TIFF 2022 – Day Five
by Thom Ernst – Film Correspondent
(September 12, 2022 – Toronto, ON) Until Branches Bend, writer-director Sophie Jarvis’ debut feature film gets its second (and final) public screening at 8:30 pm at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. Although unseen at the time of posting—the press screening happens 90 minutes before the public screening—Until Branches Bend has been receiving primarily favourable reactions from festival goers. The film is touted as a psychological drama and is eligible to win Best Canadian Feature Film. Jarvis is known for her work as a production designer, notably on the 2019 festival favourite, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
Getting its premiere public screening today is Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking, a pseudo-science fiction that takes a sharp turn towards the absurd. The screening takes place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox at 5 pm. A second screening is on Friday, September 16, at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto at 6:45 pm.
Spotted
There is a reason my report of spotting filmmaker and singer Tanya Tagaq walking through Kensington Market doesn’t come accompanied by an original photo. We reported on Tagaq’s documentary Ever Deadly in Day Two of our festival coverage. When I asked if she was both filmmaker and subject of the documentary, Tagaq said, “Yes,” then walked away. I watch her leave—a bit embarrassed, like I’ve been left alone on the dance floor—and then I remembered a pivotal moment in the documentary when Tagaq faces the camera and pointedly says, “I hate people.” You’ve got to admire her honesty.
Looking Ahead to Tuesday, September 13
The festival goes hybrid with some digital screenings. Starting at 10 am, you can stream director Joseph Amenta’s Soft (aka the film formerly called Pussy) and directors Tanya Tagaq and Chelsea McMullan’s Ever Deadly.
An in-person screening of Viking happens at 11:45 a.m. at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Riceboy Sleeps screens at 3:45 pm at Scotiabank.
Falcon Lake gets its first public screening at 6:30 pm also at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Thom Ernst is a Toronto based film critic and writer and an active member of the (TFCA) Toronto Film Critics’ Association. His work has appeared in various publications including Playback Magazine, The Toronto Star, and The National Post. He is known to CBC Radio listeners for his lively contributions to Fresh Air, Metro Morning, and CBC Syndication as well as appearing on-air for CTV News Channel and The Agenda with Steve Paikin. He was host, interviewer and producer of televisions’ longest running movie program Saturday Night at the Movies. Currently he can be heard interviewing Canadian filmmakers on the Kingston Canadian Film Festival podcast, Rewind, Fast-Forward.
