Обзоры

The Toronto International Film Festival has long been regarded as more than one of the world's most important film shows: it also boasts several few big side-projects, a year-round Cinematheque, a special program of Canadian films and the TIFF Industry professional network which makes it possible to sign deals 365 days a year. This systematic approach delivers a glittering program of world premieres sprinkled with the brightest newcomers of the festival season, and Toronto’s results are even more noteworthy than those of competitive festivals since the Canadian event is often a reliable indicator of Oscar trends. Here is Variety’s choice of the films to focus on in Toronto.

The Fifth Estate

Director Bill Condon

The festival opens with a screening of the Julian Assange story, focusing on his adventures as the global cabal fell hot on the heels of the audacious hacker. While the real-life Assange – who reportedly is opposed to the movie – cools his heels in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Benedict Cumberbatch dyed his hair blond to play the role of the man who exposed compromising materials about the powers that be.

12 Years a Slave

Director Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen suffered a Venice flop with ‘Shame’ two years ago, and has chosen Toronto over La Serenissima to launch his latest film. Exploring the limits of human patience, this time he shot a story of an ordinary American at the end of the 19th century who was kidnapped and sold into slavery that lasted 12 years. Once again McQueen invited Michael Fassbender to star in the film, but even without him the number of handsome men would make your head spin: Brad Pitt is there, too, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch, possibly the main star of Toronto 2013.

American dreams in China

Director Peter Chan

The film has already been dubbed a Chinese version of Social Network: three enterprising young men open an English language school for their compatriots, and suddenly reap a crazy whirlwind of demand and find themselves at the helm of a whole education empire. The action unfolds in the 80s, with legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle recreating the retro-atmosphere.

All by my side

Director John Ridley

This biopic of Jimi Hendrix, which tells the story of the legend’s early years as an undiscovered musician, has suffered a complicated gestation at Richard Kelly’s studio Darko Entertainment. After several changes of the lead actor during the pre-production stage, Andre Benjamin, musician member of the band Outcast, brings Hendrix to the silver screen. 

Rush

Director Ron Howard

Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan, who shared an Academy award nomination for their work on Frost/Nixon in 2009, get together once again to make a film about the rivalry of two legendary Formula 1 speedsters from the 70s. Chris Hemsworth stars as English playboy James Hunt, while Germany’s Daniel Brühl plays Niki Lauda, his pedantic Austrian rival.     

Devil’s Knot

Director Atom Egoyan

The great Canadian director was fascinated by a real-life story: the trial of three teenagers from Western Memphis accused in 1993 of killing children in a satanic ritual. The evidence was circumstantial, the testimonies were unreliable; Jonny Depp, Peter Jackson and whole bunch of rock stars signed petitions in support of the Memphis three. In 2011 they were released – but not acquitted.

Burning Bush

Director Agnieszka Holland

Toronto keeps up with the latest festival trends by including TV series in its program. This time it's HBO's mini-TV series about Dagmar Buresova, the Czech lawyer, who defended the honor of Jan Palach, a young man who set himself on fire in 1969 to protest against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia.

You Are Here

Director Matthew Weiner

The creator of the critically acclaimed Mad Men series makes his big screen debut as a director with a comedy about a charming womanizer (Owen Wilson) who is helping his good-for-nothing friend (Zach Galifianakis) in a legal battle with his ravenous sister over a legacy.

The Art of the Steal

Director Jonathan Sobol

This is a classic tale about the art of theft and the theft of art. Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon lead a large cast as the double-crossing Calhoun brothers, who are plotting to steal a precious ancient manuscript, without realizing that each has a hidden agenda.

August: Osage County

Director John Wells

Super-producers George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Harvey Weinstein have assembled a big-hitting cast including Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts as the mother-and-daughter couple of the center of this dark comedy. There’s great depth in the ensemble cast, which features Ewan McGregor, Sam Shepard, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney and others – and this Pulitzer-winning reinvention of ‘La Dame aux Camélias” rewards its cast with some great lines.

Visitors

Director Godfrey Reggio

With a live orchestral performance of Philip Glass’s solemn score, conducted by the composer himself, the Toronto premiere of this film promises to be one of the stand-out events of the festival. Reggio, a former monk who authored the spiritual trilogy ‘Qatsi’ continues his visionary stance against the soul-destroying march of technology and offers a moral reproach to mankind.

The Grand Seduction

Director Don McKellar

A comedy about people living in a fishing village who are desperate to find a doctor to work in their settlement and help them clinch a lucrative deal with a factory. The cunning country folk, led by sly dog French (Brendan Gleeson), plan to sweet-talk a city hep cat (Taylor Kitsch) whose medical career hasn't been quite a success into helping out. At first they hope he will stay for long enough to convince the factory – but later they want him to settle with them forever in the back of beyond.

Break Loose

Director Alexei Uchitel

A film by Alexei Uchitel based on a novel by Zakhar Prilepin, who plays a cameo role in Alexander Mindadze’s screen adaptation of his text. The story is about four friends who start serving in OMON - Russian Special Police Squad after being discharged from the army. Despite facing up to the harsh reality of scuffles with local criminals they remain high-minded. Obviously, it’s all about true love - why else would these tough guys be taking risks? This is a characteristically Russian story – brutal on the outside but with a spiritual soul at its core. At the time of going to print, this was the only Russian film due to be presented in Toronto.

The Double

Director Richard Ayoade

The creator of "Submarine" is to present his interpretation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel when a hapless titular counselor, Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin (Jesse Eisenberg), suddenly discovers his double, who is a sociable charismatic scoundrel working in his office. Soon the doppelganger starts taking over everything that Golyadkin holds dear, even including his own life. The action is set in contemporary America.

Life of Crime

Director Daniel Schechter

Elmore Leonard may currently be writing a novel based on a TV dramatization of one of his earlier works, but filmmakers are still turning to his books for inspiration. Here Mos Def stars as Ordell, a swindler from Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Jennifer Aniston plays the women he kidnaps, leaving a hard-up realtor and husband (Tim Robbins) to face the prospect of being unable to pay the ransom.