Toronto International Film Festival 2021
This is a list of movies from TIFF 2021 which I have seen, using my TIFF Interest List as the source and listed in chronological viewing order.
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74 titles
- DirectorClint BentleyStarsClifton Collins Jr.Moises AriasMolly ParkerAn aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son.Seen at Sundance 2021
- DirectorPhil ConnellStarsCloris LeachmanAndrew BushellSheldon McIntoshA rookie drag queen reeling from a break-up escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline but desperate to avoid the local nursing home.Seen at BFI Flare [TIFF Market]
- DirectorNatalie MoralesStarsMark DuplassNatalie MoralesDesean TerryA Spanish teacher and her student develop an unexpected friendship.Seen via a Film Independent member’s screening [TIFF Market]
- DirectorMaria SchraderStarsMaren EggertDan StevensSandra HüllerIn order to obtain research funds for her studies, a scientist accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment: for three weeks, she is to live with a humanoid robot, created to make her happy.Seen on its UK digital release via Curzon
- DirectorValerie BuhagiarStarsNatascha McElhoneSteven LoveMichela FarrugiaIn a small Mediterranean village, Carmen has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen, she is mistaken for the new priest. Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light.TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorLeyla BouzidStarsSami OutalbaliZbeida BelhajamorDiong-Kéba TacuFollows Ahmed, a 18-year old, French of Algerian origin, who meets Farah, a young Tunisian girl. He discovers a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature and falls in love with Farah and he tries to resist the desire.TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorReem MorsiStarsAlexia FastShawn DoyleJosh CruddasAfter a young woman witnesses a mob hit, a seasoned assassin and his psychotic partner must track her down before she turns them in, but she proves to be the hardest mark to kill.TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorMalachi SmythStarsWill PoulterJohnny FlynnLydia WilsonTwo small time crooks drive to a secluded cafe for a big 'score'.TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorTea LindeburgStarsFlora Ofelia Hofmann LindahlIda Cæcilie RasmussenPalma Lindeburg LethOn a farm in the late 1800s, an intense wait begins when a mother goes into a complicated labour and 14-year-old Lise must prepare herself for a night that could change her life forever.
- DirectorTrent O'DonnellStarsJake JohnsonSusan SarandonD'Arcy CardenLeif is left with a conditional inheritance when his estranged mother Honey dies. Before he can move into her picturesque Yosemite cabin, he has to complete her elaborate, and sometimes dubious, to-do list.TIFF Market
- DirectorPotsy PonciroliStarsTim Blake NelsonScott HazeGavin LewisA farmer takes in an injured man with a satchel of cash. When a posse comes for the money, he must decide who to trust. Defending a siege, he reveals a gunslinging talent calling his true identity into question.TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorMichael McGowanStarsAlison PillSarah GadonMare WinninghamBased on the 2014 international best-selling novel by Miriam Toews, All My Puny Sorrows is the poignant story of two sisters, one a concert pianist obsessed with ending her life, and the other a writer who, in wrestling with this decision, makes profound discoveries about her herself.
- DirectorJustine BatemanStarsOlivia MunnLuke BraceyJustin TherouxViolet realizes that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions, and must do everything differently to become her true self.
- DirectorIldikó EnyediStarsLéa SeydouxGijs NaberLouis GarrelJacob Störr, a sea captain, makes a bet in a café with a friend, to marry the first woman who enters the place. And in walks Lizzy.
- DirectorDavid BeltonBjorn JohnsonStarsJames BarrettClaire BeckmanDonald ByrdDocumentary collects accounts of 9/11, recorded in the months after the attacks, and present-day testimonials from the same eyewitnesses.
- DirectorLuàna BajramiStarsLuàna BajramiAndi BajgoraEra BalajThree young and free-spirited women decide to escape their daily lives and form a gang.
- DirectorBlaine ThurierStarsAlanna BaleLuke BilykBenjamin SutherlandWhen Anna, a centuries old vampire, watches Robbie, a charming but reckless young man, recover from his alcoholism, she decides to quit blood and restore her humanity.
- DirectorKhadar Ayderus AhmedStarsOmar AbdiYasmin WarsameKadar Abdoul-Aziz IbrahimIn times of misfortune, Guled and his family have to push themselves to the limits in order to reunite with their family.
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsBenoît PoelvoordeMélanie DouteyAlba Gaïa BellugiThe lives of a wealthy publisher and her novelist husband are changed by the arrival of a mysterious young woman at their country mansion.
- DirectorAga WoszczynskaStarsDobromir DymeckiAgnieszka ZulewskaJean-Marc BarrA young couple rents a holiday home on a sunny Italian island. What they find, however, does not meet their expectations.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsJake GyllenhaalRiley KeoughPeter SarsgaardA demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.
- DirectorShasha NakhaiRich WilliamsonStarsLiam DiazMekiya FoxAnna Claire BeitelScarborough is the film adaptation of the award-winning novel by Catherine Hernandez. Over the course of a school year, 3 kids in a low-income neighbourhood find community and friendship at a drop-in reading program.
- DirectorBrian PetsosStarsAndy GarciaEmory CohenMegan FoxFledgling writer Samuel Liston and his experiences with Floyd Deveraux, the enigmatic middle-aged father of two who enlists Samuel to write his biography.TIFF Market
- DirectorAntoneta Alamat KusijanovicStarsGracija FilipovicLeon LucevDanica CurcicA teenage girl decides to replace her controlling father with his wealthy foreign friend during a weekend trip to the Adriatic Sea.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsBancha DuriyapuntApakorn YoukongkaewAnan SurawanA chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
- DirectorSteve PinkStarsAmber MidthunderTaylor GrayBethany Anne LindAlbee and Walker, a couple on the verge of divorce. Albee wants out, while Walker wants to make it work, no matter the damage. A weekend in the mountains to work through a book that might save their relationship via total, brutal honesty.
- DirectorScott McGeheeDavid SiegelStarsHaley Lu RichardsonOwen TeagueGilbert OwuorTwo estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved, confronting a deep and bitter family legacy against a mythic American backdrop.
- DirectorNadav LapidStarsAvshalom PollakNur FibakOded AzulayAn Israeli filmmaker throws himself in the midst of two battles doomed to fail: one against the death of freedom, the other against the death of a mother.
- DirectorMichel FrancoStarsTim RothAlbertine Kotting McMillanSamuel BottomleyNeil and Alice Bennett are the core of a wealthy family on vacation in Mexico until a distant emergency cuts their trip short. When one relative disrupts the family's tight-knit order, simmering tensions rise to the fore.
- DirectorNeus BallúsStarsMohamed MellaliValero EscolarPep SarràA peculiar team of three handymen has to face a series of eccentric clients. Their everyday job becomes a surrealist and exhilarating experience.
- DirectorPaul Andrew WilliamsStarsDavid NellistKevin HarveyMark SpringerBull mysteriously returns home after a 10 year absence to seek revenge on those who double crossed him all those years ago.
- DirectorEva OrnerStarsScott MorrisonMarian WilkinsonMike Cannon-BrookesLooks at the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as 'Black Summer'. An exploration of what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists.
- DirectorKate DolanStarsHazel DoupeCarolyn BrackenIngrid CraigieIn a North Dublin housing estate Char's mother goes missing. When she returns Char is determined to uncover the truth of her disappearance and unearth the dark secrets of her family.
- DirectorSébastien PiloteStarsSara MontpetitSébastien RicardHélène FlorentMaria, teen of a pioneer family in Québec, is coming of age and a few young men show interest. The «coureur des bois» is her prefered, then the city man, and the neighbour establishing his own farm. Events will help her decide her future.
- DirectorTim MielantsBouli LannersStarsMichelle FairleyBouli LannersAndrew StillPhil, a robust middle-aged man suffers a stroke, causing him to lose his memory. Millie, who takes care of him, tells him falsely that they were secretly in love before his accident.
- DirectorLaura SamaniStarsCeleste CescuttiOndina QuadriIvo BanItaly, 1900. Agata is a young woman who embarks on a desperate journey to reach a mysterious sanctuary to save her daughter's soul from the eternal damnation of Limbo.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsBen FosterBilly MagnussenVicky KriepsAfter World War II, Harry Haft is a boxer who fought against his peers in concentration camps. Haunted by memories, he tries to use fighting legends as a way to find his love.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsLéa SeydouxBlanche GardinBenjamin BiolayA celebrity journalist, juggling her busy career and personal life, has her life over-turned by a freak car accident.
- DirectorJuanjo Giménez PeñaStarsMarta NietoMiki EsparbéLuisa MerelasA sound designer finds refuge from broken relationships with her ex, her colleagues and her mother in the studio, where she can spend hours recording Foley and wild tracks, editing and mixing. But is her brain starting to slip out of sync?
- DirectorArsalan AmiriStarsNavid PourfarajPourya Rahimi SamHoda ZeinolabedinInvestigating reports of demonic possessions in a remote village, a skeptical military officer finds his beliefs tested by an enigmatic exorcist.
- DirectorMaureen FazendeiroMiguel GomesStarsCrista AlfaiateCarloto CottaJoão Nunes MonteiroFollows Crista, Carloto and João who are building an airy greenhouse for butterflies in the garden and share household routines, but they are not the only ones.
- DirectorEvan Jackson LeongStarsSung KangPerry YungAmy TsangA Chinese immigrant get caught up in an international crime ring of human smuggling while attempting to make a better life for her family.
- DirectorRodrigo PláLaura SantulloStarsLeah MillerJorge CastroAlejandra DozalA mother may lose custody of her son because she refuses to medicate his ADHD.
- DirectorRadu MunteanStarsMaria PopistasuIlona BrezoianuAlex BogdanA group of people on a humanitarian mission arrive in a remote area of Transylvania to offer the inhabitants various goods. Apart from a few quarrels and conflicts between the group members, everything seems to be going well for Maria and Dan. But soon after they stumble upon a disoriented local and try to help him, things go wrong.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsKristen StewartTimothy SpallSally HawkinsDiana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.
- DirectorMia Hansen-LøveStarsVicky KriepsTim RothMia WasikowskaA couple retreat to the island that inspired Ingmar Bergman to write screenplays for their upcoming films when the lines between reality and fiction start to blur.
- DirectorMichael PearceStarsRiz AhmedOctavia SpencerLucian-River ChauhanTwo brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsThomasin McKenzieAnya Taylor-JoyMatt SmithAspiring fashion designer Eloise is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters dazzling wannabe singer Sandie. But the glamour is not as it seems, and the dreams of the past crack and splinter into something darker.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsCarol BurnettVincent CasselLouis MalleA look at the life, passions, achievements and tragedies surrounding the famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, featuring an archive of his newly restored footage.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsBenedict CumberbatchKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsCharismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsVincent LindonAgathe RousselleGarance MarillierFollowing a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
- DirectorEva HussonStarsOdessa YoungJosh O'ConnorColin FirthJane Fairchild is a maidservant who, between the wars, works for the wealthy Niven family. On Mothering Sunday, Jane is given the day off to spend as she likes. To her surprise, Paul Sheringham, the son of wealthy neighbours, invites her to spend the day with him at his family's house while his parents are out having lunch with the Nivens and the Hobdays.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsTilda SwintonAgnes BrekkeDaniel Giménez CachoA woman from Scotland, while traveling in Colombia, begins to notice strange sounds. Soon she begins to think about their appearance.
- DirectorClio BarnardStarsAdeel AkhtarClaire RushbrookMacy ShackletonAli and Ava, both lonely for different reasons, meet and sparks fly. Over a lunar month a deep connection begins to grow, despite the legacy of Ava's past relationship, and Ali's emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage.
- DirectorTerence DaviesStarsJack LowdenThom AshleyOrlando JoplingLegendary 20th century English war poet Siegfried Sassoon embarks on a life-long quest for personal salvation through his experiences with family, war, his writing, and destructive relationships. True salvation can only come from within.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametRebecca FergusonZendayaA noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy's most valuable asset while its heir becomes troubled by visions of a dark future.
- DirectorLucile HadzihalilovicStarsPaul HiltonRomane HemelaersRomola GaraiA 50-year-old caretaker is employed to look after 10-year-old girl. His most important task is to maintain her dentures that are made of ice and must be changed several times a day.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsBen PlattJulianne MooreKaitlyn DeverFilm adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical about Evan Hansen, a high-school senior with social anxiety disorder, and his journey of self-discovery and acceptance after a classmate's suicide.
- DirectorMichael ShowalterStarsJessica ChastainAndrew GarfieldCherry JonesAn intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsJoséphine SanzGabrielle SanzNina MeurisseNelly has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods. One day she meets a girl her age building a tree-house.
- DirectorWill SharpeStarsBenedict CumberbatchClaire FoyAndrea RiseboroughEnglish artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
- DirectorJan P. MatuszynskiStarsTomasz ZietekSandra KorzeniakJacek BraciakIn 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsHidetoshi NishijimaTôko MiuraReika KirishimaA renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with a big personal loss when he receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima.
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsMelissa McCarthyChris O'DowdKevin KlineAfter Lilly suffers a loss, a combative Starling takes nest beside her quiet home. The feisty bird taunts and attacks the grief-stricken Lilly. On her journey to expel the Starling, she rediscovers her will to live and capacity for love.
- DirectorHarry WootliffStarsRuth WilsonTom BurkeHayley SquiresIt follows a young woman living on the fringes of society who becomes intoxicated by a stranger who overwhelms her quiet life.
- DirectorCamille GriffinStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeRoman Griffin DavisNell, Simon, and their 3 sons are ready to welcome friends and family for what promises to be a perfect Christmas gathering. Perfect except for one thing: everyone is going to die.
- DirectorJuho KuosmanenStarsSeidi HaarlaYura BorisovDinara DrukarovaAs a train weaves its way up to the arctic circle, two strangers share a journey that will change their perspective on life.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
- DirectorMahamat-Saleh HarounStarsAchouackh Abakar SouleymaneRihane Khalil AlioYoussouf DjaoroAmina, a practicing Muslim, lives with her daughter, 15-year-old Maria. When Amina learns Maria is pregnant and wants to abort the child, they face an impossible situation in a country where abortion is legally and morally condemned.
- DirectorAlexandre MorattoStarsChristian MalheirosRodrigo SantoroLucas OranmianTo provide a better life for his family in the country, 18-year-old Mateus accepts a job in a junkyard in São Paulo for his new boss, Luca, but becomes trapped in the dangerous world of human trafficking.
- DirectorJulie CohenBetsy WestStarsJosé AndrésPaul BogaardsAntonietta BrownellJulia tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.