VIKTOR
Viktor wants to be a soldier, but his deafness prevents it. His late father instilled “the military spirit,” and by Miyamoto Musashi’s canonical The Strategy of the Samurai, Viktor aspires to a noble warrior philosophy. Facing rejection after rejection, he finally convinces the local army to take him on as a volunteer field photographer. This opportunity to pursue his talent changes his path forever.
Viktor poetically narrates his thoughts. It is like a love letter to his deceased father. The audio comes in dynamic forms, hyper-augmented and muffled. It is the way our protagonist receives the sound. Director and veteran war photographer Olivier Sarbil hired the sound design team that worked on TIFF ’19 Platform contender Sound of Metal. It creates a dazzling effect, placing the viewer in Viktor’s body and mind, if only for 90 minutes.
The score is haunting and melancholy. The stunning black and white cinematography mirrors Viktor’s still photography on the Nikon, often slung around his neck. Footage of the first attack on Ukraine by Russia is visceral in a way that caught me off guard despite knowing it was coming. Viktor and his mother hunker in their basement as air raid sirens wail overhead. Their anxiety is palpable. That is merely the beginning.
The cinematic style of the film is jarring but magnificent. Sarbil utilizes classically powerful angles and breathtaking closeups. It is almost easy to forget it is a documentary. Remembering rekindles the tension and fear.
The film dives into disability discrimination and the chaos of armed conflict. The final scene is perfection. VIKTOR is an exquisitely crafted war diary through a unique lens and perspective.
Fusing rigorous reportage with innovative cinematic subjectivity, this bold documentary from veteran war photographer Olivier Sarbil is a uniquely intimate portrait of a Deaf person’s experience of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Omari Douglas, Arthur Darvill, and Harriet Walter are perfectly cast. Each delivers a memorable performance. Colin Hanks gives Nathan an effortless sweetness so desperately needed in the circumstances. Susan Wokoma plays Gemma’s best friend, Ruth. She is a glorious balance of sense and sass. Billie Lourd is Nathan’s sister, Audrey. She’s flighty, fearless, and passionate. 
Aisling Bea is endlessly hysterical playing the straight woman to Lourd’s outlandishness. Her accessible nature makes you want to be her best friend. You are buying what she is selling. Lourd and Bea share a chemistry that is magic. I’d love to see a film of Wokoma, Lourd, and Bea doing anything together. 
Screenwriter Melissa Bubnic utilizes flashbacks to solidify the emotional stronghold between Gemma and Nathan. The editing is essential here. Reisinger gives audiences a unique examination of grief, love, and family. AND MRS is a romcom that is one-of-a-kind, built upon a surprising complexity. “Love waits for no one.” 
Ps-stick around for the credits. You won’t regret it.
RED ROOMS
Juliette Gariépy initially gives Kelly-Anne a quiet ferocity. Assume nothing about the character as she slowly reveals her sleuthing skills. Gariépy morphs into a startling presence, with each consecutive scene getting under your skin. Gariépy is disturbing. 
The juxtaposition of her photoshoot stills and those of security camera suspects is undeniably clever mirroring. Once the infamous video plays, the decision to focus on our protagonist and not the most gruesome acts almost makes the plot more invasive. The combination of the audio and your imagination causes you to turn away. Kelly-Anne’s skills keep her on a tightrope. One missed step, and the bottom drops out. 
The script is far more nuanced than at first glance. Plante delves into technology, the female fascination with true crime, and the repercussions of unresolved trauma. The more Kelly-Anne shares with Clementine, the more unsettled the audience. As a parent, RED ROOMS is a visceral viewing experience. It is simultaneously rage and despair-inducing. As a mother, putting that hat aside, as difficult as that may be, the film is indisputably brilliant storytelling. The hideous twists keep coming. RED ROOMS will hold you captive, whether you like it or not.
Kim Ho-jung is magnificent. Sara’s journey spans motherhood, friendship, sleuthing, romance, and identity. Ho-jung embodies silliness, anxiety, boldness, and worldly naivete. She masters each moment with ceaseless charm. She is a star.
In Luna Carmoon‘s debut, HOARD, it is 1984, and Cynthia and Maria live a trying existence. Mom is a hoarder with chaotic mood shifts. Maria exists in freefall, never knowing when she’ll be bullied or exposed to inappropriate scenarios. An accident leads to foster care. In 1994, teenage Maria latches onto a visitor and former foster as he attempts to tap into her unresolved grief and trauma.
Hayley Squires delivers authentic emotional distress. Hoarding is a trauma response and, often, a mental illness. Squires slides into that skin with astonishing ease. Her highs and lows are captivating.
Her and Quinn’s chemistry is glorious. Their unfiltered bond fascinates from start to finish. Together, their animalistic instincts create a healing trauma bond like no other.
Sook-Yin Lee
Joseph Kahn
CLOSE TO YOU
CLOSE TO YOU
CLOSE TO YOU
Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy) is outstanding as a woman on the brink. Her physical performance is seeped in anguish. Walsh is such a pro in tackling characters in the emotional trenches. 13 Reasons Why introduced her to a younger, perhaps even broader audience than Grey’s, and she continues to select roles that showcase her dazzling abilities. 
In filmmaker Miguel Llansó‘s Fantasia 2024 film INFINITE SUMMER, Mia wants to enjoy the last few weeks before moving into higher education. When her close friend decides she’d rather hang out with people closer to her age, Mia dabbles a newfangled mindfulness app that goes awry. Too much of a good thing is never really true. 
The pacing is inconsistent. The wildly sophisticated sci-fi scenes do not match the dragging dialogue. While all the storylines are connected, some characters feel superfluous, thus lacking genuine emotional connection. I could not marry the ups and downs. In the end, the film is visually spectacular but narratively messy. I found myself simultaneously lacking focus but entirely entranced by the special effects. Egert Kanep deserves all the credit for intrigue. While the runtime is only an hour and thirty minutes, it feels much longer. INFINITE SUMMER might be a film best viewed a little high.
For all things Fantasia 2024, 
Young lovers Tom and Maria are interrupted by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. After Maria’s kidnapping, aided by the eternally upbeat Jaan, Tom tracks her down only to discover the dark secrets surrounding the killer’s past and present. If Monty Python and Mel Brooks decided to make a slasher film, Estonian filmmaker Sander Maran’s CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING would be their demented little offspring. It is the kind of instant cult classic ripe for Midnight screenings. 
The film perfectly captures the absurdity of most musicals – cheating toward the audience, over-the-top gestures, and breaking into song, often at inexplicable moments. These are facts about the genre. I know. I majored in it at a conservatory in Manhattan. Like Anna and The Apocalypse, Bloodthirsty, Rocky Horror, Little Shop, Sweeney Todd, Repo! The Genetic Opera, CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING enters the fray of outstanding subgenre 
The plot takes from films like Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw, and Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Hands down, one of the most catchy numbers belongs to The Killer, in which he sings about his murderous penchant. Jaan’s song made me guffaw more than once. (Think an even more insane version of “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.”) 
The longer Eric waits to tell his loved ones, the stranger his life gets. An alien threatens to take him back to outer space. He is losing time, and his body parts are falling off. This aspect is particularly upsetting because he is literally missing his mouth. This creative metaphor becomes the backbone of THE MISSING. 
I wasn’t aware that I grew up on Rotoscope films before doing a quick Google search. Some of my most beloved childhood films fall into the genre- The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Secret of NIMH (1982), and Anastasia (1997). First introduced in 1918, I had no idea the process was so old. THE MISSING stylistically mirrors The Spine of the Night rather than Alice In Wonderland. 2D animation illustrates Eric’s childhood memories in a stunning visual contrast that serves a dual purpose. The choice to childishly scribble over Uncle’s face speaks volumes. It is a visually captivating film. 
Montreal-based comedy duo Emelia Hellman and Nancy Webb (Hellgirl Productions) bring their paranoia-fueled short Bangs to Fantasia Festival’s Fantastiques week-ends du cinéma québécois this summer for the film’s Canadian premiere.
Nerea Barros captivates as the titular character. She walks a perfect line between anxiety and persistence. Barros becomes a feminist icon we so desperately need.
The script plays like one carefully curated test after another, skillfully crafted to test Rob’s and our moral compass. screenwriter Dan Kelly-MulhernIt has Nina lull Rob into a sense of safety and care, playing on his desperation and redemption arc. The double-entendre dialogue is delicious. 
Eddie Izzard owns the titular role of Nina Jekyll. Delivering two fully fleshed-out personalities, one can only imagine the personal stake in Izzard’s performance. She is utterly mesmerizing, devouring Kelly-MulhernIt’s versions of Nina and Rachel. It is one hell of a turn. 
DOCTOR JEKYLL is endlessly intriguing, playing on the raw emotions and hitting every horror note, with precision. The finale is visually spectacular. DOCTOR JEKYLL is a prime example of keen manipulation.
DIRECTOR Joe Stephenson 
Desperate to keep her promise to host the best superhero party for her 6-year-old, young mother Sid, a sex worker, takes extreme measures and books a last-minute client with a dark fetish. Dirty Bad Wrong is a drama/body horror that explores the darkest sides of capitalism, and just how far we’ll go for the ones we love.
Life changes when you become a mother. It is impossible to describe to someone who has never protected another human with every ounce of their soul. In 
Jack Greig
A commentary on environmental and economic realities, Eunkyoung Yoon‘s Fantasia 2024 feature THE TENANTS hypnotizes with Kafkaesque absurdity in stunning black and white.
THE TENANTS cleverness is through the roof, no pun intended. The fact that Shin-Dong’s landlord is a child makes all the sense in the world to anyone who has stepped into the rental arena in a major city. The near future visual indications, like projected video calls and digital advertising, are seamlessly integrated.
Kim Dae-gun is quietly magnetic as Shin-Dong. Perfectly playing off the enormous physical aura of fellow cast member Heo Dong-won. The audience feels sufficiently sad for him. Shin-Dong’s evolution is mesmerizing, causing viewers to question their morality meter and sanity. THE TENANTS says the quiet parts out loud and is a creative forced look in the mirror.
Directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo craft an intricate mystery that intertwines folklore and crime. Screenwriters Annelyse Batrel and Ludovic Lefebvre skillfully adapt the French novel by Alexis Laipsker, keeping audiences off-kilter and second-guessing. 
Performances from our two leads are stellar. Virginie Ledoyen gives Elisabeth deep personal darkness stemming from unimaginable loss. Paul Hamy makes Franck down to earth in an indescribably tangible way. Their chemistry is a fantastic mix of caution, stubbornness, and authentic partnership. They make a genuinely solid on-screen team. 
True crime and horror fans will immediately feel pulled into the narrative. The film reveals a shocking final 30 minutes, boasting one of the most unhinged fight scenes I’ve ever seen, and delivering multiple appalling twists! THE SOUL EATER reminds us that we never know what goes on behind closed doors and that fear is the scariest monster. It will devour you whole. 
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