SPROCKETS TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR CHILDREN at Canada Square and Sheppard Centre cinemas, Saturday (April 17) to April 23. For complete details, see Indie & Rep Film. sprockets.ca. Rating: NNNN
In the spring glut of Toronto mini-festivals, there’s only one that actively encourages you to bring the kids.
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Now in its 13th year, TIFF’s Sprockets returns to Canada Square and Sheppard Centre, bringing a passel of shorts, features and the occasional documentary to local audiences starving for youth-oriented fare that’s never been sullied by a Jonas or a Cyrus.
First screened in Toronto at last year’s Hot Docs, Havana Marking’s excellent documentary Afghan Star (Monday at 12:30 pm, repeats April 22, 9:40 am rating: NNNN) doesn’t feel particularly Sprockety. It’s a straightforward look at the attempts to mount an Afghan version of Pop Idol in a nation devastated by a decade under the Taliban. But Canadian kids should have no trouble relating to the look at a culture trying to define itself through entertainment and encountering some distressing roadblocks along the way.
Two of this year’s dramatic entries feature characters dealing with disabilities. Iran’s A Time To Love (Saturday at 11:20 am, repeats Sunday, 2 pm rating: NNN), directed with a fairly heavy hand by Ebrahim Forozesh, examines the cultural stigma of a disabled child through the story of a plucky young invalid (Ali Shademan) whose father is ashamed to let him out in the world.
And The Crocodiles (Saturday, 1:30 pm, repeats Sunday, 1:30 pm, Monday, 9:45 am and Tuesday, 9:40 am rating: NNNN), from Germany’s Christian Ditter, follows a wheelchair-bound tween (Fabian Halbig) who helps a group of adventurous pals fight petty crime. It’s nice to see that The Goonies still resonates with a new generation of storytellers.
Decidedly not for younger audiences is David Lee Miller’s My Suicide (Saturday at 4:45 pm, repeats April 22, noon rating: NNNN), a vividly realized high-school drama about a withdrawn student (Gabriel Sunday) who announces he’ll be killing himself on camera for a class project.
Relative unknown Sunday makes a fine, sympathetic lead, and he’s got a terrific co-star in Infestation’s Brooke Nevin as a classmate darkly fascinated by his intentions. The volatile subject matter is handled tastefully and with considerable intelligence, presented through a frenetic, multimedia aesthetic that only appears chaotic. Once you understand the editorial rhythms, it’s easy enough to follow.
normw@nowtoronto.com
