Day 9 - Fri Sep 17
- One of the few downsides of living in a condominium is the fire alarms, which really are not all that frequent. But the alarm went off this morning seconds after my radio alarm went off. Nothing like being bolted out of bed after five hours of sleep.
- My emotions are riding close to the surface today. First of all, I was over-sugary greeting the Varsity Theatre staff this morning. And then while taking the subway to my second screening, I lost it as I gazed at a homeless man sitting across from me. His shoes were torn open, as were his pants. The tears just started flooding out of the ducts. But when he lifted his head, he had a smile on his face.
- My mom became critically ill this afternoon and was rushed into emergency surgery. I left for Hamilton late afternoon and it took me two hours to get there. I literally missed seeing my mom before she was rolled into surgery by about 20 seconds. She survived the surgery. We're waiting to see where things go from here. She'll be in ICU and on life support for at least a couple of days.
It's Kind of a Funny Storyhttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/itskindofafunnystory
Anne Boyden & Ryan Fleck, USA Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic – where he finds himself in the adult ward. Sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and the pressures of growing up. | ContemplationsIt's Kind of a Funny Story is kind of a not so funny story about white kids' problems. An angst-ridden, suicidal teenager checks himself into a hospital psych ward in an attempt to find a treatment for his depression. The kid has a father who works too hard (i.e. answers his cell phone) and a fragile mother (the horror), and he's under pressure to get into some high falutin' summer school (not even university).
This movie is a sugar-coated Hollywood treatment of mental illness and it's chock full of cliched characters and banal contemplations on life. This ain't no One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and not even a decent male version of Girl Interrupted. There are a few moments of amusing dialogue, but I suspect that there were a lot more in the book the movie was based on. And there is a rather funny fantasy scene done to the tune of Queen's and David Bowie's Under Pressure. But for crying out loud, if you are going to use the standard Hollywood script structure, there should at least be a momentous third act climax. Sadly (not), there was no one in attendance to represent the movie. |
Sarah's Keyhttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/sarahskey
Gilles Pacquet-Brenner, France While researching an article on the Vel’d’Hiv Roundup in 1942 France, Julia, an American journalist stumbles across the story of Sarah, a ten year old Jewish girl who desperately tried to save her younger brother from the police by locking him in a cupboard. Through her research, Julia comes across a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah and change the way she sees the world. | ContemplationsFollowing this morning's disappointment, what a treat it was to see a movie with some real meat to it (if you're a vegetarian, please excuse the expression). Sarah's Key is based on an international best-seller, a kind of modern-day mystery set against the backdrop of the French deportation of Jews to the death camps. It's not a subject that has been treated much in the movies, although the production company that I once worked for produced a movie called Emotional Arithmetic that dealt with this subject as well.
The beauty of this movie is in the intertwining of a contemporary story, in all its complexities, with a look into a dark chapter in France's history. Apparently the book was extremely layered with many sub plots, so the director had to pick and choose his focus. Although I have not read the book, others in the audience thought the adaptation was well executed. Kristen Scott Thomas was wonderful, as always, but the rest of the cast were excellent as well. The scenes in the velodrome and holding camps and a Sophie's-Choice-like moment were positively gut-wrenching, so be prepared. But this picture is well-balanced and satisfying in terms of the storytelling and it will not disappoint or leave you feeling dispirited. As the son of survivors, director Gilles Pacquet-Brenner was strongly drawn to the story. But for him, it was not just a film about the Holocaust, but about the resiliency of humankind. Pacquet-Brenner was a very thoughtful being and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. |
Casino Jackhttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/bagman
George Hickenlooper, Canada Based on the true crime story of the former high-powered lobbyist whose crooked schemes, fraudulent transactions and insatiable appetite for financial gain ultimately landed him behind bars, Casino Jack follows what has been called the biggest scandal to hit Washington since Watergate. It’s a sobering story, but this movie tells it with great fun. | ContemplationsDid not attend.
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The Solitude of Prime Numbershttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/solitudeofprimenumbe
Saverio Constanzo, Italy Two youngsters discover that they are doomed to live parallel lives, always linked but never joined. One has to deal with the effects of a serious skiing accident while the other must come to grips with negligence that led to the death of a sister. As they grow into adults they discover that their singularity results in solitude. | ContemplationsDid not attend.
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Confessionshttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/confessions
Tetsuya Nakashima, Japan Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions is one of Japan's most important films of the year. A stylized mixture of cruelty and compassion, the film spins the dark tale of vengeance of a teacher whose little daughter has been killed by two of her students in seventh grade. | ContemplationsDid not attend.
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