The Dichotomy of Toronto Film Fans

The 2009 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival is now but a memory. The hundreds that jammed the theatres, restaurants, and coffee bars have now returned to their normal life.

Having witnessed sell out shows and long lineups for "rush" seats, something occurred to me while attending a couple of post-Fest screenings.

Granted, this is just an observation, but it is something I want to get off my chest.

There seems to be a dichotomy amongst Toronto film fans. Like vampires, they seem to come out only for a certain period of time (i.e. ten days in September). Perhaps it's just me, but I recently attended a Saturday night screening of Summer Hours at a midtown theatre, where the audience amounted to a total of 12 people!

A week or so later, I took in a screening of Third, a rarely seen Polish film that ended a mini Polish Film Festival at the Revue Cinema. Besides myself, there were five other people in the audience. Now, prior to this film, there was a screening of Andrzej Wajda's Katyn, the 2007 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film. By the looks of the crowd streaming out after, there appeared to be a good turn out for this.

But for the most part, where are all those people that jammed festival theatres, dying to see those rarely-screened-in-Toronto films? If this is the norm the rest of the year, I can understand why theatres are reluctant to screen anything other than Hollywood fare.

Or, is it just me? Did I just happen to choose the wrong time or film to see? I invite your comments on this. Do Toronto film fans not support screenings the other 355 days of the year?

Be that as it may, I shall perceive the flipside of all of this as benefit. With a limited number of patrons, I have no problems finding the perfect seat.

TIFF 09: Visage

Acclaimed Chinese director, Tsai Ming-Liang, whose last film, I Don't Want To Sleep Alone played at the TIFF in 2006, returns with a highly stylized, and visually surreal film, Visage.

The story centers around a Taiwanese director making a film of the story of Salome. at The Louvre in Paris. It soon becomes obvious that the boundaries between film and reality become somewhat blurred. Famed French actors Jean-Pierre Leaud and Fanny Ardant, star in the film within the film, along with Laetita Casta who plays Salome.

The film indulges heavily in a soaring soundtrack, stylized images, and startling scenes. "The image is extremely important to me. The image is central in my films," said Tsai at a press conference in Cannes this past May, where the film closed the festival there.

To tempt your visual tastebuds, here's the trailer to Visage:

TIFF 09: Partir

Director Catherine Corsini has crafted the story of a bored upper middle class housewife and her fall from grace. Kristin Scott Thomas shines as the romantically frustrated wife in love with a worker (Sergi Lopez) hired to work on their house, of course, much to the chagrin of the husband (Yvan Attal).

Comparisons to D.H. Lawrence's tale of passionate betrayal, "Lady Chatterley" have been made, although the outcome of both are very diverse. Reviews in Europe have been mixed, but Kristin Scott Thomas' performance has been getting top marks. An interesting film to be considered in your festival choices.

A subtitled trailer can be found at distributor Pyramide Films' website for the film.

TIFF 09: Baaria

From the great Italian storyteller, Giuseppe Tornatore, who gave us such wondrous tales as The Legend of 1900, Malena, The Unknown Woman, and the Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso, comes his latest epic, Baaria.

In the tradition of fellow statesman, the late Sergio Leone, Tornatore has written and directed and autobiographical story of three generations of a family in the Sicilian village of Bagheria. Like Leone, Tornatore has chosen Ennio Morricone to compose the grand soundtrack for this 150 minute epic. The comparisons to Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900 have already been raised, but to Tornatore this tale is closer to his heart than the Bertolucci’s film.

As the opening film at this year’s Venice Film Festival, it became the first Italian film in 20 years to do so. Certainly one of those films best enjoyed on the big screen.

TIFF 09: Broken Embraces

Well, the 34th Toronto International Film Festival is about ready to kick off, and I thought I would preview a few selections that have caught my eye in the programme.
Today, I feature a new work from famed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar - Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Roto). A follow up to 2006's "Volver", it has been showing on European screens throughout the summer. It makes it's North American premiere in Toronto on September 10.

Lluís Homar stars as the former Mateo Blanco, an ex-director who has changed his name to Harry Caine after losing his sight in an automobile accident. (Interestingly enough, Almodovar made a spinoff short film, around the same time, called "The Cannibalistic Councillor", in which he plays a character named Mateo Blanco.)

The past comes back to haunt Mateo, with news of the death of Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez), the producer of one of Mateo/Harry's old movies ("Girls and Suitcases"). Ensuing clashes between business and family associates abound. The film flashes back to the early '90s, when Martel became involved with his secretary, Lena (Cruz). Despite his blindness, Mateo falls for Lena's beauty. A jealous Martel, in turn, commissions a documentary about the making of "Girls and Suitcases" as an excuse to keep an eye on Mateo and Lena. Martel watches as Mateo runs off with Lena, setting the stage for an elaborate plot of revenge against Mateo.

Stylized and rich in colors, specifically the colour red, Broken Embraces is a delight to the eye. Set amongst the beautiful landscapes of Ibiza and Lanzarote, the scenery captures the romance and idyllic life of the regions. It proves an interesting juxtaposition to the almost dysfunctional relationships of the film's characters.

For film buffs, Almodavar stocks his script full of movie references, including Magnificent Obsession and Fellini's 8-1/2, two films seen in Mateo's DVD collection.

Opening in the U.S. in limited release on November 20, this is one to watch for.

Enjoy the trailer....