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| Catch must-see Oscar nominee Minding the Gap at TIFF Next Wave Courtesy of TIFF. |
Forget Max Ophüls, the archival 35mm print you need to see
this week is But I’m a Cheerleader!
TIFF’s Next Wave Film Festival returns this week offering youth-oriented
programming with films both old and new selected by young movie buffs. Jamie
Babbit’s campy and hilarious cult hit is just one of the retrospective
highlights of the film that should attract moviegoers eager to explore films
that didn’t make the cut at TIFF’s recent 1999 series. (Still waiting on that Thomas Crown Affair spotlight, dear
Lightbox!)
Festivities kick off tonight with the Battle of the Scores
and opening night party with screenings and workshops running through the long
weekend. Best of all, this roster of international pics is free for anyone 25 and under, so spend that ticket money on buttery
popcorn while your metabolism is still youthfully active. Here are Cinemablographer’s top five picks for
TIFF Next Wave.
Minding the Gap
Sunday, Feb. 17 @ 5:45 pm
For me, Minding the
Gap is the must-see film of the festival. Bing Liu’s extraordinary debut
documentary is what festivals like Next Wave are all about. Liu’s film is a
personal odyssey that demonstrates the beauty that arises when young people are
empowered with a camera and given the chance to tell their own stories on their
own terms. Liu creates an intimate portrait of his group of friends coming of
age while sailing through the streets of Chicago on their skateboards. Shot
with breathtaking energy and poetry, it’s an insider’s view of millennial life
that takes audiences to unexpected places as Liu and his friends open up and
bravely invite viewers into their lives. It’s a feat of self-representation
that upcoming filmmakers need to study and savour. Bonus point: it’s an Oscar
nominee for Best Documentary Feature and deserves to be the winner. Read more
about the film in the review at POV and in our picks for the best docs of 2018.
Charlotte a du fun
Sunday, Feb. 17 @ 3:15 pm – director Sophie Lorain in
attendance!
It’s alarming how few Québécois films screen in Toronto.
This leaves a sizable gap for audiences who want to keep up on the best talent
emerging in the Canadian film scene. Fortunately, Next Wave consistently offers
at least one Canadian talent to watch, like it did with Chloé Leriche and
Pascale Plante in previous years. This year’s notable Quebecker is Sophie
Lorain with her offbeat and funny Charlotte
a du fun, alternatively known by its provocative English title Slut in a Good Way. Charlotte is like American
Pie with a feminist spin as Lorain tells the story of three BFFs who get
part-time jobs in order to meet some boys. Featuring breakout performances by Marguerite
Bouchard, Rose Adam, and Canadian Screen Award nominee Romane Denis, this
refreshing comedy is just the ticket for anyone looking to support a new
generation of women both in front of the camera and behind it.
Socrates
Saturday, Feb. 16 @ 3:00 pm – director Alexandre Moratto in
attendance!
A hit on the international festival circuit this past year, Socrates introduces director Alex
Moratto as a talent to watch. It’s an assured feature dramatic debut that
builds upon a portfolio of short docs that have tackled the current political
climate in Brazil, mental health issues, and queer rights, among other themes. Socrates heralds an original voice with
its compelling character study of a 15-year-old boy in São Paulo who wrestles
with grief and alienation following his mother’s death. Christian Malheiros
gives a tour-de-force performance in the title role as he navigates Socrates’ grief-stricken
pain as well as the whirlwind of emotions the young man experiences coming of
age and coming out of the closet in a culture that has yet to fully embrace the
fact that love takes many forms. Socrates
is up for two Independent Spirit Awards including Best Male Lead, and this’ll
probably be Toronto’s only chance to see it.
But I’m a Cheerleader
Saturday, Feb, 16 @ 7:30 pm
A recent binge of Netflix’s cracked-out mini-series Russian Doll reminds me that the world
needs more Natasha Lyonne. As much as I love Lyonne now that she sounds like an
87-year-old chain-smoker, the mid to late ’90s were a peak period for Lyonne as
she played a range of sexually liberated young women and sketchy best friends
to help guide teens through the turn of the millennium. The unsung hit of Lyonne’s
filmography is the queer comedy But I’m a
Cheerleader in which she plays all-American girl Megan, who gets shipped
off to conversion therapy by her parents when they become suspicious of her
disinterest in her boyfriend. Cheerleader
is one of a handful of older gems playing in Next Wave’s Movie Marathon and
while the film demands to be screened on VHS, the novelty of seeing campy
flicks like this one with the snap, crackle, and pop of 35mm can’t be beat.
They’re also playing 10 Things I Hate
About You featuring everybody’s favourite “Where did she go?” star of the
1990s, Julia Stiles.
Young Creators Showcase
Sunday, Feb, 17 @ 12:30 pm
Finally, it only seems appropriate to check out the next
wave of Bing Lius and Sophie Lorains before they’re stars. One spotlight of the
festival is its line-up of shorts made by Canada’s up and comers. This year
highlights change in the industry with a notable roster of women and culturally
diverse voices to ensure that audiences will see their lives reflected on
screen in some way, shape, or form over the festival. This year’s showcase
features a handful of talents who are already emerging stars in their own
rights, including the astonishingly prolific Morgana McKenzie who has
established herself as a force on the international youth film circuit after
breaking out in the Ottawa scene just a few years ago. (She’s back at Next Wave
with Wild after her award-winning
music video Atlas World was a
festival hit in 2017.) Also worth noting
are Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland who bring their short doc Throat Singing in Kangirsuk fresh from
Sundance and a welcome depiction of Inuit youth.
TIFF Next Wave runs Feb. 15 to 17 at TIFF Lightbox.
Screenings are free for
the 25 and under crowd. Get the full line-up here.
