Our Highlights From The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival came to a close a few weeks ago, but our trusty team of in-person correspondents is still buzzing about our faves of the fest. This year’s edition was chock full of the year’s most anticipated titles and several of them lived up to the hype and then some. On the other hand, the lineup was also full of several exciting discoveries, some of which you may not have heard much about yet stand just as tall as achievements in storytelling. Here is a mix of the former and the latter and more, an alphabetical guide to this year’s festival highlights that spans global dramas, animated wonders, sumptuous horror, and so much more. Don’t forget to follow Geek Vibes Nation on Twitter as well as our correspondents – Will Bjarnar, Kelly Kantrowitz, Brandon Lewis, and Larry Fried – for more on-the-ground coverage of this year’s most talked-about festival standouts.

Click here for more of our coverage from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

All of You

dir. William Bridges | World Premiere, Special Presentations

In truth, the science-fiction conceit of All of You is largely inconsequential. That is a feature, not a bug. The film is less interested in its premise’s social and cultural implications – that science can help you find your soulmate – than in its impact on two long-time best friends who struggle to reconcile their deep feelings for one another. The story of Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots) doesn’t deviate much from the will-they-won’t-they, friends-to-lovers story that has become a romantic-comedy standard, but it doesn’t need to. William Bridges and Goldstein’s script embraces its conventions while sharpening them with wit, charm, and surprising vulnerability. Great as the script is, Bridges knows that the film’s most potent strength comes from its fantastic pairing of Goldstein and Poots. He largely gets out of their way, allowing them to shine with their effortless chemistry and affecting individual performances. Both are excellent, but Goldstein feels especially revelatory here, fashioning himself as a unique kind of romantic hero, marrying the humor-tinged prickliness of Roy Kent with a blistering openness that leaves you wanting more. –Brandon Lewis

Bird

dir. Andrea Arnold | Canadian Premiere, Special Presentations

In her last three directorial efforts on film, Andrea Arnold has told stories featuring exceptional breakthrough performances (both human and bovine). Their latest film, Bird, is no exception, but the film is a revelation not solely for Nykiya Adams’ transcendent work – the first of an instantly promising career. It also beautifully depicts how the teens of today often must grow up faster than the adults around them ever managed to. Whether it’s due to circumstances, upbringing, or characteristics doesn’t matter. It just happens, and those who can roll with the sucker punches of life are strongest on the other side. Adams’ Bailey is one of those characters; that she was able to build out the intricacies of who this person is with Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski by her side is all gravy. Keoghan sneaks up on you, a brilliantly lived-in representation of the father who refuses to sacrifice the things he desires in life for the sake of his kids, while Rogowski (as the titular character) continues to prove that he is one of the most versatile, reliable performers of this generation. Beyond its performances, Arnold’s writing/direction and Robbie Ryan’s cinematography are a match made in heaven. Shot in 35mm and taking a similar form to last year’s La Chimera – rounded edges that made each scene feel that much more worn and familiar – it’s a stunning work of visual storytelling that rivals Arnold’s best. –Will Bjarnar

Click here to read our full review of Bird.

The Brutalist

dir. Brady Corbet | North American Premiere, Special Presentations

The Brutalist feels like it requires multiple viewings. You might take that to mean that Brady Corbet’s film is overly complicated, inaccessible, or several other negative connotations. That would be a mistake. The need for multiple viewings is because there is so much to unpack beyond its sterling, staggering first-glance excellence. The sprawling story of Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) engages nearly every pillar of the American immigrant experience with stunning clarity, intent, and jaw-dropping craft. The film is so engrossing that you hardly notice how much time has passed when the built-in 15-minute intermission starts (roughly 105 minutes). Another (roughly) 105 minutes follow, and the film further strikes you with the ferocious truth of the American Dream and its inaccessibility to immigrants despite their indisputable contributions. And yet, as clear-eyed and gutting as its central theme is, the film explores so many intersections and permutations that it can be downright dizzying. It is exhilarating how Corbet uses every tool to consume your attention long after you’ve left the theater. Whatever you take away from The Brutalist after however many viewings, there is no doubt that it is a monumental cinematic achievement. –Brandon Lewis

Click here to read our full review of The Brutalist.

Cloud

dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa | North American Premiere, Centrepiece/Luminaries

The curtain of online ambiguity is swung open in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest thriller, though it isn’t quite so obvious at first. Centered on slimy online reseller Ryosuke Yoshii and his attempt to break out on his own after a successful round of sales, Kurosawa initially presents the character’s life and times as a low-stakes, slice-of-life drama. The film’s monotony could potentially lull one into the same kind of security Yoshii believes he has earned in taking advantage of reliably misguided consumers, all by scalping products in bulk and putting them back on the market at outrageous prices. However, the film’s second half quickly shatters Yoshii’s bubble – both literally, as a brick is mysteriously thrown through his bedroom window, and figuratively, as a group of discontented customers band together to plot their revenge. Thus kickstarts the film’s descent into violent, madcap retribution, as this Coen Brothers-esque ensemble begin to realize just how much they are each individually out of their element. Seamlessly blending intense action with sardonic satire, Kurosawa’s deceptive thriller is a wake-up call for the internet age, a tragic tale of the hubris we muster up behind our screens and the systemic cycle of inhumane disconnect we encounter in our daily lives because of it. –Larry Fried

Click here to read our full review of Cloud.

Conclave

dir. Edward Berger | International Premiere, Special Presentations

Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front was hyped to the nines back in 2022, a collective adoration that this critic avoided with aplomb. I found his remake to be a slow, overly technical affair that neglected what made the 1929 book and subsequent adaptation in 1930 so effortlessly invigorating. So, it thrills me to no end that for his follow-up, Berger chose to adapt a gossipy, hyper-stylized airport novel, Robert Harris’ Conclave, and made a gossipy, hyper-stylized ticking-clock thriller in doing so. It follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes, in a performance that is sure to nab him an Oscar nomination) as he is saddled with the responsibility of helping to elect a new pope after the previous one has passed away. Naturally, the rather straightforward voting process goes awry as a series of mysterious revelations are uncovered, many of which could shake the Roman Catholic Church to its core. (Its reputation was sterling to begin with, so that would be a brutal blow.) Heavy on aggressive cello strums that dominate Volker Bertelmann’s score and wildly dramatic by design, there might not have been a more entertaining film at the festival this year. There may not even be one left on the 2024 release calendar that poses a worthy threat to Conclave in that department. Who would’ve thought that a drama about a pope’s election could be the crowdpleaser of the year? –Will Bjarnar

Click here to read our full review of Conclave.

Friendship

dir. Andrew DeYoung | World Premiere, Midnight Madness

My husband insisted I see Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship—I can’t say he was wrong. Bringing his signature absurdist style to this anti-bromance, Tim Robinson’s Friendship is a side-splitting comedy that explores the awkwardness of adult relationships. It follows socially awkward suburbanite Craig Waterman (Robinson) who tries to kindle a relationship with his incredibly cool new neighbor, Brian (Paul Rudd). This leads to a hilarious spiral of social missteps—we’re talking everything from chowing down on a bar of soap to tripping on toad venom. Robinson’s performance is spot-on; he’s goofy, uncomfortable, and even relatable because, really, who doesn’t crave acceptance? Reminiscent of I Love You, Man, the more Craig strains for “normalcy,” the more delightfully unhinged he becomes—and much of the movie plays like I Think You Should Leave sketches strung together. With standout support from Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer, Friendship is a cringe-comedy gem. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but those who appreciate dark humor and offbeat characters (and, of course, Robinson’s brand of humor) will have a good time with this one. –Kelly Kantrowitz

Hard Truths

dir. Mike Leigh | World Premiere, Special Presentations

In Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste we trust. Nearly twenty years after their Oscar-nominated collaboration Secrets & Lies, the filmmaker and his muse reunite for this hilarious and quietly devastating film about Pansy, a middle-aged, misanthropic woman coming to grips with the disappointments of her life. Jean-Baptiste makes a five-star feast out of Pansy’s endless barrage of hostile barbs that she aims at the unsuspecting populace, never mind her own put-upon family. What elevates the comedy to soul-shattering territory is its exploration of Black mental health, especially amongst older Black women, an under-represented topic within the entertainment industry on either side of the pond. Leigh’s direction and his actors’ performances are overwhelming in their honesty about how crippling depression can be. Just as honest is the lack of satisfactory answers pointing toward a resolution. Hard Truths ends at a nadir of sorts, where Pansy and her family have only scratched the surface of their struggles. Anyone familiar with Black mental health knows that acknowledging a problem even exists is a massive first step, especially against deeply entrenched skepticism of psychological and emotional trauma and treatment. The fact that we will never see this family find real peace of mind is the hardest truth in a film explicitly named after them. And yet, there is still hope to be found, if not with what is or isn’t on the screen, but with the lessons you take with you to your own family dynamics. –Brandon Lewis

Heretic

dir. Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | World Premiere, Special Presentations

Heretic is a surprisingly clever A24 horror-thriller from the duo behind A Quiet Place. It’s a sharp, twisty chamber piece (think: Barbarian-level labyrinth) that delivers stellar performances all around. The film follows two young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are lured into a theological debate that unravels into a thorny game of cat and mouse. Their captor is the cardigan-wearing Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), whose charm and Dahmer-esque glasses make him the last person you’d expect to be a villain. The tension is high from the start—exploring our beliefs, doubts, vulnerabilities, and religious fanaticism. Hugh Grant is superb as the gregarious yet deranged Mr. Reed. I love that he absolutely annihilated his ’90s rom-com image in the span of 110 minutes. He’s dastardly and unnerving and I’ll never look at blueberry pie the same way again. –Kelly Kantrowitz

Click here to read our full review of Heretic.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

dir. Laura Piani, | World Premiere, Centrepiece

Austenites will absolutely devour Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a decidedly modern take on the eponymous author’s indelible romances that is as cozy as it is clever. Sure to be programmed in double features with Jerusha Hess’ Austenland, Laura Piani’s directorial debut similarly follows a young woman who goes on a retreat dripping with Austen charm. This film’s leading lady, however, is instead a French bookworm and aspiring novelist who, living in the wake of her parents’ death, struggles with writer’s block. Caught between a friends-to-lovers romance with her best guy friend at home and an enemies-to-lovers arc with the resort organizer’s son (himself an Austen descendant), she suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of the very romantic woes she has only read about. Piani’s posh romcom is a breezier watch compared to prior Austen-adjacent films but it still channels much of what makes the author’s work so watchable: witty writing, sincere (if snappy) characters, gorgeous scenery, and cathartic sentimentality. That said, it still finds ways to flip the script that give its main character the kind of agency and depth that would make Austen herself proud. –Larry Fried

Julie Keeps Quiet

dir. Leonardo van Djil | North American Premiere, Centrepiece

As its title would suggest, Julie Keeps Quiet is a story about silence. Julie is a high school student and an elite tennis player who, on the cusp of a major competition, is thrown into the middle of a scandal revolving around a teammate’s suicide and its potential connection to their trainer, who has been suspended. Julie, who is close to the trainer, is pressured to speak about her experiences, however, she denies responsibility at every turn. Aside from a few scenes implying less-than-appropriate behavior, the specific nature of the controversy, as well as Julie’s connection to it, are kept murky. Though it may frustrate some, this is very intentional, for van Djil understands that trauma is often less defined by the event through which it is triggered but rather by the lingering isolation that festers in the days, months, years that follow. Newcomer Tessa Van den Broeck (a real-life tennis player) is remarkable in her restraint, conveying what could be years of repressed emotions and long-held secrets despite her young age, while DP Nicolas Karakatsanis’ subjective framing positions den Broeck in minimalist long takes that put her performance and its patience on full display. Following in the footsteps of recent films such as The Assistant and Good One, Julie Keeps Quiet is another steely coming-of-age narrative unafraid to sit in stirring discomfort, specifically the kind inflicted on young women by the patriarchies that coddle us until they don’t. –Larry Fried

Nightbitch

dir. Marielle Heller | World Premiere, Special Presentations

Marielle Heller’s latest swing has received a mixed critical reception, though this critic struggles to understand why. Perhaps many assumed the film would fully give into its surrealist premise. Amy Adams plays the unnamed Mother, a revered multidisciplinary visual artist and curator who has recently become a stay-at-home mom whose husband is often traveling for business. In the midst of postnatal stress, she soon begins to take on the characteristics of a dog, from growing a tail to running on all fours. Rather than portray it in the style of Cronenbergian body horror, Heller’s film uses the Mother’s transformation almost exclusively as metaphor, used to signify a woman who has been forced to repress her own self-worth and desires at the behest of motherhood and is ready to let them roar back to life. These scenes are exceptionally implemented, however, the true movie is the one that surrounds these scenes, a connivingly deconstructionist take on mom culture and gender roles that is unafraid to be darkly comedic to the point of hilariously deadpan farce. Anchoring the entire ride is Adams, giving one of her best performances in some time as a mother on the brink, however, it is her husband, played by Scoot McNairy, who reveals the film’s subversive, compassionate beating heart underneath. –Larry Fried

Click here to read our full review of Nightbitch.

Presence

dir. Steven Soderbergh | International Premiere, Centrepiece

A modern ghost story born from a real-life encounter between someone who once house-sat for Steven Soderbergh and a spirit of some kind, Presence is a technique-bending thriller that allows us to see what a ghost might see as they glide about one’s dwelling. Shot by Soderbergh with a 14mm prime lens, the master auteur’s camera floats through the central family’s home, never moving through walls or people, as he wanted the “presence” to feel naive. He’s successful, as given how Presence – the story of a family who moves into a new home and finds that their complex problems aren’t the only thing haunting them – is shot, the audience is bound to feel as though it is constantly reacting in real-time with the spirit. It’s a daring technical feat that sees standout performances from Chris Sullivan and Lucy Liu, and a revelatory turn from newcomer Callina Liang. I feel safe calling it Soderbergh’s best in years. –Will Bjarnar

The Seed of The Sacred Fig

dir. Mohammad Rasoulof | Canadian Premiere, Centrepiece

Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig is an unapologetic and powerful piece of political art. Set against Iran’s Jina protests (Women, Life, Freedom), the film follows Iman, a judge whose powerful new position forces him to confront his personal convictions. As the protests intensify, Iman’s psychological state deteriorates, revealing the destructive power of paranoia, control, fear, and manipulation. The film offers an unflinching look at the consequences of dissent, highlighting the bravery of those who stand up against tyranny. From a woman’s effort to capture police brutality on video to a high-speed car chase through the desert, Pooyan Aghababaei’s stunning cinematography fused with Andrew Bird’s masterful editing delivers some truly tense and unsettling sequences. With a standout performance by Soheila Golestani as the matriarch, the film is a timely commentary on the human cost of political repression. It’s blunt yet courageous and impactful. Put this film on your list and read more about the incredible lengths the filmmaker and actors went through to bring this story to life. –Kelly Kantrowitz

Queer

dir. Luca Guadagnino | North American Premiere, Special Presentations

Considering its conceit – a methodical, moody gay romance set in Mexico City with shooting ties to Italy – it would have been appropriate for fans of Luca Guadagnino’s work to assume that his second directorial effort of 2024, Queer, would serve as a spiritual sequel to his 2017 masterpiece, Call Me By Your Name. Instead, the director reteams with Challengers scribe Justin Kuritzkes to adapt William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel in a tone that would make Burroughs all too proud. Guadagnino’s most audacious film to date – yes, including his deranged Suspiria remake – Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig in a soul-baring tour de force), a sexually-ravenous man who spends his days puttering around El Águila Real’s capital in search of drink, drug, and dick. In other words, he’s the horniest addict alive, one whose world is turned upside down when he notices Eugene Allerton (a revelatory Drew Starkey) watching a cock fight outside of Lee’s favorite late-night haunt. The slim, glasses-donning Floridian isn’t someone Bill has ever seen before, and he represents an object of desire that is as challenging as he is desirable. Less the tale of a passionate affair than it is a rich drama about yearning in agony, Queer sees Guadagnino at his most sensual, his most surreal, and his most profound. It’s a stunner. –Will Bjarnar

Click here to read our full review of Queer.