The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most well-known festivals in the world. And, as with every year, it consistently includes several highly anticipated movies that are headed to theaters later this year and smaller content from around the globe — here are the best films to premiere at the festival in 2021.
TIFF has launched a number of films, many of which have gone on to win recognition at the Oscars and other notable awards ceremonies. In its 46th year, the film festival began on September 9 and ran through September 18. It featured a plethora of high-profile films like Dear Evan Hansen, Dune, and The Starling to international fare like To Kill the Beast, Saloum, and Huda’s Salon. With the world still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, TIFF offered viewers and press alike the opportunity to see films in theater venues and from the comfort of their own homes.
With nearly 200 films playing at the renowned film festival, it’s difficult to narrow down just which ones are worth looking out for when they’re finally released. Each film had something to offer — be it good writing, wonderful performances by the film's actors, or emotional depth. Narrowing it down to just a few, here are the best films from this year's Toronto International Film Festival (with a disclaimer that this writer did not see every single one that played), from poignant dramas like Petite Maman to The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, a lovely biopic about the titular illustrator starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Petite Maman
Céline Sciama’s follow-up to Portrait of Lady on Fire, Petite Maman “paints a deeply thoughtful and compassionate story of grief and love that resonates emotionally” and consists of strong central performances by Joséphine Sanz and real-life sister Gabrielle Sanz. Read Screen Rant’s full review.
Benediction
The film is a biographical drama about the poet Siegfried Sassoon, so it’s apt that director-writer Terrence Davies suffused the story with a sense of tender poetry. The film sees Sassoon in the years following World War I, a war he spoke up against after seeing its atrocities first-hand, and his personal life, including the affairs he had with men. Davies intersperses these parts of his life with scenes that are set decades later (with an older Sassoon played by Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi). Davies masterfully weaves between time periods as Benediction explores regret, the pains of morality, the sadness of losing friendships and lovers to spite, and the loneliness it ultimately begets.
Mothering Sunday
“Directed by Eva Husson from a screenplay by Alice Birch, Mothering Sunday (based on the novel by Graham Swift) leans into the heaviness of grief in the years after World War I. The film is tender and thoughtful in its exploration of loss, lingering in the details and memories shaping life, almost reverent in its approach.” Read Screen Rant’s full review.
The Mad Women’s Ball
Co-written, directed, and starring Mélanie Laurent, The Mad Women’s Ball explores the women who are patients at Salpêtrière, a 19th century mental institution that treated women horribly within the confines of its walls. The film’s protagonist, Eugénie (Lou de Laâge), is wrongfully sent there after her father discovers she can see and speak to spirits, something that will undermine the reputation of the family. The film is captivating as it hinges on its characters’ journeys, while also pointing to their lack of agency as their bodies and minds are abused and made “mad” for public consumption (the leading doctor, Charcot (Grégoire Bonnet) uses the patients for demonstrations). The editing, the costumes, and the performances all add layers to this emotionally devastating, tragic film.
Violet
Written and directed by Justine Bateman, Violet is elevated by a stunning performance by Olivia Munn, effectively showcasing the challenges of living in one’s head and how hindering it can be in a unique and memorable film. Read Screen Rant’s full review.
Costa Brava, Lebanon
The economic situation in Lebanon has been devastating for a while now, with the trash crisis being yet another dire situation the country’s people have to unfairly endure. In Costa Brava, Lebanon, a family — Walid (Saleh Bakri), his wife Soraya (Nadine Labaki), a former singer, their two daughters, and Walid’s mother — has left the city of Beirut behind for the scenic mountains, exhausted from fighting and protesting when nothing changes, and wanting a reprieve from the heartbreak. A new landfill follows to break up their avoidance of the problems that have bled into their daily lives. Helmed by Mounia Akl, who confidently directs her feature debut from a screenplay by her and Clara Roquet, the film explores Walid and Soraya’s differing views on the matter of fighting for the city that broke their hearts, hiding from the pain of their past, and the divide that it’s creating within their family. The film is nuanced, imbued with depth and elevated by emotional performances from Bakri and Labaki.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
The film, directed by Will Sharpe from a screenplay by him and Simon Stephenson, examines the eccentric illustrator throughout his personal and professional career in a poignant, lovely story that is as memorable as it is uneven. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is whimsical, captivating, and one of the best biopics out this year. Read Screen Rant’s full review.
I’m Your Man
Director Maria Schrader, working from a screenplay she co-wrote alongside Jan Schomburg, unpacks human relationships with technology in a genuinely thoughtful way. Bolstered by fantastic performances by Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens, who plays a charming robot boyfriend, I’m Your Man is one of the most lovely, articulate films about the advancement of technology and its relationship with humans. The film explores how it can hinder interpersonal relationships, how humans relate to each other, and the disconnect it creates despite yearning for affection and closeness. It also contends with loneliness, while also subverting expectations of its romcom-esque setup. Read Screen Rant’s full review.