Blue-Grotto

Emilia Pérez (2024)

Doctors can only do so much. They can fix bodies, but not souls.

A devious yet frequently overlooked Mexico City defense attorney, Rita, attracts the attention of Manitas, a notorious drug lord and criminal mastermind. Manitas has an interesting request and one that Rita entertains at her peril. For staging his murder, secretly obtaining the perfect surgeon, and providing for his family, Manitas will make Rita rich. The trick is that he will be reborn as she; Emilia. Things go well for a time, but the past begins to creep back. Emilia misses her kids and wife, and doesn't like the new influences on their lives. Emilia struggles to live half in one life, and half in another.

This combined narco-thriller, musical, romance, comedy, character-driven social piece, and gender affirmation drama is mind-blowing. The film bumps around to different and interesting locations around the world too. While the film has many plot twists, director Jacques Audiard maintains firm control of the narrative. I really admire and appreciate his work. It is amazing that a film can be so thrilling and funny, and yet manage to get in a plug about the 100,000 plus people who have disappeared in Mexico due to drug violence, but Audiard does it.

True to the film's multi-faceted and surprising nature, the actors won a combined award at the Cannes film festival for their roles (Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón).

The film is intriguing and fascinating because it never loses sight of the human nature component. Emilia's feelings are natural for what someone in her shoes might ask and wonder about. For example, was she really in love and did people love her? Further, I am enthralled with the French style, particularly its rawness. No one pulls any punches, and no censors are active with their censoring. Pride, truth, forgiveness, love, and more, are all on full display.

Saba (2024)

"Is just breathing really living?"

A view of Dhaka from high above the city streets, a bowl of spiced Kachchi, music, fresh air, and walking in a park; such little things bring so much happiness and pleasure. Saba provides them to her paraplegic mother, Shirin, as often as possible, but it is frustrating to not have much of a life of her own. When Shirin's health deteriorates, Saba is forced to find a job and beg a relative for money and favors. She has some success in this, and yet can't seem to keep up with Shirin's worsening condition. Saba faces a choice, follow the money or her heart.

"What do you wish for most in life?!"

This gripping character study provides a fascinating glimpse of the struggle to live with dignity in a faraway, bewildering city, yet a situation that is familiar to everyone. "If you want to send a message," said director Maksud Hossain "go to Western Union." He provides beguiling characters instead. Hossain was talkative at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival even though he had to deal with a loud and unruly member of the audience. The man claimed to be Hossain's "biggest fan," but in reality, he certainly wasn't.

Actor Mehazabien Chowdhury (Saba) was sitting right next to me in the front row throughout the screening and I didn't even notice until she jumped up to appear with Hossain for the question-and-answer session at the end. In my defense, she sat down in the darkness and after the film began. Mehazabien is a star of TV dramas, took on an uncharacteristic role in this film, and appreciated the chance to be someone more authentic and real.

The film has pleasing depth; television sets in the background speak of the first metro trains coming to Dhaka after the project was started 17 years ago, bullying and corrupt police officers provide a snapshot of living in Bangladesh (no consuming alcohol or kissing in public, yikes!), and more. Saba is a compelling film about letting go and living with grace and an open heart. How I love to travel to a distant corner of the world through such stories and art.

Sunshine (2024)

"I wanted to be brave for these girls"

Sunshine is on the verge of joining the national gymnastics team and going to the Olympics, when she loses focus, careens off balance, and falters. Dreams nearly in her grasp shift to distant phantoms as she realizes she is pregnant. Shaken, fearful, desperate, and determined not to lose her rightful place on the national team, Sunshine searches the underground of the city for abortifacients. Abortion and even divorce are illegal in the Philippines, so Sunshine has few options and few people she can trust. Just then a mysterious young girl appears in the darkness and crowded streets with knowledge of Sunshine's heart that surprises her and touches her deeply.

"I wanted to be brave for these girls," said Maris Racal (Sunshine) "who have no one else to turn to." Racal is intrinsically believable in her role. In the conservative religious culture of the Philippines and with the lack of access to reproductive support, many girls are in crisis. The issue is relatable and timely not just in the Philippines, but in many other countries including, unfortunately, our own.

At this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Antoinette Jadaone said she got the idea for an imaginary friend from the film Jojo Rabbit. As part of her film research Jadaone interviewed girls who had abortions. She hopes the film sparks conversations and change, that it is part of the solution for the country, and helps girls in such situations make their own decisions.

Ka Whawhai Tonu (2024)

"Fill yourself with the best, until you find out who you really are."

Haki, a young man with a Maori mother and an English soldier father, is not sure if he is running from something or to something. He is caught up in two wars at the same time; the 1864 battle of Orakau between the Maori and ten times as many English soldiers, and a conflict in his heart between two cultures. The upcoming fight leads Haki and his relatives on both sides of the trenches, to the dawn of a new era.

"Stop lying, or lie better."

With ethereal forest scenery, mesmerizing sounds of women singing, elaborate costumes, compelling characters, intriguing dances, depth, and intense fighting spectacles, Struggle Without End is enthralling. No one trash talks and postures like the Maori on the eve of battle. "Understand our past," said one of the Maori film producers at this North American premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival "and you can look at us differently."

"There is a big shift happening. We are telling our own stories."

Struggle Without End is told from a Maori perspective, which is refreshing. I enjoy supporting independent, indigenous filmmakers in part because of this fascinating and enlightening shift in perspective. Such a shift is usually not seen in mainstream films. For instance, the leadership model is different. Maori leaders, good and bad, still ask permission from their people to move in any given direction.

Happyend (2024)

glimpse of the surveillance future

In the future with advertisements projected on clouds, rampant prejudice towards anyone outside the mainstream, and surveillance technology monitoring actions and words, students fight back with pranks and sit-ins.

Unfortunately, the scope, vision, range, and dialogue of Happyend is rather limited. I enjoyed some of the pranks, the friendships, and the characters watching strangers from a distance and imagining conversations that they might be having with each other. However, beyond such things, there isn't much going on. It is an intriguing theme of loyal friends vowing to face the future together, but there needs to be more depth.

The Salt Path (2024)

"It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life." - Joseph Campbell

As Ray and Moth are on the cusp of retirement, they lose their home and savings in one unlucky swoop. To make things worse Moth is diagnosed with a rare and terminal neurodegenerative disease. In a "glory before death" type of decision, the distraught couple begins a journey on the Salt Path. The 630-mile trail runs along the English coast from Dorset to Somerset. Through good and bad moments including rainstorms, rude people, snoring, physical exhaustion, limping, humor, beautiful scenery, unexpectedly profound moments of insight, deep realizations about each other, and natural wonders, Moth and Ray discover a new definition of "home."

I believe deeply in the healing power of nature for body, heart, mind, and soul. When I go into the natural world, whether in joy or pain, I exit renewed and hopeful. All my life this has been true. This inspiring true story backs up this cherished belief. Along the Salt Path the wonders of nature are experienced in the bird songs, ocean swells, curious seals, sunsets, resplendent forests, and more.

The Salt Path is based on a 2018 memoir of the same name. Director Marianne Elliott relies less on the words of the book, and more on the actual experience of the trail. At this world premiere screening of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, Elliott said it was challenging to film on location, but the results were worth the cost. Agreed, for the trail is stunningly serene and it speaks for itself.

Horizonte (2024)

"In war, hope is like a cut on your foot. The more you rely on it, the deeper it gets."

In the mist, firelight, and shadows a mother, Inés, fails to recognize the voice of her own son Basilio. It is strange, dark, and different than the boy she once knew. It is Basilio's ghost, returning home and searching for his mother.

"Children don't survive here. Only soldiers do."

The pair begin a journey. It is inside their memories. The flute-like song of a thrush, soldiers going house by house and killing who they find, a flowing river, a mother calling to her boy, peculiar plants like a cross between Joshua trees and palms, piles of clothes and belongings of the dead, eerie sounds of forest insects, a little girl alone and crying, and tree branches rustling in the wind.

"How did you manage to give birth to such a monster?"

Dark and beautiful, Horizonte is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. This film has it all; captivating sound, depth that I am still trying to wrap my head around, mesmerizing cinematography, fantastic stories, intriguing plot and dialogue, surreal music and ambient sound, memorable acting, unexpected twists, resplendent flashbacks still reverberating in my mind, and authentic character journeys that are acutely heartrending. Even the special effects are not just flashy, but purposeful and stunning works of art. I was entranced by a house that rises from the land, ghostly visions, and dream-like, shifting landscapes.

"Stop thinking about what you lost and start thinking about what you can do for others."

Essential to Horizonte is a resonant message about healing and discovering the truth about a fifty-year war. It isn't just the fitful souls of Ines and Basilio seeking redemption. The entire country of Colombia is searching too. Each person, each place, is different and all we can do is give what we can.

"Hay futuro si hay verdad." (there is a future if there is truth)

• Colombian Truth Commission, final report.

From Ground Zero (2024)

"The sea, our only horizon, without it I'm not sure what would become of us."

Children with names written on their arms or legs to identify them in injury or death, digging in rubble for loved ones while calling out their names, sleeping on concrete, packed bags ready for the escape, buzzing sound of military drones overhead like ceaseless industrial drills, burning door frames for cooking, rushing in and out and back again, flashbacks to when your love is alive, lines for the toilet, water, and food in the camp, bodies in bags, and the future slipping through your hands.

22 short films bearing witness to the mass killing, starvation, sickness, trauma, sorrow, suffering, and bombing of the people of Gaza, but also testimonies to the struggle to survive and doing so with dignity and hope. The films are in various styles including documentary, hybrid, drama, animation, essay, and experimental art therapy.

"I believe in cinema and that it can bring about change," said Rashid Masharawi, one of the primary drivers behind the film. He was present at this North American premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. "We tell our own stories here, from the inside, how people are dealing with daily life, and with real emotion." There was a three-minute pause in the middle of the film and an active listener available to help us process the raw, heart wrenching images and testimony. "We are all on the same boat," said Masharawi "trying to do our best."

Sunlight on the sea, beckoning dreams, dancing, kites in the sky, encouraging stories, little joys like tea, music, drawing, singing of love and hope, laughter, awakenings, and wishes for happy and beautiful lives.

Dane-ye anjir-e ma'abed (2024)

sacred and strangling at the same time

The sacred fig is also the strangler fig. It nuzzles its host even as it strangles them to death. The criminal is not the one you expect.

Iman is climbing the ladder in Iran's judicial system. High minded, ambitious, and hard-working, he strives to earn the approval of his superiors and is promoted. Expecting adulation, Iman encounters rebellion instead. Where he presumes love in his workplace, country, wife and daughters, he finds insurgence. If Iman looks inside himself, he might find a way to set things right.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig won two prizes at the Cannes film festival and succeeds because of its authenticity, depth, capable actors, and riveting story. Director Mohammad Rasoulof spent time in prison for the crime of practicing his art of filmmaking. Rasoulof appeared via video at this Toronto International Film Festival screening to tell the story of one of his interrogators who felt shame at his actions and didn't know in what direction to turn. He claimed to be getting grief from his family. This interrogator is the model for the character of Iman.

This raw and unsettling film features actual footage from the violent 2022 uprising in Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was taken into custody for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. The film reminds us to take a close look at our workplace, country, friends, family, and selves in order not to become a host for any strangler figs, no matter how sacred they claim to be.

The Wolves Always Come at Night (2024)

dreaming of a return to home

"Protect us golden bright earth."

Daava and Zaya, a young couple with four children, return to the land and ways they once knew. A clear view to the distant horizon, sleeping in the great silence beneath the stars, talking to each other as night falls, playing the flute and singing to their herd of sheep, and feeling happiness overflow them while standing in the swirling snow. These are the things they live for.

Yet the land is desolate and much dryer than before. Climate change is real. A severe storm forces them back to the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar and the city life they tried to leave behind.

"I could even smell you, and hear your voice," says Daava "it was beautiful." He longs for the horse he had to sell, and to return to the landscape he loves.

A hybrid documentary and fictional story, the film allows us to discover Mongolia through the experiences of one family. "You feel like you might be there, get into the rhythm of the land, slow down, and feel it inside you," said director Gabrielle Brady at this Toronto International Film Festival screening. She worked with Daava and Zaya on their own terms to create something authentic and true to their character.

In the film Daava tells a Mongolian legend where lost travelers stumble upon a mirage. A woman serves them tea. Later everyone dies except the one who didn't drink the tea. This is the one who never gave up on their dream and refused to drink what was false.

The Village Next to Paradise (2024)

dreaming of better days

Along a deserted beach in the wind and waves a father and son, Mamargade and Cigaal, enjoy a little bit of happiness in nature. Such treasured moments are few and far between the numerous jobs, drone strikes bringing death from above, check points, and job payments that take months to materialize, if they ever materialize. At their simple and tiny cinder block and corrugated steel home the pair lives with Mamargade's sister Araweelo.

Cigaal dreams of light. Araweelo dreams of making and selling her own clothing. Being an unmarried woman she cannot get a loan, so Araweelo hatches a plan to get around the regulation. The risks are immense.

"My whole life I try to make things better," says Mamargade "but I keep making mistakes." When misfortune eclipses virtually every aspect of daily life, it is impossible to avoid the "mistakes." Yet the humble and hard-working trio never stops trying and hoping for luck, her own business, time at the beach, funding for school, and better days.

The Village Next to Paradise first dropped at Cannes. "It is the first film shot on location in Somalia," said director Mo Harawe who attended this North American premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Harawe engaged with the community of Paradise to make the film and employed non-professional actors. The investment in Somalia paid off in terms of the film's authenticity. The ambient sound of music on the radio, traffic, waves, and wind, contributed to the realistic nature as well. "Wind is a character," said Harawe "so the human characters are not ever alone." Culture is a character too, and I enjoyed the immersion in Somali songs, stories, and landscape.

Cong 21 Shi Ji an Quan Che Li (2024)

"Your pain is only temporary," I wish this was true

"If you are in pain, it is only temporary" said the director via a video prior to the start of the film screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. If this was true, then the film would have been over in a minute or two.

"The greatest lie we tell ourselves is that things will get better when we grow up."

This theme seemed enticing, and it helped lead me to see this film. Also the comparison to a Stephen Chow film (whose films I love). However, the film didn't follow the premise or compare to Chow. It didn't follow any premise except trying to look cool. No depth, and no purpose. And really, falling into a chemical spill gives the characters the ability to time travel?! I don't mind giving a story line the benefit of the doubt, but this isn't brilliant or creative, it's just dumb.

Santosh (2024)

heart twisting and powerful

"There are two kinds of untouchables; those you don't want to touch, and those who can't be touched."

When a police officer is killed, his wife - Santosh - is trained to take his place. It is merely a ceremonial act in a police station in rural Northern India that is overwhelmingly male and traditional. Then a girl is raped, tortured, and her body dumped in a public square. The brazen crime isn't even investigated. Since the girl is from a poor family who can't read, they are ignored. It is then that something inside Santosh is triggered. Her task seems far from impossible, and yet public pressure builds and doors open that she never expected.

"The girl wore jeans and baited him."

The underground of India is revealed in this tense, observant, heart twisting, and powerful film. There is a glimpse of the justice system that prioritizes convictions by any means and ignores the real victims and perps. The film first surfaced at Cannes, and I saw it with director Sandhya Suri at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is all very moving. The film's spectacular imagery stays with me; the earrings of the dead girl, her face in the mirror, a lovely couple together, a girl selling biscuits, and a passing train.

Air Mata Buaya (2024)

To protect your young, or devour them

Mother crocodiles protect their young by putting them in their jaws, the same place they devour their prey.

Dark water boils and flashes with light as frenzied reptiles jostle with each other for chickens thrown at them by Johan and his mom. At their sparsely attended crocodile amusement park the pair are the sole proprietors, workers, and - during long stretches of night - audience. Spending long hours of isolation together mother and son work like a well-oiled machine. As is common for Indonesian young adults, they even sleep side by side. This is until a pretty, young woman from the local karaoke bar shows up at the park entrance looking for Johan. Mom freaks out. There is a rumor that she fed her cheating husband to the crocs and as her son spends increasingly more time with his girlfriend, one of the two seems destined for Mom's teeth, either to protect her son, or devour him.

"You're good at this game" says mother to son, "but not at lying."

My favorite author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, would love this film; slow burning, loaded with emotional complexities, at the same time tender and terrifying, and fantasies merging with reality. First time director Tumpal Tampubolon and his leads were present at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The actors agreed that Tampubolon sought collaborators in them, not servants. This is heartening to hear, and it yielded interesting results in the film. The actors and director often discussed how to make scenes more believable together.

"I don't want to spend my life alone," Johan tells his mom. And she responds, "but you have me!"

Pimpinero: Sangre y Gasolina (2024)

Gasoline smugglers on the Colombia and Venezuela border

"They devour everything they touch, that type."

On the border between Colombia and Venezuela gasoline is worth fifty times more on one side than it is on the other. This creates a powerful incentive to go against the grain. Gasoline smugglers (pimpineros) jostle for profits with corrupt cops and soldiers, insatiable gangs, the desolate landscape, and unreliable machines. Three brothers working independently as pimpineros find themselves in a downward spiral when one of them goes into debt with an unsavory rival who smuggles not just oil but humans as well.

Purity must die before anyone has a chance of getting free in this tense thriller about corruption, betrayal, and dark secrets. There is a lot of potential here and many exhilarating moments, such as a scene where a woman is dancing with her lover in a fantasy, but things don't gel just right. The film needs just a little extra umph in places. Still, I had a great time watching this.

Director Andrés Baiz, present at this Toronto International Film Festival screening, said he once asked a group of kids about choosing superpowers. They talked about teleporting from one place to another, being invisible, or going back in time. Baiz realized that cinema gives audiences all three powers at once. How true. Pimpinero: Blood and Oil takes us back ten years to the border of Columbia and Venezuela where smugglers and their goods disappear in the darkness.

Wiman Nam (2024)

struggle and pain can lead to delicious fruit

It is fitting that Paradise of Thorns is set in a durian orchard. The struggle and pain of each character is like the durian itself, that - if grown right - leads to delicious fruit.

Four characters experience inequality and judgment in different forms as they seek to control the fortunes of a durian orchard and each other. Questions revolve around trust, love, fairness, and differing definitions of "family" in a country that is rapidly redefining itself, as it has done since ancient history.

This emotional and character driven drama brings Thailand to life in its bright colored clothes, ubiquitous pick-up trucks, fragrant durians, festivals, and language ("subai subai," it's all good), wishes, and nicknames (the director's nickname is "boss."). Boss Kuno was present at this international premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. His film asks audiences "to be the voice for the unheard, to help each other, and make this a better place for everyone."

While clunky and awkward at times, I loved the film for its raw emotion, frequently shifting perspectives, its tenderness to each of the characters, its aim to bring people together, and how it reminded me of the beautiful, fun, and fascinating Thai people and countryside.

El jockey (2024)

"Misfortune is the best school."

Remo is a former star in the horse racing circuit, now struggling with numerous addictions including frequent cocktails of horse drugs and whisky. His mobster boss, Sirena, only has so much patience with Remo drinking from the River Oblivion. When Sirena buys a Japanese racehorse for a million dollars, he bets hard on Remo and insists that he get his act together. Sirena has doubts about Remo's commitment to excellence. "Introspective is not working," he says "we have to go back to violence."

Kill the Jockey is a fun, offbeat, and sexy thriller with an improvised dance sequence that is stirring and emblematic of the entire film's themes of rebirth and letting go. I loved the exhilarating lounge music. Director Luis Ortega was gregarious and jazzed at this North American premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. "Don't hang onto anything," he said. "If you feel lost that's fine, and this is what the film is about." Ortega tried hard in the film to connect with the vibe of Buenos Aires. Interesting walks in the city helped him succeed in this. "You meet people, see things, and risk getting stabbed," he said "but these are strolls you have to take."

Tata (2024)

"Just being kind is the most important thing."

A daughter's quest to break the cycle of toxic masculinity that casts its shadow over her family and nation.

When Lina's father requests help with an abusive employer in Italy, she feels conflicting emotions for a man who was violent with her and the other women in her family in the past. Lina decides to help him and in so doing confront the most painful parts of her past so as not to repeat them in the future.

"Emotion in a man is weakness. You must have control, an iron fist. Keep your children in check. I worked four jobs and put food on the table. What did I do wrong? You don't listen. I barely touched you. Use your head. Don't talk back."

"To escape the violence I had to look inside myself. If I was not perfect, I was beaten. I felt worthless, shame. He is obsessed. Arguments are endless. It's always my fault. He plays the victim. Love doesn't hurt."

While watching Tata and for a long while afterwards I couldn't drop my preconceived notions of what the film should be about and just let the filmmaker tell her story. I'm happy she finally won this battle in my head. Now, after thinking about the film, I better realize her intentions and meaning. She let her dad speak his mind and play his hand, without judgment, interference, or lack of support. What true journalistic and healing spirit Lina reveals in this documentary. The directors are partners and parents in real life. They attended and answered questions at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Heretic (2024)

"Prayer is just a nice way to think that there is someone other than yourself."

Two Mormon missionaries, Paxton and Barnes, are lured into the home of polite and knowledgeable Mr. Reed. He is eager to discuss their convictions and hear the good news. Too eager. When the theology discussion takes a dark turn, the sisters are equally enthusiastic about leaving. If they can.

Heretic is an intense, chilling, and frighteningly sincere discussion about the horror of ideas. It is thrilling to see where each topic and turn leads the characters. I enjoyed the deep dialogues about myth, choices, and awkward topics like polygamy and Mormon underwear.

Hugh Grant (Mr. Reed) was present at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Grant appeared to relish the atypical role for him of playing a "baddie." He was well cast along with Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher, both also present for the premiere, for they all seemed to be acting instinctually and from the heart. East and Thatcher were once Mormon themselves, and Grant bonded with certain aspects of Mr. Reed. "I found," said Grant about his character's views on religion "that we had a lot in common." No wonder they were so good. They were channeling part of their life experiences. Great casting.

Eden (2024)

Hell is other people

An uninhabited island in the Galápagos is paradise and hell at the same time for a trio of couples who settled there in 1929. At one of the remotest areas on earth there is a clash of personalities; philosophical, libertine, and practical. While one couple seeks solitude, another wants to build a luxury hotel, and the third desires a nourishing place for family. As bugs and boars bite hard, and food and water become as scarce as doctors, police, and dentists, each couple is in for a shock. Darwin would be pleased, for on the island that gave him his fame it is survival of fittest all over again.

In this true story it is intriguing to see the starkly different personalities battle it out like in a miniature world. Ron Howard who was present at this screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, was captivated by the zany stories of the characters, and the good and bad of each of them. If anything, he said, he had to dial the antics back. It is hard to choose a side. Jude Law and the other actors are capable and convincing. Hans Zimmer orchestrated the playlist. How many soundtracks can one person do? I wish there was a little more depth to the dialogue, but Eden is a pleasure to watch and contemplate.

Ick (2024)

"Monsters are different these days."

An icky vine-like alien growth is a nuisance that spreads throughout the world, but in time people merely shrug their shoulders and get used to it. In small-town America the "ick" is regarded suspiciously by some including Hank, a science teacher and former football player, and Grace, one of his students. Their distrust is soon validated as the ick springs violently into a new phase of its growth.

The premise of people grown accustomed, careless, and capricious to a demon in their presence, is tantalizing. A monster is seen and ignored. However, beyond this alluring theme, there is little depth to the story, dialogue, characters, acting, and scenes. It is good for some laughs but there is not a lot of thought or creativity on display at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Pedro Páramo (2024)

All the guts of Mexico

A mother's last wish is for her son, Juan, to visit the father he never knew in a distant town. Juan finds the town abandoned and yet swirling with life. Nothing is as it seems. Apparitions appear and drift away. Pedro Páramo, the father, lays claim to the town and its inhabitants, and yet strangely his soul also belongs to them. Juan risks being swallowed by the miscreant spirits, the terrible deeds, and all the heartache. Not the inheritance he expected.

With intoxicating dance sequences, a profusion of light and color, flashbacks, capable acting, and the amazing cinematography of Rodrigo Prieto, the film and cast bring Juan Rulfo's 1955 masterpiece of magic realism to life. "If you want to understand who we are as a country," said one of the actors "then open the book."

The best part of the film is the characters. They are not good or bad, just human. Director Rodrigo Prieto, who was present for this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, said that the characters fascinated him too. "Each character" he said, "has something about ourselves." Have an internal journey of your own in the magic and darkness of this film, a reflection of the Mexican soul.

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos (2024)

"What makes us rich is community, not money."

In Africa's largest city there is no warning when the thugs come with bulldozers, weapons drawn, and the police backing them up. Resist the forced evictions, demolition of homes, beatings, and killings, means fines, jail time, or worse. Corruption is rampant and unchecked save for the glimmer of light that lies within the hearts of certain people. The light shines in the unlikeliest of places.

In the poor neighborhood of Agbojedo a single mother, Jawu, dreams of a better life. When she catches a mean-spirited man hiding his pile of ill-gotten gains, Jawu sees a way out of her funk. For once she has good things; a dress, nice haircut, and fine jewelry. Yet all this can't substitute for what she yearns for in her dreams. As the thugs close in on Jawu, she faces a deeper conflict inside herself. It is to find the light that guides her and connects her to everyone else.

"When we become one, we become great."

This thrilling true story involves real people drawn from the actual headlines of Lagos. The film is collaboratively directed and took seven years to expose the ways poverty is criminalized, that police conduct unjust raids, and entire communities are destroyed. I wish there were more quotes from the actual legend of the vagabond queen, but I thoroughly enjoyed the frequent flashbacks and magical realism of the film.

The filmmakers and actors were present at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. They expressed their hope to put an end to forced evictions in Nigeria by complete immersing audiences in the realities of the people in these communities. Their stories push us to do better.

"Whatever has beginning must have an end."

Gui Cai Zhi Dao (2024)

"The best part of being dead is not having to care about what others think."

A recently deceased, shy, and reclusive girl discovers that even in the afterlife it is necessary to be popular, influential, and talented. Since she lacked such attributes while living, it is like a second death sentence to try to prove herself again. Fortunately, there are other misfit ghosts who sympathize with the girl and are willing to help. The girl needs a license to scare people and her new friends vow to get her one. But there is competition. A gang of rising stars in the underworld challenges the girl. Shock and mayhem ensue as the ghost gangs battle to see who is the scariest.

This thoughtful and insightful film surprised me with depth, warmth, and genuine humor that I did not expect from this midnight madness genre. There is sympathy for a gentle, kind, and good girl who just wishes to be seen and known.

The director and leading actors were present for this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Hsu's own father encouraged him to be well known, as the main character in the film struggles to accomplish. The film is based on actual urban legends from Taiwan. While the rapid-fire Mandarin is difficult to keep up with at times, it is still preferable to listening to a dubbed version.

Feng liu yi dai (2024)

If you love until it hurts, there is no more hurt, and only love remains.

A meditation on love and passing time; a woman searches for her lost lover within the rubble of a deconstructed city as well as her own shattered memory, the Three Gorges Dam consumes cities whole just as time swallows people, women sing and dance in joy and hurt, and dreams surface and submerge again. Lives are changing, and we often don't notice.

Utilizing primarily b-roll and outtakes from previous films, Zhang-ke weaves a cerebral and imaginative tale. While I wish the material was all new and put together with more of a cohesive story in mind, I can't deny that Zhang-ke has a magical and mesmerizing touch in all that he does, even in his wandering. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.