Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Toronto >> 2023 >> Special Presentations
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The Holdovers and The Critic
American Fiction
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Cord Jefferson; Writer: Percival Everett, Cord Jefferson; Stars: Elle Sciore, Miriam Shor, Issa Rae, Adam Brody, Jeffrey Wright)
English professor and author Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, with the intention of exposing the hypocrisies of the publishing industry.
Anatomy Of A Fall (Anatomie D'une Chute)
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Justine Triet; Writer: Arthur Harari, Justine Triet; Stars: Sandra Hüller, Samuel Theis, Swann Arlaud, Jehnny Beth, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz)
A woman is accused of her husband's murder.
The Beast (La Bête)
(Country: France, Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Bertrand Bonello; Writer: Bertrand Bonello, Guillaume Bréaud, Benjamin Charbit, based on the novel by Henry James; Stars: Léa Seydoux, George MacKay)
In the near future a woman decides to purify her DNA in a machine that takes her into her past lives. Then she meets Louis and feels a powerful connection, as if she had always known him.
The Burial
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Maggie Betts; Writer: Maggie Betts, Jonathan Harr, Doug Wright; Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Alan Ruck, Jurnee Smollett, Bill Camp, Mamadou Athie)
Inspired by true events, a lawyer helps a funeral home owner save his family business from a corporate behemoth, exposing a complex web of race, power, and injustice.
La Chimera
(Country: Italy, France, Switzerland; Year: 2023; Director: Alice Rohrwacher; Writer: Carmela Covino, Marco Pettenello, Alice Rohrwacher; Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Josh O'Connor, Alba Rohrwacher, Lecu Chikovani, Carol Duate)
The story of a group of archaeologists and the black market in historical artefacts.
The Beast and The Zone Of Interest
Close To You
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Dominic Savage; Writer: Elliot Page, Dominic Savage; Stars: Elliot Page, Hillary Baack, Wendy Crewson, Peter Outerbridge, Alex Paxton-Beesley, David Reale)
A young man happens to encounter with an old friend on his way back home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
The Convert
(Country: UK, Australia, New Zealand; Year: 2023; Director: Lee Tamahori; Writer: Writers Michael Bennett, Shane Danielsen, Lee Tamahori; Stars: Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie)
A lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes.
The Critic
(Country: UK, US; Year: 2023; Director: Anand Tucker; Writer: Patrick Marber, based on the book by Anthony Quinn; Stars: Romola Garai, Mark Strong, Gemma Arterton, Ben Barnes, Lesley Manville, Ian McKellen, Alfred Enoch)
A theatre critic enlists a glamorous young actress in a desperate scheme.
Days Of Happiness (Les Jours Heureux)
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Chloé Robichaud; Writer: Chloé Robichaud; Stars: Sophie Desmarais, Vincent Leclerc, Yves Jacques, Christian Paul, Sylvain Marcel, Geneviève Alarie, Nour Belkhiria)
A talented conductor is confounded by the influence of her father and her agent, preventing her from striking a healthy balance between her career and her romantic relationship with a young cellist and her son.
The Dead Don't Hurt
(Country: Mexico, Canada, Denmark; Year: 2023; Director: Viggo Mortensen; Writer: Viggo Mortensen; Stars: Vicky Krieps, Viggo Mortensen, Solly McLeod, Garrett Dillahunt, W Earl Brown)
A fiercely independent French Canadian woman embarks on an affair with a Danish immigrant.
Monster and Fingernails
A Difficult Year (Une Année Difficile)
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano; Writer: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano; Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Luàna Bajrami, Jonathan Cohen, James Gaspar De Almeida)
Two compulsive consumers, over-indebted, live between petty schemes for one and a personal life adrift for the other, and encounter young rebellious activists, climate alarmists, lovers of social justice and eco-responsibility.
El Rapto
(Country: Argentina, US; Year: 2023; Director: Daniela Goggi; Writer: Andrea Garrote, Daniela Goggi)
A man returning to Argentina after the downfall of the dictatorship is forced to become a negotiator after his brother is kidnapped and held hostage.
Ezra
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Tony Goldwyn; Writer: Tony Spiridakis; Stars: Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Robert De Niro, Rainn Wilson, Bobby Cannavale, Whoopi Goldberg)
The story of a man who destroys his successful career and marriage to become a somewhat less successful stand-up comic.
Fingernails
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Christos Nikou; Writer: Christos Nikou, Stavros Raptis, Sam Steiner; Stars: Jeremy Allen White, Annie Murphy, Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Luke Wilson, Katy Breier)
A woman who is increasingly unsure about her relationship secretly embarks on a new assignment working at a mysterious institute designed to incite and test the presence of romantic love in increasingly desperate couples.
Four Daughters (Les Filles D'Olfa)
(Country: Tunisia, France; Year: 2021; Director: Kaouther Ben Hania; Stars: Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui, Nour Karoui, Ichrak Matar, Majd Mastoura, Hind Sabri)
A creative documentary following ten years in the life of a fortysomething Tunisian mother, a cleaning lady from a poor environment, who sees her two teenage daughters become radicalised, run away and join the terrorist organisation Daesh in Libya.
La Chimera and Seven Veils
His Three Daughters
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Azazel Jacobs; Writer: Azazel Jacobs; Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, Jovan Adepo, Jay O Sanders)
Sister reconnect with one another as their father's health declines.
Hit Man
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Richard Linklater; Writer: Skip Hollandsworth, Richard Linklater, Glen Powell; Stars: Adria Arjona, Glen Powell, Retta, Austin Amelio, Molly Bernard, Jo-Ann Robinson, Ritchie Montgomery, Morgana Shaw, Richard Robichaux, Roxy Rivera, Mike Markoff, Jordan Salloum, Kate Adair, Bryant Carroll, Nathalie J. Alarcon)
Based on the true story of an undercover cop who posed as a hitman.
The Holdovers
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Alexander Payne; Writer: David Hemingson; Stars: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Tate Donovan, Carrie Preston)
An unpopular teacher, a talented but badly behaved student and a cook who recently lost her son in Vietnam spend Christmas together in an otherwise empty boarding school.
Full Review
See:
Alexander Payne’s graphic designer Nate Carlson in conversation on Election and more on The Holdovers
, Nate Carlson, graphic designer, in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Oscar-nominated The Holdovers
, Wendy Chuck in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Golden Globe-winning The Holdovers
, Alexander Payne in conversation on The Holdovers composer Mark Orton, Marcel Pagnol’s Merlusse, W.C. Fields, Artie Shaw, and what’s coming up
, Alexander Payne in conversation on The Holdovers team, Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston and Westward The Women
, Wendy Chuck in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Golden Globe-nominated The Holdovers
, Nate Carlson, graphic designer, in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Oscar-nominated The Holdovers
, Wendy Chuck in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Golden Globe-winning The Holdovers
, Alexander Payne in conversation on The Holdovers composer Mark Orton, Marcel Pagnol’s Merlusse, W.C. Fields, Artie Shaw, and what’s coming up
, Alexander Payne in conversation on The Holdovers team, Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston and Westward The Women
, Wendy Chuck in conversation on Alexander Payne’s multiple Golden Globe-nominated The Holdovers
Les Indésirables
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Ladj Ly; Writer: Giordano Gederlini, Ladj Ly; Stars: Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar, Steve Tientcheu, Valentin Pradier, Anta Diaw, Aristote Luyindula)
A local activist and a budding young mayor clash over the best path forward for their impoverished suburb.
In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Alex Gibney; Writer: Alex Gibney; Stars: Paul Simon)
A documentary which follows Paul Simon as he makes his new album Seven Psalms, while looking back on his six-decade career with countless musical peaks from Sounds Of Silence to Graceland.
Kidnapped and Four Daughters
Kidnapped (Rapito)
(Country: Italy, France, Germany; Year: 2023; Director: Marco Bellocchio; Writer: Marco Bellocchio, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Edoardo Albinati; Stars: Enea Sala, Leonardo Maltese, Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, Filippo
Timi)
In 1858, a six-year-old Jewish boy is forcibly seized from his family by the Catholic church.
Knox Goes Away
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Michael Keaton; Writer: Gregory Poirier; Stars: James Marsden, Al Pacino, Michael Keaton, Marcia Gay Harden, Ray McKinnon)
When a contract killer is diagnosed with a fast-moving form of dementia, he is presented with the opportunity to redeem himself by saving the life of his estranged adult son.
Last Summer (L'été Dernier)
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Catherine Breillat; Writer: Catherine Breillat, Maren Louise Käehne, May el-Toukhy; Stars: Léa Drucker, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Samuel Kircher)
A brilliant lawyer embarks on a passionate relationship with her stepson, putting her career and family life in danger.
Memory
(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2023; Director: Michel Franco; Writer: Michel Franco; Stars: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Elsie Fisher, Merritt Wever, Josh Charles, Jessica Harper, Blake Baumgartner, Rand Faris, Davis Duffield, Brooke Timber, Elizabeth Loyacano, Billy Griffith, Ross Brodar, Johnny Vorsteg, Thomas Vorsteg)
A love-struck couple (attempt to build a relationship while dealing with trauma and dementia.
Monster (Kaibutsu)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda; Writer: Yûji Sakamoto; Stars: Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiragi)
A mother is shocked when she learns what a teacher has said to her son, but the truth is more complicated.
Close To You and American Fiction
Mother, Couch!
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Niclas Larsson; Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Ewan McGregor, Lake Bell, Taylor Russell, Lara Flynn Boyle, F. Murray Abraham, Rhys Ifans, Shelby Lee Parks, Erin Fritch, Michelle Marie Jacquot, Brent Moorer Gaskins, Madison Geiger, Jane Klecker, Kenna Blackburn, Gary Maniloff)
The story of three estranged children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store.
A Normal Family
(Country: South Korea; Year: 2023; Director: Hur Jin-ho; Writer: Herman Koch; Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-Gun, Kim Hee-ae, Claudia Kim)
Two wealthy families meet for dinner to discuss and decide how to handle a violent crime committed by their sons.
North Star
(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: Kristin Scott Thomas; Writer: John Micklethwait, Kristin Scott Thomas; Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emily Beecham, Freida Pinto, Mark Stanley)
Three sisters return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. The mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colourful group of unexpected wedding guests.
One Life
(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: James Hawes; Writer: Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake; Stars: Romola Garai, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Price, Lena Olin, Adrian Rawlins)
The story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped to save hundreds of children from the Nazis on the eve of World War II.
Pain Hustlers
(Country: US, UK; Year: 2023; Director: David Yates; Writer: Wells Tower, Evan Hughes; Stars: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O'Hara, Chloe Coleman, Andy Garcia)
A woman who dreams of a better life for her and her daughter gets a job at a bankrupt pharmacy and catapults the company and herself into the high life, not knowing that she will soon be caught in the middle of a criminal conspiracy.
Rustin and Sing Sing
The Peasants
(Country: Poland, Serbia, Lithuania; Year: 2023; Director: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman; Writer: Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont, DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman; Stars: Kamila Urzedowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Miroslaw Baka, Sonia Mietielica)
A hand-painted animated film about an early 20th Century Polish peasant woman who creates havoc by marrying an older rich man.
Poolman
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Chris Pine; Writer: Ian Gotler, Chris Pine; Stars: Chris Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito, Annette Bening, DeWanda Wise)
A hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny LA. When he uncovers a water heist, he does what he can to protect the city.
Reptile
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Grant Singer; Writer: Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer, Benicio Del Toro; Stars: Frances Fisher, Alicia Silverstone, Thad Luckinbill, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Pitt)
A hardened New England detective is unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems, one that begins to dismantle the illusions in his own life.
Rustin
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: George C Wolfe; Writer: Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black; Stars: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, CCH Pounder, Da'Vine Joy Randolph)
The story of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who organised the 1963 March on Washington.
Seven Veils
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Atom Egoyan; Writer: Atom Egoyan; Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, Rebecca Liddiard, Mark O'Brien, Maia Jae Bastidas)
An earnest theatre director has the task of remounting her former mentor's most famous work, the opera Salome. Some disturbing memories from her past will allow her repressed trauma to colour the present.
Wicked Little Letters and Anatomy Of A Fall
Shoshana
(Country: UK, Italy; Year: 2023; Director: Michael Winterbottom; Writer: Laurence Coriat, Paul Viragh, Michael Winterbottom; Stars: Irina Starshenbaum, Harry Melling, Aury Alby, Ofer Seker)
Two UK police officers hunt for a charismatic poet and Zionist fighter who has been plotting to evict UK authorities.
Sing Sing
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Greg Kwedar; Writer: Clint Bentley, Brent Buell, Greg Kwedar; Stars: Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, John Divine G Whitfield, Sean San Jose, Clarence Maclin)
A theatre group escapes the reality of incarceration through the creativity of staging a play, with a cast that includes actors who have been incarcerated.
Smugglers (Milsu)
(Country: South Korea; Year: 2023; Director: Ryoo Seung-wan; Writer: Ryoo Seung-wan, Kim Jung-youn, Choi Cha-won; Stars: Kim Hye-sou, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min)
Two best friends whose jobs are under threat become embroiled in the smuggling business.
Swan Song
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Chelsea McMullan; Writer: Chelsea McMullan, Sean O'Neill)
A look at the devotion, artistry and sacrifices that Karen Kain and the National Ballet of Canada dancers make in their pursuit of creating something unique, meaningful and beautiful.
Together 99 (Tillsammens 99)
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2023; Director: Lukas Moodysson; Writer: Lukas Moodysson; Stars: David Dencik, Jonas Karlsson, Henrik Lundström, Gustaf Hammeasten, Sten Ljunggren, Olle Sarri)
The only two remaining members of a once thriving commune decide to hold a reunion.
Poolman and The Peasants
Unicorns
(Country: US, Sweden, UK; Year: 2023; Director: Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd; Writer: James Krishna Floyd; Stars: Ben Hardy, Michael Karim, Hannah Onslow, Nisha Nayar, Sagar Radia, Jason Patel, Ali Afzal)
A meeting between a queer South Asian nightclub performer living a double life and a young single father who works as a mechanic leads to an exploration of identity.
Uproar
(Country: New Zealand; Year: 2023; Director: Hamish Bennett, Paul Middleditch; Writer: Hamish Bennett, Sonia Whiteman, Paul Middleditch; Stars: Minnie Driver, Rhys Darby, Julian Dennison, Craig Hall, Mark Mitchinson, James Rolleston, Erana James)
A 17-year-old student is forced to get off the fence to stand up for himself, his whanau and his future.
Wicked Little Letters
(Country: France, UK; Year: 2023; Director: Thea Sharrock; Writer: Jonny Sweet; Stars: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Hugh Skinner, Timothy Spall, Anjana Vasan, Alisha Weir, Eileen Atkins)
When people in Littlehampton start receiving scandalous and obscene letters, suspicion immediately falls on fiery Rose, who might lose the custody of her daughter. A group of women set out to solve the mystery.
Wildcat
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Ethan Hawke; Writer: Shelby Gaines, Ethan Hawke; Stars: Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Cooper Hoffman)
A dramatised excerpt from the life of writer Flannery O'Connor, when she was struggling to publish her first novel.
Woman Of The Hour
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Anna Kendrick; Writer: Ian MacAllister McDonald; Stars: Anna Kendrick, Tony Hale, Daniel Zovatto, Kelley Jakle)
The story of a man who in the midst of a killing spree when he brazenly took part in, and won a date on, the popular TV game show The Dating Game.
The Dead Don't Hurt and Hit Man
The Zone Of Interest
(Country: UK, Poland, US; Year: 2023; Director: Jonathan Glazer; Writer: Jonathan Glazer, based on the book by Martin Amis; Stars: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Ralph Herforth, Max Beck, Stephanie Petrowitz, Marie Rose Tietjen)
The daily lives of the Höss family outside the walls of Auschwitz.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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