TIFF #48 – Day 8
by Thom Ernst – Film Correspondent
(September 14, 2023 – Toronto, ON) Director Monia Chokri tackles the romantic comedy with The Nature of Love, titled Simple comme Sylvain in French. In its way, The Nature of Love is a rather complex observation of infidelity (or at least the perception of infidelity) and class conflict.
Magalie Lépine Blondeau stars as Sophia, a professor who is smitten by Sylvain (a charismatic performance from Pierre-Yves Cardinal) the contractor—masculine, capable, confident, and rural—who’s been hired to fixiup the summer place Sophia shares with her partner. The romance is hot and heavy, which Chokri directs her characters to dive into with inhibited passion. But can passion withstand disparaging glances from the academics who flaunt their perceived intellectual superiority at dinner parties? The Nature of Love manages both humour and charm despite putting its characters through a gauntlet of misgivings, failures and frustrations.
The Nature of Love screens:
Thursday, September 14 at 4:00pm at the Scotiabank Theatre
Friday, September 15 at 9:15 pm, at Scotiabank Theatre.
Quick takes: Other Canadian Features (and shorts) to watch out for today:
RU, 11 am, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
In Flames, 2 pm, Scotiabank 3
I Am Sirat, 6 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Mademoiselle Kenopsia, 8 pm, Scotiabank 12
Meteor and Gaby’s Hills are part of the Short Cuts Programme 01, 6:15 pm, at Scotiabank 13.
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.
