Toronto International Film Festival 2019
This is a list of movies from TIFF 2019 which I have seen, using my TIFF Interest List as the source and listed in chronological viewing order. I saw titles #1-11 before the festival in other locations, and then #12-35 in Toronto itself; #36 onwards seen after the festival.
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79 titles
- DirectorScott Z. BurnsStarsAdam DriverAnnette BeningJon HammIdealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorAlma Har'elStarsShia LaBeoufLucas HedgesNoah JupeA young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorMinhal BaigStarsGeraldine ViswanathanJack KilmerGabriel LunaMuslim teenager Hala copes with the unraveling of her family as she comes into her own.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasAsier EtxeandiaLeonardo SbaragliaA film director reflects on the choices he's made in life as the past and present come crashing down around him.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorKen LoachStarsKris HitchenDebbie HoneywoodRhys McgowanHoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labour exploitation.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorJuliano DornellesKleber Mendonça FilhoStarsBárbara ColenThomas AquinoSilvero PereiraAfter the death of her grandmother, Teresa comes home to her matriarchal village in a near-future Brazil to find a succession of sinister events that mobilizes all of its residents.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsNoémie MerlantAdèle HaenelLuàna BajramiOn an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorYi'nan DiaoStarsGe HuGwei Lun-MeiFan LiaoA gangster on the run sacrifices everything for his family and a woman he meets while on the lam.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorIra SachsStarsIsabelle HuppertSennia NanuaAriyon BakareThree generations grappling with a life-changing experience during one day of a vacation in Sintra, Portugal, a historic town known for its dense gardens and fairy-tale villas and palaces.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsPierfrancesco FavinoMaria Fernanda CândidoFabrizio FerracaneThe real life of Tommaso Buscetta, the so-called "boss of the two worlds," the first mafia informant in Sicily in the 1980s.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
- DirectorDaniel RoherStarsThe BandRobbie RobertsonBruce SpringsteenA confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson's young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsMichael B. JordanJamie FoxxBrie LarsonWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.
- DirectorHaifaa Al-MansourStarsMila Al ZahraniDae Al HilaliNora Al AwadA determined young Saudi doctor's surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town's first female candidate.
- DirectorRupert GooldStarsRenée ZellwegerJessie BuckleyFinn WittrockLegendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
- DirectorTom HarperStarsFelicity JonesEddie RedmayneHimesh PatelA balloon pilot and a scientist find themselves in a fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon in the 1860s.
- DirectorNicolas BedosStarsDaniel AuteuilGuillaume CanetDoria TillierVictor, a disillusioned 60-something whose marriage is on the rocks, opts to relive the week of his life when, 40 years earlier, he met his true love through a company that allows customers to return to the time period of their choosing.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
- DirectorDarius MarderStarsRiz AhmedOlivia CookePaul RaciA heavy metal drummer's life is turned upside down when he begins to lose his hearing and he must confront a future filled with silence.
- DirectorKasi LemmonsStarsCynthia ErivoJanelle MonáeLeslie Odom Jr.The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
- DirectorBenedict AndrewsStarsKristen StewartYvan AttalGabriel SkyInspired by real events in the life of French New Wave icon Jean Seberg. In the late 1960s, Hoover's FBI targeted her because of her political and romantic involvement with civil rights activist Hakim Jamal.
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsAdam SandlerJulia FoxIdina MenzelWith his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.
- DirectorJohn CrowleyStarsOakes FegleyAnsel ElgortNicole KidmanA boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.
- DirectorDrake DoremusStarsShailene WoodleyJamie DornanSebastian StanA 30-something woman navigating through love and heartbreak over the course of one year. During that time, she will unlock the secrets to her life in a sudden turn of events and in the most surprising of places.
- DirectorBridget Savage ColeDanielle KrudyStarsDavid CoffinDavid PridemoreAdam Wolf MayersonMary Beth and Priscilla Connolly attempt to cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, the sisters must go deep into the criminal underbelly of their hometown, uncovering the town's darkest secrets.
- DirectorGiuseppe CapotondiStarsClaes BangElizabeth DebickiMick JaggerHired to procure a rare painting from one of the most enigmatic painters of all time, an ambitious art scholar becomes consumed by his own greed and insecurity as the operation spins out of control.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsRoman Griffin DavisThomasin McKenzieScarlett JohanssonA young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose hero and imaginary friend is the country's dictator is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesStarsJonathan PryceAnthony HopkinsJuan MinujínBehind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsJulie DelpyRichard ArmitageDaniel BrühlA divorced mother looks to protect her daughter after an unexpected tragedy.
- DirectorJoey KleinStarsImogen PootsNeve CampbellAlex WolffAfter the untimely death of his mother, a teenager befriends his charismatic but troubled next-door neighbor and becomes embroiled in a world of addiction and violence just as the opioid epidemic takes hold of their small town.
- DirectorMarjane SatrapiStarsRosamund PikeYvette FeuerMirjam NovakThe incredible true story of Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her Nobel Prize-winning work that changed the world.
- DirectorEdward NortonStarsEdward NortonGugu Mbatha-RawAlec BaldwinIn 1950s New York, Lionel, a private detective with Tourette syndrome, sets out to uncover the mystery behind his mentor and only friend Frank's murder. Scouring the jazz clubs and slums of Brooklyn, he soon uncovers a web of secrets.
- DirectorRose GlassStarsMorfydd ClarkCaoilfhionn DunneJennifer EhleA pious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.
- DirectorNoah HawleyStarsNatalie PortmanJon HammZazie BeetzAstronaut Lucy Cola returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space, and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.
- DirectorLorene ScafariaStarsConstance WuJennifer LopezJulia StilesInspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
- DirectorArmando IannucciStarsDev PatelHugh LaurieTilda SwintonA modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
- DirectorWilliam NicholsonStarsAnnette BeningBill NighyJosh O'ConnorA couple's visit with their son takes a dramatic turn when the father tells him he plans on leaving his mother.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsSam NeillSusan SarandonAnson BoonA terminally ill mother arranges to bring her family together one last time before she dies. A remake of the 2014 Danish film 'Silent Heart'.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsAdam DriverScarlett JohanssonJulia GreerNoah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.
- DirectorCory FinleyStarsHugh JackmanRay RomanoWelker WhiteThe beloved superintendent of New York's Roslyn school district and his staff, friends and relatives become the prime suspects in the unfolding of the single largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsDaniel CraigChris EvansAna de ArmasA detective investigates the death of the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.
- DirectorJayro BustamanteStarsMaría Mercedes CoroySabrina De La HozMargarita KenéficAn aging paranoid war criminal, protected by his faithful wife, faces death while being haunted by the ghosts of his past.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsCaroline FlackSteve CooganDavid MitchellSatire about the world of the super-rich.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsMatt DamonChristian BaleJon BernthalAmerican car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
- DirectorSarah GavronStarsBukky BakrayKosar AliD'angelou Osei KissieduA young teenage girl finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother after being abandoned by their single mother with no choice but to live out on the streets.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsMariana Di GirólamoGael García BernalSantiago CabreraA couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry as their household falls apart.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGary OldmanAntonio BanderasAJ MeijerA widow investigates an insurance fraud, chasing leads to a pair of Panama City law partners exploiting the world's financial system.
- DirectorMarielle HellerStarsMatthew RhysTom HanksChris CooperBased on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel.
- DirectorLisa Barros D'SaGlenn LeyburnStarsLesley ManvilleLiam NeesonEsh AlladiAn extraordinary look at the lives of a middle-aged couple in the midst of the wife's breast cancer diagnosis.
- DirectorGitanjali RaoStarsCyli KhareAmit DeondiGargi ShitoleBOMBAY ROSE is a beautiful hand-painted animation created by award winning animator Gitanjali Rao. Amidst the bustle of a magnetic and multifaceted city, the budding love between two dreamers is tested by duty and religious divides.
- DirectorNick RowlandStarsCosmo JarvisBarry KeoghanLiam CarneyDouglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.
- DirectorKarim AïnouzStarsJulia StocklerCarol DuarteFlávia GusmãoIn 1950s Rio de Janeiro, two sisters live restricted lives with their conservative parents. After they are separated and forced to live apart, they take control of their destinies, while never giving up hope of finding one another.
- DirectorTrey Edward ShultsStarsTaylor RussellKelvin Harrison Jr.Alexa DemieTraces the journey of a suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsEddie MurphyKeegan-Michael KeyMike EppsEddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.
- DirectorMichael Angelo CovinoStarsKyle MarvinMichael Angelo CovinoGayle RankinA look at the friendship between two guys that spans over many years.
- DirectorAndrew PattersonStarsSierra McCormickJake HorowitzGail CronauerOne night in New Mexico, in the late 1950s, a switchboard operator and radio DJ discover a strange audio frequency which could change the future forever.
- DirectorJill CultonTodd WildermanStarsChloe BennetAlbert TsaiTenzing Norgay TrainorThree teenagers must help a Yeti return to his family while avoiding a wealthy man and a zoologist who want him for their own needs.
- DirectorMati DiopStarsMame Bineta SaneAmadou MbowTraoreIn a popular suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave the country by the ocean for a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, promised to another.
- DirectorChinonye ChukwuStarsAlfre WoodardRichard SchiffAldis HodgeAs she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.
- DirectorRichard StanleyStarsNicolas CageJoely RichardsonMadeleine ArthurA secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsKristin Scott ThomasSharon HorganEmma LowndesWith their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement.
- DirectorMalgorzata SzumowskaStarsRaffey CassidyMichiel HuismanDenise GoughA girl born into an all-female cult led by a man in their compound begins to question his teachings and her own reality.
- DirectorJason HowdenStarsDaniel RadcliffeSamara WeavingNed DennehyA guy relies on his newly-acquired gladiator skills to save his ex-girlfriend from kidnappers.
- DirectorMarc MeyersStarsLiev SchreiberMarisa TomeiPeter SarsgaardThe lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident.
- DirectorGalder Gaztelu-UrrutiaStarsIvan MassaguéZorion EguileorAntonia San JuanA vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsAugust DiehlValerie PachnerMaria SimonThe Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
- DirectorKarl MarkovicsStarsHeinz TrixnerBorhanulddin Hassan ZadehKonstanze DutziA grumpy old man enlists the help of an Afghani migrant to bury his dead dog, and as the two dredge through prejudices to find common ground, their day takes an unexpected turn.
- DirectorRaymund Ribay GutierrezStarsMax EigenmannKristoffer KingJordhen SuanBattered wife Joy stands up for justice against her alcoholic husband Dante in a turmoil process of the justice system.
- DirectorSophie DeraspeStarsNahéma RicciRachida OussaadaNour BelkhiriaA modern adaptation of the classic Greek tragedy which falls within a social realism. To the law of men, the young Antigone apposes her own sets of values.
- DirectorHlynur PálmasonStarsIngvar SigurdssonÍda Mekkín HlynsdóttirHilmir Snær GuðnasonAn off duty police begins to suspect a local man for having had an affair with his recently dead wife. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
- DirectorYonah LewisCalvin ThomasStarsKacey RohlAmber AndersonMartin DonovanA popular undergrad faking cancer struggles to maintain her secret.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsGeorge MacKayEssie DavisNicholas HoultAustralian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang flee from authorities during the 1870s.
- DirectorCoky GiedroycStarsBeanie FeldsteinCleoDónal FinnA teenager living with her working-class family on a council estate in Wolverhampton, England, grows up to become a popular but conflicted music journalist.
- DirectorAmy Jo JohnsonStarsFelicity HuffmanAnastasia PhillipsClark JohnsonCatherine, a young woman forced to care for her embarrassing alcoholic mother, decides to flee her life of poverty and appear on a sleazy talk show after her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
- DirectorAlbert ShinStarsAddison TymecMikayla RadanTim BeresfordFollows a troubled young woman returning to her hometown of Niagara Falls, where the memory of a long-ago kidnapping quickly ensnares her.
- DirectorFrançois GirardStarsEddie IzzardGerran HowellStanley TownsendSeveral years after his childhood friend, a violin prodigy, disappears on the eve of his first solo concert, an Englishman travels throughout Europe to find him.
- DirectorAlice WinocourStarsEva GreenZélie BoulantMatt DillonAn astronaut prepares for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.