suraj Sharma)

World premiere

Killer Cup 3D (Killer Cup 3D : Les Gobelets qui TUENT de la Troisième Dimension)

A group of people are fighting killer invaders... that have taken the shape of coffee cups.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Jef X; Writer: Jef X; Stars: Martin Plouffe, Marie-Noel Martinez, Amélie Fournier, Jacques Morissette, Nicholas Grenier, Gabriel Fournier, Laurent Gonel)

World premiere

Kingdom

In ancient China, a young boy dreams of becoming the greatest general of the Qin Kingdom.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Shinsuke Sato; Writer: Tsutomu Kuroiwa and Shinsuke Sato, based on the manga by Yasuhisa Hara; Stars: Kento Yamazaki, Ryô Yoshizawa, Masami Nagasawa, Kanna Hashimoto)

Canadian premiere

Knives And Skin

Review preview for Knives And Skin

This is a world of ballgowns, sequins and lace...but none of that diminishes the ability of its heroes to think clearly or take charge of their own fates.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Trouble brews in small town America after the disappearance of a teenager.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jennifer Reeder; Writer: Jennifer Reeder; Stars: Kate Arrington, Tony Fitzpatrick, Tim Hopper, Marika Engelhardt, James Vincent Meredith, Robert T. Cunningham, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Ty Olwin, Raven Whitley, Audrey Francis, Grace Etzkorn, Genevieve Venjohnson, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter, Haley Bolithon)

Full review See: Interview with Jennifer Reeder about Knives And Skin

Quebec premiere

Koko-di Koko-da

Review preview for Koko-di Koko-da

We don't see the much of the immediate aftermath of death here, but instead are treated to the way grief can linger, catching anger and guilt in its wake

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorsing them, luring them deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror.

(Country: Sweden, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Johannes Nyholm; Writer: Johannes Nyholm; Stars: Leif Edlund, Ylva Gallon, Peter Belli, Katarina Jacobson)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Lake Michigan Monster

Review preview for Lake Michigan Monster

Loosely assembled from cardboard, string and panache.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
An eccentric ship captain and a crew of specialists plot revenge against a mysterious creature of the deep.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews; Writer: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews; Stars: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Erick West, Beulah Peters, Daniel Long, Wayne Tews)

Full review

International premiere

The Legend Of The Stardust Brothers (Hoshikuzu Kyôdai No Densetsu)

Review preview for The Legend Of The Stardust Brothers

There's a lot of silliness here altogether but it works surprisingly well, Tezuka somehow managing to coordinate all the moving parts.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A cult musical charting the rise and fall of a manufactured pop duo and their struggle to navigate fame, fortune and jealousy.

(Country: Japan; Year: 1985; Director: Macoto Tezuka; Writer: Macoto Tezuka; Stars: Shingo Kubota, Kan Takagi, Kyoko Togawa, Kiyohiko Ozaki)

Full review

Canada premiere

Letters To Paul Morrissey

Four celluloid letters sent from different parts of the globe to Paul Morrissey, director of Trash, Flesh and Heat.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2018; Director: Armand Rovira, Saida Benzal; Writer: Saida Benzal, Armand Rovira; Stars: Xavi Sáez, Almar G. Sato, María Fajula, Joe Dallesandro, Saida Benzal, Agnès Llobet, Andrea Carballo, Esteban Torres, Joan Carles Suau, Xisco Segura, Manuela Stoerzer, Corinna Seiter, Kylie Van Beek, Alexis Kam Paw, Xavi Sáez)

Canadian premiere

L'inquiétante Absence

Documentary about the state of genre films in Quebec.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Amir Belkaim, Félix Brassard; Writer: Amir Belkaim, Félix Brassard, Mathieu R. Grenier; Stars: Robin Aubert, William Daigle Babin, Amir Belkaim, Sylvain Bellemare, Marc Boisclair, Mario Boivin, Félix Brassard, Danielle Brown, Roger Cantin, Erik Canuel, Carnior, Frédéric Chalté, Pierre Corbeil, Rémy Couture, David Cronenberg)

World premiere

Little Monsters

A film dedicated to all the kindergarten teachers who motivate children to learn, instil them with confidence and stop them from being devoured by zombies.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2019; Director: Abe Forsythe; Writer: Abe Forsythe; Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Josh Gad, Stephen Peacocke, Nadia Townsend, Alexander England, Henry Nixon, Jason Chong, Felix Williamson, Rahel Romahn, Sam Fraser, Ava Caryofyllis, Talayna Moana Nikora, Chris Bunton, Charlie Whitley, David Sinclair-Smith)

The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue (No Profanar El Sueño De Los Muertos)

Chemical pesticides cause the dead to rise from the grave and attack the living.

(Country: Spain, Italy; Year: 1974; Director: Jorge Grau; Writer: Sandro Continenza, Marcello Coscia; Stars: Cristina Galbó, Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy, Aldo Massasso, Georgio Trestini, Roberto Posse)

The Lodge

Review preview for The Lodge

The Lodge hinges on a powerhouse performance from Keough, who inhabits the troubled Grace so completely that we can stay with her even as her ability to distinguish what's real and what isn't breaks down.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A young woman and her reticent new stepchildren find themselves isolated in the family’s remote winter cabin, locked away to dredge up the mysteries of her dark past.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2019; Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz; Writer: Sergio Casci, Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz; Stars: Richard Armitage, Riley Keough, Alicia Silverstone, Jaeden Lieberher, Lia McHugh, Katelyn Wells, Lola Reid)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Look What's Happened To Rosemary's Baby

Having been adopted by the madam of a southwestern brothel, a now adult Adrian must cope with the fact that he's Satan's kid, and not living up to his expectations.

(Country: US; Year: 1976; Director: Sam O'Steen; Writer: Anthony Wilson; Stars: Stephen McHattie, Patty Duke, Broderick Crawford, Ruth Gordon)

Maggie

A woman explores the nature of trust and the breakdown of relationships.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Yi Okseop; Writer: Gyo-hwan Koo, Yi Okseop; Stars: Gyo-hwan Koo)

Canadian premiere

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy

A martial artist, now running a grocery store, finds himself drawn into gang violence when he tries to protect a drug addict.

(Country: Hong Kong, China; Year: 2018; Director: Yuen Woo-Ping; Writer: Edmond Wong, Chan Tai-lee; Stars: Jin Zhang, Dave Bautista, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa, Brian Thomas Burrell, Chrissie Chau, Kevin Cheng, Mathieu Jaquet, Yan Liu, Adel Ali Mohamed, Patrick Tam, Xing Yu, Wah Yuen, Jin Zhang, Dave Bautista)

The Miracle Of The Sargasso Sea (To Thávma Tis Thálassas Ton Sargassón)

Crime drama.

(Country: Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden; Year: 2019; Director: Syllas Tzoumerkas; Writer: Youla Boudali, Syllas Tzoumerkas; Stars: Angeliki Papoulia, Youla Boudali, Hristos Passalis, Argyris Xafis, Thanasis Dovris, Laertis Malkotsis, Maria Filini, Michalis Kimonas, Christian Culbida, Thanos Tokakis, Laertis Vasiliou, Katerina Helmy, Alkistis Poulopoulou, Romanos Kalokyris, Areti Seidaridou)

Canadian premiere

Missbehavior (Gong Hei Bat Poh)

A terrible mistake reunites a gang of estranged drama queens in search of human breast milk throughout Hong Kong.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2019; Director: Ho-Cheung Pang; Writer: Ho-Cheung Pang; Stars: Yat Ning Chan, Gigi Leung, Dada Chan, Tien You Chui)

Quebec premiere

Miss & Mrs Cops

The badass lady cops of Seoul are all ready to prove their worth and kick some scumbag ass.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Jung Da-Won; Writer: Jung Da-Won; Stars: Song-Kyoung Lee, Jack Lyons, Mi-ran Ra, Sooyoung, Sang-Hyun Yoon)

Quebec premiere

Money

Review preview for Money

Although there are a couple of places in which it shoehorns the plot, this is for the most part a tightly written, fast-paced thriller with real bite.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A stockbroker needs to find a way to settle up with an insider... before it's too late.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Park Noo-ri; Writer: Park Noo-ri; Stars: Yoo Ji-tae, Ryu Jun-yeol, Cho Woo-jin)

Full review

The Moon In The Hidden Woods

A princess and a musician confront marvels and monsters as fate shakes the world.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Takahiro Umehara)

Quebec premiere

Mystery Of The Night

Review preview for Mystery Of The Night

Even those elements that will seem most unlikely to audiences unfamiliar with aswang mythology are carried with conviction and grace.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A film about Spanish colonial rule and aswangs.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2019; Director: Adolfo Alix Jr; Writer: Adolfo Alix Jr, based on the play The First Aswang by Rody Vera; Stars: Solenn Heussaff, Benjamin Alves, Gina Alajar, Elizabeth Oropesa, Allan Paule)

Full review

World premiere

Night God (Nochnoy Bog)

Review preview for Night God

As heavy on symbolism as it is light on plot, Night God combines the ancient shamanic imagery of the region with the concrete rooms and endless paper-strewn desks of a more recent era.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
In a post-Apocalyptic world, a man with a bomb strapped to his body looks for somebody who can arrange for it to be removed.

(Country: Kazakhstan; Year: 2018; Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov; Writer: Adilkhan Yerzhanov; Stars: Maxim Bogomolov, Konstantin Kozlov, Adiya Mussina, Saltanat Nauruz)

Full review

North American premiere

No Mercy

A woman seeks revenge when her younger sister disappears and she finds out that her sister suffered violence and sexual abuse from school bullies.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lim Kyeong-Taek; Stars: Si-young Lee)

North American premiere

The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale (Zombie For Sale)

Review preview for The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale

Korean comedies are known for their quirkiness and The Odd Family combines this with a set of principal characters so wilfully obnoxious that it would be difficult not to like them.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When a pharmaceutical company's illegal experiments inadvertently create a zombie, the strange Park family finds it and tries to profit from its unexpected viagra-like effect.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lee Min-jae; Writer: Lee Min-jae; Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Jung Ga-ram, Kim Nam-gil)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Ode To Nothing (Oda sa wala)

The story of an embalmer in a funeral parlour... and the corpse that changes her life.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2018; Director: Dwein Baltazar; Writer: Dwein Baltazar; Stars: Dido de la Paz, Anthony Falcon, Joonee Gamboa, Pokwang, Dido de la Paz, Anthony Falcon, Joonee Gamboa, Pokwang)

North American premiere

Paradise Hills

A young woman is sent to Paradise Hills to be reformed, only to learn that the high-class facility's beautiful facade hides a sinister secret.

(Country: US, Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Alice Waddington; Writer: Brian DeLeeuw, Nacho Vigalondo, Alice Waddington; Stars: Awkwafina, Emma Roberts, Eiza González, Milla Jovovich, Jeremy Irvine, Danielle Macdonald, Arnaud Valois, Daniel Horvath, Liliana Cabal, James Giblin, Karina Kolokolchykova, Joey Sordyl, Hunter Tremayne, Gary Anthony Stennette, Johnny Melville)

Canadian premiere

Particles (Les Particules)

(Country: France, Switzerland; Year: 2019; Director: Blaise Harrison; Writer: Mariette Désert, Blaise Harrison; Stars: Thomas Daloz, Salvatore Ferro, Léo Couilfort, Nicolas Marcant, Néa Lueders, Emma Josserand, Johana Untersinger, Thomas Jansson, Emma Daloz, Liam Gras, Thomas Daloz, Salvatore Ferro, Léo Couilfort, Nicolas Marcant, Néa Lueders)

International premiere

Phantom Of The Paradise

Review preview for Phantom Of The Paradise

Again and again there are elements that will be echoed in later works, mirrors and masks and little friends, split screens and thrills and untimely ends.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
A disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music - but an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.

(Country: US; Year: 1974; Director: Brian De Palma; Writer: Brian De Palma; Stars: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham, George Memmoli)

Full review

Phantom Of Winnipeg

A documentary exploring the history and cult appeal of glam rock comedy horror musical classic Phantom Of The Paradise.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Malcolm Ingram)

World premiere

Porno

Review preview for Porno

Smart, deceptively sophisticated and beautifully crafted, this is artisan cheese.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When five teenage employees at the local cinema in a small Christian town discover a mysterious old film hidden in its basement, they unleash an alluring succubus who gives them a sex education written in blood.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Keola Racela; Writer: Matt Black, Laurence Vannicelli; Stars: Evan Daves, Larry Saperstein, Jillian Mueller, Glenn Stott, Katelyn Pearce, Robbie Tann, Bill Phillips)

Full review See: Interview with Keola Racela about Porno

Canadian premiere

Portion d'Eternite

Three frozen embryos spark controversy.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1988; Director: Robert Favreau; Writer: Robert Favreau; Stars: Raymond Cloutier, Daniel Gadouas, Maryse Gagne, Mark Hellman, Hélène Mercier, Marc Messier, Patricia Nolin, Gilles Pelletier, Danielle Proulx, Paul Savoie, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Raymond Cloutier, Daniel Gadouas, Maryse Gagne, Mark Hellman)

The Prey

Review preview for The Prey

The fight scenes are kept fairly simple, the focus not on gimmicky set pieces but on doing simple things really well.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Prisoners in a remote jungle prison are pawns in a high stakes game of human-hunting.

(Country: Cambodia; Year: 2018; Director: Jimmy Henderson; Writer: Jimmy Henderson, Michael Hodgson, Kai Miller; Stars: Vithaya Pansringarm, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Byron Bishop, Dara Our, Dy Sonita, Nophand Boonyai, Vandy Piseth, Rous Mony, Gu Shangwei, Hun Sophy, Vithaya Pansringarm, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Byron Bishop, Dara Our, Dy Sonita)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Promare

Review preview for Promare

Depending on your perspective you will find this fantastically stupid or stupidly fantastic - there isn't much of a middle ground.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A futuristic firefighting mecha service is created to protect the world.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi; Writer: Kazuki Nakashima; Stars: Arata Furuta, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Tetsu Inada, Kendô Kobayashi, katsuyuki Konishi)

Full review

Canadian premiere

The Purity of Vengeance (Journal 64)

A series of mysterious disappearances in 2006 are eerily connected to the same institution.

(Country: Denmark, Germany; Year: 2018; Director: Christoffer Boe; Writer: Nikolaj Arcel, based on the book by Jussi Adler-Olsen; Stars: Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Johanne Louise Schmidt)

Canadian premiere

Ready Or Not

A bride's wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett; Writer: Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy; Stars: Samara Weaving, Andie MacDowell, Mark O'Brien, Adam Brody)

Special advance screening

The Relative Worlds (Ashita Sekai Ga Owaru To Shite Mo)

Teenage romance, ontological science fiction, and fierce, acrobatic mecha battles.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Yuhei Sakuragi)

North American premiere

Ride Your Wave (Kimi To, Nami Ni Noretara)

A surfer and firefighter meet and fall in love.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Masaaki Yuasa; Writer: Reiko Yoshida)

North American premiere

Riot Girls

In an alternate 1995, a mysterious disease has wiped out all of the adults. In this new age, two gangs are pitted against each other in a brutal war for territory, resources and survival.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Jovanka Vuckovic; Writer: Katherine Collins; Stars: Madison Iseman, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Munro Chambers, Carson MacCormac, Atticus Mitchell, Jenny Raven, Jordana Blake)

North American premiere

Sadako

Review preview for Sadako

Ikeda is a strong lead who invests heavily in her character but her most remarkable feature is a pair of eyes which allow her to express terror with the intensity of an animé character.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A group of people must find out how to stop the newborn deadly curse, which has born and gone viral after a Youtuber accidentally captured a vengeful ghost on camera.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Hideo Nakata; Writer: Noriaki Sugihara, based on the book by Kôji Suzuki; Stars: Himeka Himejima, Elaiza Ikeda, Ren Kiriyama, Hiroya Shimizu)

Full review

North American premiere

Satanic Panic

Review preview for Satanic Panic

Satanic Panic is one of those films that's a lot smarter underneath than it looks on the surface.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A pizza delivery girl at the end of her financial rope has to fight for her life - and her tips - when her last order of the night turns out to be high society Satanists in need of a virgin sacrifice.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Chelsea Stardust; Writer: Ted Geoghegan, Grady Hendrix; Stars: Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Ruby Modine, Jordan Ladd, Arden Myrin)

Full review

International premiere

Satan's Slave

A reworking of Phantasm.

(Country: Indonesia; Year: 1982; Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra; Writer: Sisworo Gautama Putra, Naryono Prayitno; Stars: Ruth Pelupessi, WD Mochtar, Fachrul Rozy)

Sator

Review preview for Sator

The superimposition of the Sator narrative atop material Graham had already filmed with a different story in mind gives it the depth of folklore and a disjointed aspect which contributes to its disturbing effect.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A malevolent spirit menaces a troubled family.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jordan Graham; Writer: Jordan Graham; Stars: Michael Daniel, Rachel Johnson, Aurora Lowe, Gabriel Nicholson)

Full review

World premiere

Shadow (Ying)

Review preview for Shadow

Going along with a bonkers plot and lashings of melodramatic confrontations between the characters is a hell of a lot easier to do when you have a well-done Wuxia spectacular to delight your eyes.

Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
The story of a great king and his people, who will be expelled from their homeland and will aspire to claim it.

(Country: China; Year: 2018; Director: Zhang Yimou; Writer: Zhang Yimou, Li Wei; Stars: Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai, Wang Qianyuan, Wang Jingchun, Hu Jun, Guan Xiaotong, Wu Leo)

Full review

Sons Of Denmark (Danmarks Sonner)

Drama looks at the impact of radicalisation in society on two young men.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Ulaa Salim; Writer: Ulaa Salim; Stars: Imad Abul-Foul, Ari Alexander, Ivan Alan Ali, Rasmus Bjerg, Asil Mohamad Habib, Morten Holst, Elliott Crosset Hove, Ali Hussein, Olaf Johannessen, Mohammed Ismail Mohammed, Özlem Saglanmak, Zaki Youssef, Imad Abul-Foul, Ari Alexander, Ivan Alan Ali)

Canadian premiere

Son Of The White Mare

A dethroned goddess-turned-horse gives birth to three superpowered sons who set out to save three princesses from three ancient dragons and reclaim their parents' lost kingdom from the underworld.

(Country: Hungary; Year: 1981; Director: Marcell Jankovics; Writer: László György, Marcell Jankovics; Stars: György Cserhalmi, Vera Pap, Gyula Szabó)

Le Sphinx

A school teacher ditches his family for a dancer... but his new girlfriend's ex is a mobster.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1995; Director: Louis Saia; Writer: Louis Saia, Marc Messier, Luc Déry, Yves Lapierre, Michel Lessard; Stars: Marc Messier, Céline Bonnier, Serge Thériault, Eric Hoziel, Vittorio Rossi, Sylvie Drapeau, Micheline Bernard, Pierre Claveau, Pierre McNicoll, Henri Chassé, Bob Harrison, Christine Olivier, Claudine Bouchard, Marie-Claude Rodrigue, Chantal DesRoches)

Stare (Shirai-san)

Review preview for Stare

A host of good performances, most notably from young Marie Iitoyo, make the fear real and infectious.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A young woman begins to investigate after her friend joins those mysteriously found dead with their eyeballs exploded.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Otsuichi; Writer: Otsuichi; Stars: Marie Iitoyo)

Full review

World premiere

Steampunk Connection

Documentary about the steampunk aesthetic.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Annie Deniel; Writer: Annie Deniel)

World premiere

Super Deluxe

An unfaithful newly-wed wife, an estranged father, a priest and an angry son suddenly find themselves in the most unexpected predicaments, each poised to experience their destiny, all on one fateful day.

(Country: India; Year: 2019; Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja; Writer: Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Nalan Kumarasamy; Stars: Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Samantha Ruth Prabhu)

Swallow

Review preview for Swallow

It unfolds in a way that defies expectations, finding hope and humanity in unexpected places.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2019; Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis; Writer: Carlo Mirabella-Davis; Stars: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Denis O'Hare, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Luna Lauren Velez, Zabryna Guevara, Laith Nakli, Babak Tafti, Nicole Kang, Olivia Perez, Kristi Kirk, Alyssa Bresnahan, Laura Dias, Elise Santora)

Full review See: Interview with Carlo Mirabella-Davis about Swallow

Canadian premiere

S He

A high heel mother shoe survives in an authoritarian world dominated by male shoes and brings up her daughter shoe by disguising herself as a male shoe.

(Country: China; Year: 2018; Director: Zhou Shengwei; Writer: Zhou Shengwei; Stars: Fuyang Lyu, Shengwei Zhou)

Canadian premiere

Tokyo Ghoul 'S' (Tôkyô Gûru 'S')

Review preview for Tokyo Ghoul 'S'

A slice of cannibal horror with a distinctly soapy aftertaste.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A sketchy ghoul named Gourmet invites a college student named Kaneki to dine with him at a special restaurant where the young man may find himself on the menu.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Kazuhiko Hiramaki, Takuya Kawasaki; Writer: Chûji Mikasano, based on the manga by Sui ishida; Stars: Masataka Kubota, Maika Yamamoto, Nobuyuki Suzuki)

Full review

Canadian premiere

Tone-Deaf

A woman goes to the countryside to spend a quiet weekend after losing her job and having her last complicated relationship implode. She rents a country house from an old-fashioned widower who struggles to hide his pyschopathic tendencies.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Richard Bates Jr; Writer: Richard Bates Jr; Stars: AnnaLynne McCord, Amanda Crew, Robert Patrick, Kim Delaney)

International premiere

Vivarium

Review preview for Vivarium

Lorcan Finnegan never allows us to lose sight of the absurdity of the situation, nor of the real life absurdities that it points up.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In search of a starter home, a young couple follow a mysterious estate agent and get trapped in a strange housing development.

(Country: Ireland, Belgium, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Lorcan Finnegan; Writer: Lorcan Finnegan, Garret Shanley, Garret Shanley; Stars: Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Olga Wehrly, Danielle Ryan, Senan Jennings, Molly McCann, Eanna Hardwicke, Shana Hart, Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Olga Wehrly, Danielle Ryan, Senan Jennings)

Full review

North American premiere

We Are Little Zombies

Review preview for We Are Little Zombies

Nagahisa...understands and embraces the complexity of early adolescence, when kids are finding their own way,

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can't cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Makoto Nagahisa; Writer: Makoto Nagahisa; Stars: Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima)

Full review

Canadian

White Snake (Bai She: Yuan Qi)

A love story between a snake spirit and a snake hunter.

(Country: China, US; Year: 2019; Director: Amp Wong, Ji Zhao; Writer: Damao; Stars: Zhe Zhang, Tianxiang Yang)

Canadian premiere

Why Don't You Just Die (Papa, sdokhni)

Review preview for Why Don't You Just Die

The characters are beautifully drawn and the performances finely balanced in a film with a lot more going on upstairs than its preoccupation with violence might suggest.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A dark action comedy about a group of people brought together in the apartment of police detective Andrei: his resentful daughter, an angry thug and a cheated cop. Each one of them have a reason to want revenge.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2018; Director: Kirill Sokolov; Writer: Kirill Sokolov; Stars: Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgeniya Kregzhde, Michael Gor, Elena Shevchenko, Igor Grabuzov, Aleksandr Domogarov, Ilya Gavrilenkov, Vasiliy Kopeikin, Ilya Kostyukov, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgeniya Kregzhde, Michael Gor, Elena Shevchenko)

Full review

Canadian premiere

The Wonderland

A teenager and her out go on an adventure from their basement.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Keiichi Hara; Writer: Sachiko Kashiwaba, Miho Maruo; Stars: Mayu Matsuoka, Anne Watanabe, Kumiko Asô, Nao Tôyama, Keiji Fujiwara, Akiko Yajima, Masachika Ichimura)

North American premiere

The Wrath (Yeo-gok-seong)

In the household of Lee Gyeong-jin, a high-ranking official of Joseon Kingdom, three sons die from an unidentified horror. A woman pregnant with a child of the third son soon learns of the evil spirit that haunts the house.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Young-sun Yoo; Stars: Hong-il Choi, Young hee Seo, Na-Eun Son)

Canadian premiere

The Wretched

Review preview for The Wretched

The tropes it uses are old ones but simplicity works in their favour, adding to the sense that there are uncanny powers at work and that nothing is quite what it seems.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent's imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Brett Pierce, Drew T Pierce; Writer: Brett Pierce, Drew T Pierce; Stars: Azie Tesfai, Piper Curda, Kevin Bigley, Tug Coker, John-Paul Howard, Gabriela Quezada Bloomgarden)

Full review

World premiere