Highly recommended
What You Gonna Do When The World Is On Fire?
The seemingly mundane feels momentous in Roberto Minervini’s beautifully shot black-and-white documentary about African-Americans navigating systemic oppression in the U.S. South. See review.
Sep 11, 9:15 pm, AGO Sep 13, 12 pm, AGO Sep 16, 9:15 pm, Scotiabank 8.
Boy Erased
Joel Edgerton’s second feature is a moving, sober and occasionally rambling adaptation of Garrard Conley’s memoir of his time spent in gay conversion therapy. Lucas Hedges is emerging as one of his generation’s most versatile actors. See review.
Sep 11, 9 pm, Princess of Wales Sep 12, 2:30 pm, Princess of Wales Sep 15, noon, Roy Thomson Hall.
Her Smell
Alex Ross Perry plunges the audience into the insanity surrounding an unrelentingly mean grunge singer (Elisabeth Moss) who has lost all sense of self. The film prompted a lot of walk outs during the world premiere on Sunday, but we were glued to the screen. See review.
Sep 11, noon, TBLB 1 Sep 14, 9:15 pm, TBLB 1.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Director Bi Gan’s Cannes hit features an astounding 55-minute action-packed dream sequence all filmed in one continuous shot. A technical and artistic marvel that will be one of this year’s festival’s revelations. See review.
Sep 11, 3:45 pm, TBLB 3 Sep 13, 2:45 pm, TBLB 4 Sep 15, 5:30 pm, Scotiabank 8.
Birds Of Passage
Another visually stunning and carefully constructed epic from the filmmaking team behind the remarkable Embrace Of The Serpent. See review.
Sep 11, 3:30 pm, TBLB 2 Sep 16, 12:15 pm, Scotiabank 2.
Not recommended
Museo
Rising Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios won a jury prize in Berlin for this heist flick starring Gael García Bernal. But despite impressive production values and rare access to shoot in Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology, the film doesn’t deliver on the ambitious themes it sets out for itself. See review.
Sep 11, 5:30 pm, Winter Garden Sep 13, 6 pm, Scotiabank 2 Sep 15, 5:30 pm, Scotiabank 3.
Quincy
Rashida Jones’s documentary tribute to her music legend father Quincy Jones is next level redundancy. Wait for it to hit Netflix. See review.
Sep 11, 12:15 pm, TBLB 2 Sep 15, 6:45 pm, Scotiabank 2.
Wild cards
High Life
Mind-blowing sci-fi film from the French master Claire Denis tackles sexual politics, class and parenthood and is totally unpredictable. The premiere inspired walkouts, but… is that a bad thing? More gala screenings with films like this, please!
Sep 11, 11 am, Winter Garden Sep 14, 9:45 pm, TBLB 2.
Colette
Biopic of France’s best-selling female author directed by Still Alice’s Wash Westmoreland and starring Keira Knightley in the title role.
Sep 11, 5:45 pm, Princess of Wales Sep 12, noon, Winter Garden.
Vita & Virginia
Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki (also at TIFF in Widows) star in this literary love story about authors Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.
Sep 11, 9 pm, Winter Garden Sep 12, 3:30 pm, TBLB 1 Sep 15, 9:15 pm, Scotiabank 1.
