HOARD
Starring Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Lily-Beau Leach and Deba Hekmat alongside Joseph Quinn, Hayley Squires and Samantha Spiro, ‘Hoard’ film follows a young girl (Leach) living in London in 1984 as she navigates her mother’s obsessive hoarding. Flashing forward to the girl’s teenage years, she (Lightfoot-Leon) must confront the madness and trauma of her late mother when a stranger (Quinn) arrives on her doorstep.
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.
Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things’ most beloved and misunderstood Eddie, plays Michael, a former foster from years past. Quinn is effortlessly charming and healing Michael’s wounds in the process. The more I see him, the more star power he exudes. Saura Lightfoot-Leon gives us a tremendous performance as teenage Maria. Her stunted, childlike eccentricity is award-worthy. Lightfoot-Leon leaves it all on the screen.
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.
HOARD has a similar narrative spark as THE FLORIDA PROJECT. Storytelling from a child’s perspective entangles magic and fear. The production design is a feast for the eyes and anxiety-producing. Carmoon uses visual and audio triggers to harken back to the first 30 minutes of the film. HOARD is an exquisite character study. Luna Carmoon proves to be a dazzling new voice, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/FhtttrRHaJA
Sunrise Films is pleased to announce the upcoming North American theatrical release of Luna Carmoon’s Venice Winner ‘Hoard’ on September 6, 2024.
The film debuted at Venice in 2023, where it won three prizes. It went on to an extended festival run including at the BFI London Film Festival, Athens, Mumbai and Goteborg.
TIFF 2024
Sook-Yin Lee
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For more information on TIFF 2024, 
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