The TIFF51 Experience: Day Six | Choices, Choices, Choices
By Ross
This was always going to be a big day. The ultimate test of my TIFF endurance, and the last day of my NYC friend’s visit. After his first-choice pick for the festival, “Bitter Christmas“, he was off to the airport, and I was going to be left to my own devices, with five films in total for the day and a full week ahead to see how much I could actually put my body through. It sounded ambitious, but this was TIFF, and ambition has a funny way of sounding perfectly reasonable when there are films you really want to see.
The first film brought the first crossroads. To go or not to go, much like Andrew Scott’s struggle against his own body as he tried to play Hamlet in “Elsinore” on Day Five. The first choice on my press screening list was a film for which I had already been given a press pass for a public screening on Day Eight, so suddenly I had a decision to make. Do I pick another early morning press screening, or do I sleep in? In retrospect, I now know what my choice should have been, but at the time the film addict in me won out. I decided to replace one film with another. At first, I thought I would see “Trash Mountain“, but at the last moment I went with “The Liberation“, a film that had not even been on my original list. But a film starring Carrie Coon and Lily James, well, that just sounded too compelling to ignore. Did I make the right call? I’ll have to let you know if and when I see “Trash Mountain“, but “The Liberation” was certainly a fascinating journey, and Coon and James were not a disappointment. I’ll have more to say about it in my review soon.
The Liberation
Guy Nattiv – CANADIAN PREMIERE – United States of America | 2026 | 124m | English
Carrie Coon soars in the riveting story inspired by filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s grandmother, whose humdrum day-to-day life is upended by a mysterious and entrancing young woman (Lily James) offering the promise of escape to something better.
For Rita, a workaday life as an assistant bank manager, wife, and mother of two approaching empty-nest status has just collided with the re-emergence of a very painful chapter of her family history. She finds various ways, all frustratingly temporary, to cope with her anxieties — that is, until a mysterious new client, Ricki, walks into Rita’s bank.
In addition to making a large deposit, Ricki tenders a more interesting offer: to join a group of women that night in a sunset ritual and perhaps find the gateway to newfound purpose. Much to her family’s dismay, Rita immerses herself into an organization with many skeletons in its proverbial closet and eventually leaves to help Ricki establish a rural all-woman commune.
Carrie Coon (His Three Daughters, TIFF ’23) gives an incredibly powerful performance as Rita, who is inspired by filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s own grandmother. As Ricki, Lily James (Swiped, TIFF ’25) embodies cunning and charm. Ricki’s remarkable ability to quickly read the insecurities of potential recruits allows her to exploit their vulnerabilities with unsettling precision. Bella Ramsey (Catherine Called Birdy, TIFF ’22) and Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday, TIFF ’21) play Rita’s daughters, who search for their mother and find themselves dangerously entangled in the rituals and delusions of the cult. “The Liberation” is a devastating look at how easily seemingly ordinary people can succumb to physical and psychological manipulation when running from grief and anxiety. – ROBYN CITIZEN
—
With “The Liberation” behind me, the day moved into a very different kind of cinematic territory. Next came a thrilling dose of Helen Mirren in “A Talent for Murder“, along with the delicious connection to Patricia Highsmith and “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Then Pedro Almodóvar took over the afternoon. There is something eye catching about his movies, and the way he fills the screen with a splash of colour and melodrama. “Bitter Christmas” certainly delivered that Almodóvar flavour, with all the tangled relationships and cinematic games I had hoped for. I can’t say I was overwhelmed nor disappointed by either film, but what I can say is that by this point I was beginning to realize that I was asking my body to keep pace with my enthusiasm, and those two things were not necessarily travelling at the same speed.
A Talent for Murder
Anton Corbijn – WORLD PREMIERE – United Kingdom, Italy | 2026 | 106m | English
This smouldering chamber thriller from Anton Corbijn (Control) stars Oscar winner Helen Mirren and Alden Ehrenreich (Fair Play) as opponents in a strange confrontation between a youthful literary agent and The Talented Mr. Ripley author Patricia Highsmith.
This smouldering chamber thriller from director Anton Corbijn (TIFF ’07’s Control) imagines a strange confrontation between a literary agent and legendary author Patricia Highsmith, whose acclaimed, icily intelligent crime novels were the source material for such classic films as Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith from her play Switzerland and starring Alden Ehrenreich (TIFF ’23’s Fair Play; Broadway’s Becky Shaw), Olivia Cooke (TIFF ’19’s Sound of Metal; also at this year’s Festival in Slow Horses) and Oscar winner Helen Mirren, “A Talent For Murder” pits ruthless careerism against dark genius in a slippery battle of wills.
It is 1995, and American author Highsmith (Mirren), now in her seventies and in poor health, has retired to the Swiss Alps, where she largely confines herself to her study, surrounded by her books, her cats, and her collection of antique weapons. Enter Edward Ridgeway (Ehrenreich), emissary for a New York publisher sent to persuade Highsmith to craft one last instalment in her bestselling series of mysteries featuring the murderous antihero, Tom Ripley. Irritated by this youthful, overly eager visitor, Highsmith refuses the offer — unless, that is, Ridgeway can dream up the perfect murder along with her.
Highsmith was famously charismatic and problematic — and as wickedly manipulative as her most celebrated character. Mirren embodies the formidable scribe with seductive wit, while Ehrenreich infuses Ridgeway with enough duplicity to keep us unsure of his motives. With its brilliant twists and trenchant dialogue, “A Talent for Murder” is a deeply intriguing foray into the realm where history and myth become deliciously entangled.
Bitter Christmas – Amarga Navidad
Pedro Almodóvar – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE – Spain | 2026 | 111m | Spanish
With noirish hues and telenovela twists, the latest from Oscar-winning maestro Pedro Almodóvar (TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door) follows a pair of self-centred film directors exploring grief, love, and the perils of unchecked artistic license.
Riddled with intrigue, personal entanglements, and stories within stories, the latest from Oscar-winning maestro Pedro Almodóvar, last at the Festival with TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door, follows a pair of filmmakers vying against the hazards of sustaining a meaningful artistic career — and the alliances that sometimes get compromised in the process.
Elsa (Bárbara Lennie, TIFF ’22’s El Suplente) gave up art-house filmmaking for gainful employment as an advertising director long ago, but the urge to craft something personal and creative comes creeping back: she begins writing a new screenplay, drawing upon the misfortunes of her friends for material. Parallel to Elsa’s endeavour, revered auteur Raúl (Leonardo Sbaraglia, who featured in Almodóvar’s thematically related TIFF ’19 drama Pain and Glory) is also using the personal hardships of his inner circle to concoct character arcs for his new project. Both artists seek to rejuvenate their respective practices through autofictional devices that threaten to dismantle their most cherished relationships.
“Bitter Christmas” invites us into an entrancing house of mirrors as only Almodóvar can construct. Alter egos, seductions, and betrayals abound, as do memorable characters and performances — such as Elsa’s firefighter/exotic dancer boyfriend (Patrick Criado) and longtime Almodóvar alum Rossy de Palma in a buoyant cameo — and sequences that fuse the director’s characteristically sumptuous use of colour with evocative locations. With noirish hues and telenovela twists, it’s a captivating exploration of grief, love, and the perils of unchecked artistic licence. – ANITA LEE
—
By the time I reached the fourth film, I was beginning to wonder if I had done enough homework before committing to it. “Possible Love” was the film I wished I had taken a deeper dive into before getting in that line. At 164 minutes, and entirely in Korean with subtitles, there was a lot to take in, and I could feel the strain beginning in my eyes as I tried to keep up with the reading and the watching. After Almodóvar, with his bursts of colour and visual movement, settling into another long subtitled film asked something very different of me. I was still completely committed to seeing it, but I was also beginning to understand that there is a physical cost to spending an entire day asking your eyes to work that hard.
Possible Love – 가능한 사랑
Lee Chang-dong – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE – South Korea | 2026 | 164m | Korean
Lee Chang-dong’s eagerly anticipated new film brings stories of relationships, generational and class divides, in this gripping tale of two couples playing games with themselves and one another.
Award-winning filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s (TIFF ’02’s Oasis, TIFF ’10’s Poetry, TIFF ’18’s Burning) heavily anticipated new film is a tale of deep yearning, envy, and grief. Every couple wants to find some sense of happiness. For Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu, Good News, TIFF ’25) and Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon, Good News. TIFF ’25) the hope is to move on from the trauma caused by the disastrous outcome of a labour dispute. When they are approached by young, ambitious documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite, TIFF ’19) to take part in her latest project, they become intimately intertwined with her and her business mogul husband, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung, Smugglers, TIFF ’23).
Revelations of interpersonal suffering come to light — both in front of and behind the camera — as the documentary develops, and tensions between the couples start to rise. Questions are asked around who gets to tell whose story, who speaks for whom, and what responsibilities observers have when taking on the perspective of the disenfranchised. As the lives of Ye-ji, Mi-ok, Sang-woo, and Ho-seok become increasingly entangled, tensions mount.
Through purposeful and layered storytelling, “Possible Love” quietly surfaces themes of social class and power. Small revelations of complex feelings ripple throughout, accumulating into something profound and powerful. – ANITA LEE
—
And then came “Tenzing“, my fifth and final film of the day at the less-than-ideal Roy Thomson Hall, which somehow felt like the perfect movie to end this particular endurance test with. I was watching a film about people climbing Mount Everest while sitting in a theatre and feeling as though I was climbing that mountain with them. By this point, though, the metaphor wasn’t entirely funny because I was beyond exhausted. My body was ready to stand up, walk home and lie down, but even sitting there was no longer the relief it had been at the beginning of the day. I had reached the point where I wasn’t wondering whether I could squeeze in one more film. I was wondering how quickly I could get home after this one. Five films had seemed like a great idea when I started the day. By the time I reached “Tenzing“, I was beginning to understand exactly what that idea had cost me.
Tenzing
Jennifer Peedom – CANADIAN PREMIERE – United States of America, Australia | 2026 | 125m | English
Starring Tom Hiddleston (TIFF ’24’s The Life of Chuck), Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, and Genden Phuntsok (TIFF ’18’s Jinpa), this wondrous biopic recounts the story of Himalayan Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay who, alongside Edmund Hillary, became first to top Everest in 1953.
The latest from director Jennifer Peedom (TIFF ’15’s Sherpa) recounts the story of Himalayan Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay who, alongside Edmund Hillary, became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Luke Davis (TIFF ’16’s Lion), and starring Tom Hiddleston (TIFF ’24’s The Life of Chuck; Broadway’s Betrayal), Caitríona Balfe (TIFF ’21’s Belfast), Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (TIFF ’17’s The Florida Project), and Genden Phuntsok (TIFF ’18’s Jinpa), Tenzing is the inspiring exploration of an extraordinary life fuelled by ambition, tenacity, and a true sense of wonder.
Hard work and sheer charisma found Tenzing (Phuntsok) working on British expeditions to Everest in the 1930s. Nearly two decades would pass before he joined the team that would finally complete the ascent to the world’s tallest peak, led by John Hunt (Dafoe) and Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston), whose survival would ultimately depend on Tenzing’s skills, dedication, and profound courage.
Gorgeously photographed by Stefan Duscio (The Invisible Man), Tenzing is a transporting experience, ushering us along a seemingly impossible trek to the top of the world. The film’s stellar cast make expert guides on this journey, but its single greatest asset is Phuntsok, who embodies its larger-than-life hero with grace and vulnerability — and somehow captures Tenzing’s legendarily irresistible smile.
—
When the alarm went off that morning, I thought the big challenge was going to be getting myself out of bed and into that first screening. I had no idea that getting through the fifth film would be the real test. By the time I finally walked into my home, I was pure exhaustion, with my eyes tired from the subtitles, my brain full of stories, and my body ready to collapse into bed. Five films had sounded entirely possible when I started the day. Five films, two of them subtitled, turned out to be a very different proposition once I was actually living it. The film addict in me may have won the first choice of the morning, but my body got the final word. And this time, I think I should probably listen.