TIFF Capsule Reviews

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is coming soon.  This website provides capsule reviews of quite a number of the screened films.  Updates are posted on a daily bases.  When one post gets too large, a next volume is created.  (5 issues).  This is the first volume.  (To read the latest volume, read the latest volume, latest issue.  To read the complete set of capsule reviews, read all the volumes, issue #5.)

Capsule Reviews:

MADE IN DAGENHAM (UK 2010) ****
Directed by Nigel Cole

This extremely feel-good vehicle for Sally Hawkins, playing Rita O’Grady is so saccharine sweet; it would not be surprising if film critics hate it.  But it might well go on to win the TIFF popular audience award for its insistence to cater to want audience want at the movies – escapism. This is like Sally Hawkins doing BILLY ELLIOT.  The theme of MADE IN DAGENHAM is the fight for equal pay for women in the Dagenham Ford factory in the 60’s.  Led by a fiery and no-nonsense Rita (Sally Hawkins from HAPPY-GO-LUCKY), all the difficult if not impossible obstacles are overcome by the last reel, much to the delight of the audience.  Rita fights hard against the unions here who, are male oriented and stagnant in their fight for the women workers.  MADE IN DAGENHAM is more comedy than the familiar NORMA RAE with the breezy, smart talking Sally Hawkins winning most of her arguments, even with her loving husband (Daniel Mays).  The 60’s atmosphere is effectively created from the dances and dresses at the discos and the dialogue. 

A MARRIED COUPLE (Canada 1969) ****
Directed Allan King

The poster for this movie featuring the man, woman and son totally naked is appropriate in that director Allan King strips this family naked in depicting their daily lives.  A sort of documentary cinema-verite, this unforgettable film was chosen as the Canadian open vault film and rightly so, following the recent death of director King.  The camera follows the husband and wife, Billy and Antoinette Edwards as they quarrel, love and live out the daily routine with their 3-year old son and dog Bogart.  Their dialogue is real and covers anything from the lack of love to the purchase of a new harpsichord.  As the audience experience what the married couple goes through, it would be a sure thing that audience will themselves reflect on both what is missing from their own and this couple’s relationship.  This is no Hollywood romantic drama or comedy. This is the real thing!  The weirdest thing about his movie is the obvious lack of love between this couple as they never go their way out to do something special for each other or to tell each other they love each other.  Shot in 1969, the film has the complete 60’s feel and atmosphere.

MODRA (Canada 2010) ***
Directed Ingrid Veninger

Ingrid Veninger (born in Slovakia and raised in Canada) made a name for herself by directing her son in the minimalist budget ONLY a few years back.  In the more ambitious MODRA, writer/director/producer Veninger takes her daughter as a subject as she examines adolescent love while travelling to visit relatives in the small town of MODRA, in Slovakia.  Lina (Hallie Switzer) has just been dumped by her boyfriend and takes Leca (Alexander Gammal) instead on a week’s trip to Modra.  Leca falls for Lina but Lina only invited Leca as a replacement.  Worse is that all the relatives assume the two to be a couple.  MODRA is an extremely moving, honest and heartfelt film about self discovery set in the quaint yet incredibly beautiful Modra.  The two learn from experience as well as from the words of Lina’s experienced grandmother who only speaks Czech.  What this film has is oodles and oodles of charm!  Impossible to dislike!