I somehow managed to luck out at TIFF this year because all my films were absolutely amazing. In the 10 years I’ve been going to the festival, I’m usually disappointed by at least one film. However, there must be some magic in the air because I really really enjoyed all five of my selections. 

The first movie I saw at TIFF was Like Father, Like Son. It was by the same director as Nobody Knows, which I had also seen at TIFF in previous years. LFLS had great reviews coming from Cannes, so I was really looking forward to it. (Also cause Fukuyama plays the lead character in the movie.) The film tells the story of two families torn apart when they discover their six year old sons were switched at birth. The majority of the story concentrated on how each family dealt with the situation and subsequently touched on the debate of nature vs. nurture. I was struck by the acting from the two child actors, as they portrayed characters that were so vastly different from one another.

Later when the director came on stage for the Q&A, he mentioned how he wanted to make this film because he had recently become a father himself. The ironic thing is, he spent so much time away filming that he hardly ever saw his daughter. He mentioned that when he returned home one day, on his way out, his daughter said to him: “Mata kite ne.” I think the movie really shows how active parents play such an integral role in the development of their children. It was overall an intriguing film and I’m sure it gave people more perspective on how to raise their families. 

Oh, one thing I should mention – I’m not sure why (or when) TIFF got rid of all the good theaters, but they’ve scrapped the Varsity and Yonge-Dundas as venues. LFLS was held at the Winter Garden Theatre, which was one of the crappiest locations I’ve been to. When they were letting ticket holders inside, I had no idea we would need to take the escalators up. I ended up taking the stairs, which was sort of a mistake, since I ended up walking 4 floors up. (T__T) Another terrible theatre I went to was Bloor Hot Docs theatre. At least that one had been newly renovated so the seats were somewhat comfy. =S

In between LFLS and my next movie, my sis and I stopped by Zakkushi to grab some dinner. It took longer than I expected, so we ended up arriving at Scotiabank a little later than I had wanted. Thankfully Kari was already there so we joined her in line. The theatre was packed by the time the movie started. We were catching the second screening of Unbeatable by Dante Lam.

Unbeatable was actually my favourite movie at the festival this year. The characters, the story, the impeccable acting – everything was just top notch. The only thing I couldn’t stand were some of the action scenes, because it was quite terrifying seeing all MMA fights. Of course, Eddie Peng was in the movie, so that was another bonus. [Spoiler alert] I nearly cried at the scene when he broke his neck. [End spoiler] But it was okay at the end when he reappeared and I practically kyaa-ed at the screen for a good five minutes. Haha.

I had a bit of a rest in between, so I saw my third movie last Thursday night at Scotiabank again. Lisa, my sister and I watched Bends, starring Carina Lau. Again, the movie had great reviews from Cannes, so I was looking forward to it. This movie was more slow paced, similar to LFLS. It centered on two characters coming from opposite backgrounds. Carina’s character was a wealthy socialite, but a sudden turn of events leaves her practically penniless. Chen Kun’s character is from Mainland China. He struggles to smuggle his wife into the city as she is illegally pregnant with their second child. The basis of the film focused on contrast between the characters and how their lives intertwine.

The director also attended the Q&A, so it was enlightening hearing her process in making the movie. The only annoying part of the Q&A were the retarded audience questions. I don’t even know if people were paying attention to the movie, cause some people asked questions about things that were blatantly obvious. Like, how do you mistaken an ex-girlfriend for a sister?? Others asked questions about the government policies in China and HK that a simple Google search could have answered. I kinda felt bad for the director for fielding stupid questions. =( 

I had my last two movies at TIFF last Sunday. First up was my 9am screening of The Wind Rises. I was surprised by the steady pace of the story as it moved along fairly well. Since the subject of the film was based on a real figure, I was expecting it to be more…dry. LOL. I did see why people were criticizing the film for showing too many smoking scenes, because a character would light up a cigarette in every other scene. But the movie and the soundtrack were equally impressive, so I’m glad I had to chance to see Miyazaki’s last feature on the big screen.

For my last movie, I saw the Korean detective thriller Cold Eyes. The movie had a gala premiere a few days prior with all the cast in attendance. If I had known in advance how much I would come to love Jung Woo Sung, I would have tried to see him on the red carpet too. HEHE. The movie was based on the HK film Eye in the Sky. JWS actually plays the villain in the movie, but I was cheering him on the entire time. Haha. The cast did a great job in their roles and there were a lot of jokes throughout the movie to lighten the mood. Definitely worth watching cause I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Overall another great film festival run. If any of you have a chance to watch these five films, I highly recommend it! I hope my film festival fix will last me for another year. =)