The Toronto International Film Festival has descended upon the city, and with hundreds of choices, picking the right film to see can be overwhelming. We’ll be bringing you recommendations every day, from major Hollywood features to compelling docs — the best from around the world. These are films that deserve to be seen, either during the festival or after.
The Love Punch
Rating: 3/5
A fun, comedic piece of popcorn fare to enjoy between some of the heavier dramas at the festival, The Love Punch exists in order for us to watch two very charismatic stars — Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson — trade bards, play dress-up and have fun in the French Rivera.
As a divorced couple, Richard (Brosnan) and Kate (Thompson) find themselves working together on a haphazard mission to reclaim millions of dollars lifted from Richard’s company by some young Frenchman. They set out on a caper that includes lots of costume changes, accents, acrobatics and a very anemic car chase.
It’s all a bit of good from writer and director Joel Hopkins, and the two stars light up the screen in every single scene. There are the expected jokes about old age, and a few that are more in the childish category, but there is enough to satisfy throughout. Cute and fluffy and not without its earnest moments, The Love Punch is a definite crowd pleaser.
Sept. 12, Roy Thomson Hall, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 13, Visa Screening Room (Elgin), 11 a.m.
The Face of Love
Rating: 3/5
The always charming Annette Bening stars along the equally winning Ed Harris in this peculiar romance that is infused with all the hope, sorrow, confusion and fear that comes with dealing with love and loss.
Five years have passed since Nikki (Bening) lost her husband; he drowned in Mexico on their wedding anniversary after a night of partying. Still recovering — it really never ends — she one day spots a man that appears to be her late husband’s doppelgänger (Harris). Once you grant that premise, the film explores many varied emotions, as Nikki befriends the gentleman and starts to date him, at times reluctantly and at times crazily.
Nikki, however, doesn’t exactly tell the truth to this new man in regards to her ex-husband and his physical appearances. The Face of Love goes to some dark places, though it stays mostly light and thoughtful, exploring what it means to be in love and what lengths one is willing to go to for happiness.
Sept. 12, Visa Screening Room (Elgin), 6 p.m.
Sept. 13, Scotiabank 14, 3 p.m.
Brazilian Western
Rating: 3/5
After two suggestions that certainly fall under the category of “romance,” here comes something completely different. This debut film by Brazilian director René Sampaio is engrossing and shocking right from the start, when a gunshot and a death grab your attention.
Another follows, and we find João (Fabrício Boliveira), a young man who has a life of hardship, released from prison and heading for the big city of Brasilia. Set in the ’80s — and a sort of homage to a famous song by Brazilian band Legião Urbana — the journey of João is stirring. He finds an honest job, but only if he takes on a dishonest one as well. In the midst of a trying to carve out a new existence, he falls in love. Once again though, a positive step is paired with a negative one, as the woman is the daughter of a senator.
Cinematic and nostalgic, Brazilian Western is unlike anything in else the festival. There are pushes and pulls throughout, and it’s an inventive, experimental and fascinating piece of work.
Sept. 12, Scotiabank 2, 8:45 p.m.
Sept. 14, Scotiabank 4, 4 p.m.