The Toronto Film Festival may be over, but if you’re craving a hit of international cinema there’s still plenty to see this weekend.
First and foremost, I recommend Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which just began an exclusive engagement at TIFF Bell Lightbox it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year, and it should be at the top of any moviegoer’s to-do list.
But if you’re not in the mood for magic realism and monkey ghosts, there are other options. The Bloor Cinema is home to the Brazilian Film and TV Festival of Toronto all weekend. The festival kicked off last night, but continues through Sunday with a selection of shorts, features and documentaries from the Latin American nation.
Friday’s highlights include Marcio Salem’s short The Wind (screening at 7 pm with the feature The Midday Sun), about a village whose inhabitants fall into despair when the wind stops blowing, and An Ordinary Man (screening tonight at 9:30 pm, with the short Angels In The Middle Of The Square), a drama about an unemployed man (Eriberto Leão) who ponders becoming a kidnapper.
Also screening in the festival is the 2010 Hot Docs selection B1 (Saturday, 4:3- pm), about a blind Brazilian judo champion Antonio Tenório da Silva chasing a fourth gold medal at the 2008 Paralympics Games in Bejing. It’s a little on the repetitive side, with the filmmakers following their subject from one bout to the next, but the subject matter is fascinating.
If you’re after a more European entertainment, Mika Kaurismaki’s The House Of Branching Love is playing a limited engagement at the Royal tonight and Sunday. It’s a comedy about a middle-aged couple whose attempts at a respectful separation quickly deteriorate into cruel farce.
If you missed it at last year’s TIFF, this is likely to be your only chance to see it for a while – so see Uncle Boonmee at the Lightbox, then make the trek up to the Royal.
You can pick up some cookies at one of the bakeries on College if you need a snack. See? I’ve thought of everything.
