Crossing continents between Osgoode and St. Andrew
There are a lot of reasons that someone might call TIFF magical. Maybe they saw a movie that changed their life or met their favorite actor on the street. The collective artistic power of thousands of filmmakers, artists, and actors gathering in Toronto – transforming two blocks of downtown – has filled our streets with cultural and cinematic fluorescence for decades. But one of the most magical parts of TIFF is its ability to transport you across the world and into lived experiences foreign to your own. This is why, with the powers of my press pass, I decided to travel around the world at TIFF: to Java, Argentina, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Palestine, and back to Canada.
Indonesia: Four Seasons in Java
Director: Kamila Andini
The world premiere of Four Seasons in Java was the highlight of the festival for me. The movie centers around Pertiwi, a woman returning to her small hometown in Java after spending twenty years in prison for murdering her rapist in self-defense. The film traces her village’s generational sexual violence and the stigma around survivors in Indonesia. Pertiwi must find a way to protect her chosen family while (very literally) confronting her trauma. Immersive flashbacks and horrifying imagery intertwine with tearjerking folklore and a beautiful tribute to women’s rage to complete the film’s emotional world. I have not been able to escape the visual impact of this movie. By far one of the most underrated films of TIFF, Four Seasons in Java was extraordinarily moving, enlightening, and haunting. ⅘ Stars.
Argentina: Double Freedom (La Libertad Doble)
Director: Lisandro Alonso
Double Freedom, or La Libertad Doble, is Alonso’s spiritual successor to 2001’s La Libertad. The film transports us high into the peaks of the beautiful Las Pampas in Argentina to follow the simplistic daily rituals of Misael, a lumberjack. His minimalist lifestyle is disrupted when the local asylum is closed down and he must begin caring for his mentally-ill sister, Micaela. The film is somber and loving; the characters are no larger than they need to be. However, the long, silent and repetitive shots lacked a level of intimacy that I yearned for in this film. When the central issue—the siblings’ illiteracy—comes to the forefront, it is so subtly introduced that the implications for the quality of care available to Micaela and the social commentary on rural access to education were far from my mind. While a visually beautiful film, the emotional heart was just out of reach. ⅗ Stars.
United Kingdom: Elsinore
Director: Simon Stone
Elsinore hit TIFF like a cyclone, and it makes you feel like you survived one, too. This heartbreaking, incredible performance from Andrew Scott (100% worthy of its Oscar calls) follows the real-life story of actor Ian Charleson as he battles AIDS and completes his seminal performance as Hamlet at the National Theatre. As a D1 Hamlet lover and Andrew Scott worshipper, this film was my perfect storm. However, it was the respect for the represented community that drove the film’s emotional core. From glimpses into queer infighting to a beautiful and anthemic dance scene, Elsinore celebrates life and art in a climate in need of a reminder about why we create. 5/5 Stars.
New Zealand: God Bless You, Mr Kopu
Director: Alex Liu
God Bless You, Mr Kopu takes us to 1990s New Zealand to follow the efforts of Tongan immigrant Mafu Kopu in finding employment, love, and belonging in his new home. Trapped into a multi-level marketing scheme, Mafu starts bringing in big money with American salesman Marco Cass. As the film unfolds, we learn that Mafu is running from something back home (though we cannot tell what), that he harbours resentment toward his Tongan ethnicity, and that Alex Liu was not considering his Bechdel test score while making this film. Liu could have delivered an adequate commentary on the corruption of capitalism and the pressure on immigrants to assimilate to Western cultures; instead, he chose to employ a meta mind-control plot twist that turned any morsel of meaning into a nonsense, eye-rolling cliché. ⅖ Stars.
Palestine: Thirteen in Gaza
Director: Hosam Abu Dan
This feature debut is both the winner of the 2026 Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award, and the first movie filmed in Gaza since the beginning of the genocide in 2023. Filmed in close quarters over 12 days to ensure the safety of the cast and crew, /Thirteen in Gaza/ answers the question of what it is like to grow up under falling bombs. While the spectre of war and violence is never far, the film itself follows 13-year-old Raghad as she grows up in a refugee camp. The film hits every beat of a regular coming-of-age movie: first periods, friend drama, religious milestones, and love. The film expertly prevents the audience from celebrating these milestones through their oppressive and heartbreaking surroundings. Without the teenage rights to privacy, hormones, or moodiness, Raghad must learn to cope with the loss of her home and the girl she knew herself to be. 5/5 Stars.
Canada: All That She Wants
Directors: Scarlett Bermingham & Andrew Rhymer
Remember when Victoria College’s campus was turned into a winter wonderland in the middle of September last year? That film hit the big screens at TIFF, and was a delightfully Canadian ending to the festival. Featuring an eerily-accurate Burwash dorm room and a bastardized UofT logo, Annie Murphy played an introspective yet hilarious lead in this (mild) age-gap romance between a late-career dancer and a graduate student. Confronting the topics of career changes, parenthood, and starting over in your thirties, this film stays relevant without losing its charm, and maintains its feel-good energy without a Hallmark movie cliché. While it is mildly uncomfortable to watch a famous actor fornicate in a mock-up of your friend’s first year dorm, this film is worth the watch. ⅘ Stars.