August 8, 2025

Welcome to the TFCA weekly, a round-up of reviews and coverage by members of the Toronto Film Critics Association.

In Release this Week

Animale (dir. Emma Benestan)

“The story plays with myth, horror and reality,” says Gilbert Seah at Toronto Franco. “The transformation of a human into an animal is the type seen before in werewolf films and in Cat People. The credibility does not always work as the film plays more in reality than in mythical mystery.”

Freakier Friday (dir. Nisha Ganatra)

At The Globe and Mail, Johanna Schneller chats with director Nisha Ganatra about juggling Mom and Director modes, and working with Jamie Lee Curtis: “She said she wasn’t good at physical comedy, which is an absolute lie,” Ganatra says. “She’ll nail anything you throw at her. When I pitched her my idea for the record store scene – that she would hide behind album covers and end up crawling down the aisle – I could see the producers thinking, ‘You’re asking an Oscar winner to crawl on the floor?’ But Jamie didn’t hesitate.”

“The requisite romantic confusion? Check. The cringeworthy dance scenes? Yep. The unlikely sports scenario? It’s there, as is a ludicrous pickleball tournament has me questioning whether the gummies I found in this guy’s coat pocket were actually from a candy store,” says the hip kid reviewing from Thom Ernst’s body for Original Cin. “And the script? Let’s just say the film is so sanitized you could eat off the dialogue. The riskiest line involves the word tooting. TOOTING. I mean, come on, Disney. Even my aunt says fart now and she still listens to Neil Diamond. (I’d have said Coldplay, but the film already tosses Coldplay under the bus).”

“A solid follow-up. It may not be an essential sequel, but it is a good time for fans of the 2003 original,” says Joe Lipsett at Queer Horror Movies.

“While Maitreyi Ramakrishnan only appears in a supporting role as a pop star managed by Anna, Ramakrishnan triggers one of the film’s most memorable sequences, all while in a strawberry costume,” writes Rachel Ho at The Asian Cut. “Since her breakout role in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever, Ramakrishnan has made her mark in the industry, especially in voice work, including a role in Turning Red. Her potential as a comedian and actor continues to be apparent in Freakier Friday and she remains a talent to watch in the years to come.”

“Freakier Friday does not reinvent the wheel. There is a bit of complication from the original premise: Where the 2003 film followed teen rocker Anna Coleman (Lohan) and her uptight psychiatrist mother Tess (Curtis) swapping bodies one freaky Friday, the sequel offers twice the fun,” says Jackson Weaver at CBC. “Twenty years down the line, Anna is now a music manager and single parent, more concerned with the career and art of her star musician Ella (Canadian actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) than her own stalled rock star dreams. Meanwhile, Tess is a freewheeling author, offering gentle — and generally unwanted — co-parenting advice for Anna’s surfing-obsessed daughter, Harper (Julia Butters).”

“Ganatra’s visual style is also worth discussing, with the film torn between genuinely interesting and complex camera set-ups and the kind of empty-calorie editing that is a hallmark of the streaming era,” notes Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail. “The Canadian director certainly knows how to concoct crowd-pleasing fizz – see her underrated music-world 2020 comedy The High Note – but seems to repeatedly capitulate to a kind of bland Disney+ house style.”

“The jokes are plentiful and often laugh out loud funny, and the characters are fleshed out enough to make the viewer care about the strange predicaments they find themselves in,” writes Andrew Parker at The Gate. “It’s assuredly a feel good movie that’s meant as pure entertainment and little more, but Freakier Friday should give viewers exactly what they’re looking for.”

“Quite frankly, the four switcheroos may be too much for an audience to grasp especially given the film’s frantic plot. Disney is a production company that loves big scenes, and Freakier Friday is full of them,” admits Marc Glassman at Classical FM. “There’s a huge food fight staged outdoors next to a high school, a nearly out of control car racing two of the leading characters through Los Angeles, a crazy fashion shoot and a hyperbolic pop rock finale. Entertaining as this might sound, it doesn’t allow for much interaction between the misappropriated quartet. Harper and Anna don’t seem that far apart—which might be a message in the film—while Tess and Lily never seem to click at all.”

“A teen female movie at heart, and given what it should be, the film hits well at its target audience, which is largely non-Marvel superhero fans,” says Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “Freakier is solid comedy and the hard work put in by the cast and crew clearly shows in the film and works well.”

“The film’s loving homage to the original makes Freakier Friday a true standout,” says Marriska Fernandes at Exclaim!. “Clearly aware of the legacy that this film carries, Ganatra gives the body swap narrative a fresh spin, without sacrificing the elements that made Freaky Friday a classic. Ganatra peppers the movie with delightful winks and nods that feel like a secret language shared between the filmmakers and their audience. The filmmaker ensures these genuine moments of connection honour the legacy of the first film, rather than just being cheap callbacks.” Fernandes also chats with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan for the National Post.

The Girls Are Alright (dir. Itsaso Arana)

“[A] breath of fresh air in the realm of storytelling around women’s friendships,” writes Anne Brodie at What She Said. “Lovely shots of toile de jouy fabric open each chapter, dappled sun and happy smiles, peaceful reflection and conversation bring us even closer to them as they shoot their film called The Girls Are Alright!”

Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation (Ebs Burnough; USA only)

“Chapters are dedicated to regular Kerouac fans who changed their lives, inspired by Kerouac’s courage and optimism, making stunning about faces from their previous lives to hit the road,” notes Anne Brodie at What She Said. “It’s interesting, fun and sort of the opposite of the way things are now as Americans chase careers, jobs, wealth, status and whathaveyou. The question lingers – was he happier?”

My Mother’s Wedding (dir. Kristin Scott Thomas)

“There is one stupendous scene in the film wherein Scott Thomas scolds her daughters for their childish behaviour, disabuses them of their hero-worshiping ideas about their late fathers and urges them to begin taking better care of their own children,” says Liz Braun at Original Cin. “It’s the heart of My Mother’s Wedding and surprisingly moving, even as it reveals how much better Scott Thomas is as an actor than the rest of her cast. Likewise, there are a few moments of comedy between Scott Thomas and Sindhu Vee — just a couple of women chatting as friends and fellow mothers-in-law — that are inspired.  Those bits are enough to keep you interested in what Scott Thomas directs next.”

The Pickup (dir. Tim Story)

“Riddled with plot holes and jaw dropping lapses in logic, The Pickup might’ve been fun if the viewer could turn their brain off, but Story and the writing team haven’t provided material that’s fun enough to do just that. Through oceans of wheezy banter, shameless pandering (including a Beverly Hills Cop reference that lands with a thud), and a lack of swagger, The Pickup thinks quite highly of itself for a movie that has no new ideas or notions to call its own,” admits Andrew Parker at The Gate. “When a script includes numerous instances of someone tossing out a zinger only to have another character remark upon how cool of a line that just was, you know a movie is in serious trouble.”

“We’re not going to remember The Pickup by the end of the year (or even by the end of the summer), but in that moment when we flip it on our TVs, tablets or phones as we tackle the day’s chores, it serves its purpose,” notes Rachel Ho at Exclaim!.

Russians at War (dir. Anastasia Trofimova; Aug. 12)

“If one wants answers to the reason for the fighting, the film provides none,” notes Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “Rather, the film emphasizes the futility of war.  In a war, no one wins.  And in the doc, all the soldiers want to go home.  Unfortunately, some don’t and others return home wounded. It is still an emotional doc, with one audience screaming [prior to] the premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival last year that the film is all propaganda.”

Shook (dir. Amar Wala)

“The dramedy marks the first fiction feature for Wala, who has adeptly honed his chops in documentary,” says Pat Mullen at That Shelf. “That eye for daily life is on full display here, as is the sense of care and respect that documentary filmmakers have in their blood. Shook is a loving portrait of a community with a sense of all the hidden gems that make Scarborough a distinct place to live, but also a world with its own unique complexities.”

Souleymane’s Story (dir. Boris Lojkine)

“Lojkine cast Abou Sangaré in an open actors call, and he proved to be a brilliant choice. Handsome, modest, gentle unless pushed, the characters of Soulemayne and Sangaré seem intertwined,” notes Marc Glassman at Classical FM. “We follow Soulemayne, a bicycle courier, as he has to deal with mishaps ranging from a customer refusing a food delivery to being struck by a car, with damages to himself and his bike. Everything about him is on the edge: a shared illegal home, burner cell phones, and, above all, his reason for being in France.”

“The artful minimalism pays off. Souleymane’s Story immerses us in an unrepresented world of African migrants in France with a ticking clock urgency that puts most thrillers to shame,” writes Liam Lacey at Original Cin. “Deep in the rat race maze, there are a few glimpses of human decency: A free coffee from a kebab vendor, a candy from an Asian restaurant worker, and a feeble elderly man who, wastes Souleyman’s time by taking a moment to ask about the deliveryman’s life. But most people in the film simply look through him, including a couple of policemen who, while accepting their food order, explain they could make trouble for him if they chose to.”

“Director and co-writer Boris Lojkine (Camille) shows tremendous empathy for his titular food courier simply through not sugarcoating the hardships he faces, and similarly refusing to lay the melodrama on thicker than necessary. Souleymane’s Story hits hard because it lives from moment to moment and tells a story that could easily be unfolding anywhere in the world right now,” writes Andrew Parker at The Gate.

“The cast is nothing short of excellent, as can be observed in the last 10  minutes of the film’s climax and conclusion of the film,” says Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “Abou Sangaré is phenomenal as Souleymane [as] is Nina Meurisse as the OFPRA agent. Camerawork and editing deserve credit for the last 10 minutes of the film.”

Stolen: Heist of the Century (dir. Mark Lewis)

“The doc moves along with quick efficiency, very much like a planned robbery would be executed, making the doc more exciting and pressing in its delivery,” says Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “The doc is told primarily from the investigators’ points of view, spoken in accented English, so that the audience has the feel of expert knowledge being delivered in the film.  Also, the title of the film ‘The heist of the century’ emphasizes the enormity of the subject.”

Sudan, Remember Us (dir. Hind Meddeb)

“The streets of Khartoum in Sudan, Remember Us are alive with music, poetry, grand oration, and visual arts that serve to bolster the spirit of the people, while remembering those who died or were disappeared for the cause,” says Andrew Parker at The Gate. “As one demonstrator notes to Meddeb, silence in such cases can be deadlier than a bullet, and the film functions primarily as a testament to those willing to speak up. While the film could benefit from a bit more context, Sudan, Remember Us captures the spirit of young men and women that want to see their country move forward, not backward.”

“They are cheering the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, thanks to a series of rigged elections,” writes Susan G. Cole at POV Magazine. “Four years ago, these imaginative demonstrators envisioned a future where there will be a citizens’ government in a country that controls its own economy: Sudan is rich in minerals that foreign nations have been mining thanks to years-old deals with a dictator on the take. Meddeb harnesses that citizen-forward philosophy by letting everyday people tell the story. This is powerful filmmaking that gives voice to a population that has been consistently ignored by international media.”

A Thousand Cuts (dir. Jake Horowitz)

“Horowitz is clearly a dedicated student of the true-crime genre, as eager to ape the addictive format as he is to poke holes in its many artistic and ethical lapses of judgment,” says Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail. “But there just isn’t enough meat on this particular bone to warrant A Thousand Cuts’ meandering thrills, too-loose performances, low-stakes comedy and lower budget trappings.”

Weapons (dir. Zack Cregger)

“Watching Zach Cregger’s thriller-cum-fairy tale Weapons is like biting into a poisoned apple – it’s at first crisp and refreshing, but it only takes a moment for the pleasure to curdle into something wicked and somewhat rotten,” observes Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail. “Every time that the story builds to a moment of what-in-the-world shock, Cregger hits the pause button, rewinding the story to explore the perspective of a different character. The chapter-by-chapter structure might have seemed cute on the page, but it unintentionally reveals that Weapons is shooting blanks. When the film’s many and frequent fake-out scares are more haunting and effective than the actual nightmare at the heart of the tale, there is little to do but shut up and laugh.”

“Weapons borrows structure from Rashômon but feels like a cross between a Grimm fairytale and an exceptionally effective Twilight Zone episode. It’s a story steeped in grief and guilt, driven by mob mentality, and shadowed by themes of deceit, manipulation, power, and the cruel inevitability of chance and coincidence,” writes Thom Ernst at Original Cin. “Yes, it’s a horror film. But not the kind you avoid because you don’t like being scared. This is horror by way of allegory, dark comedy, and slow-burn suspense. There are WTF moments, yes but they’re earned and often arrive in perfect sync with the characters’ confusion, which makes them all the more satisfying.”

“What are we to make of the glowing blue triangle in the film’s title? And how about those bizarre product placements for Coke and Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, which become part of the story. Do they serve any other purpose other than illustrating the banality of suburban life?” asks Peter Howell at the Toronto Star. “Weapons declines to provide easy answers, layering dread, irony and wild invention until the final frame. It dares you to look and look again, promising that, in this town, certainty is the first thing to vanish.”

“A movie that slowly and surely looks to unravel a mystery that leaves an entire community traumatized and baffled, Weapons takes a character based approach to horror cinema that’s satisfying and narratively interesting. Not all of it works, and as a whole it’s kind of a mess, but when it comes to making the right choices at the perfect times, Weapons hits the mark more often than it misses,” says Andrew Parker at The Gate.

“Weapons is definitely the most fucked up film of the year, which is arguably the best horror film, if not the best film of the year,” raves Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “It is a brilliant concoction of horror, mystery, action, drama, filled with raw emotions of anger and desperation, doused with a splatter of wicked black humour, a film that parodies itself as well. Brilliant performances as well, from Josh Brolin and Amy Madigan.”

“The film never breaks the fourth wall, but the levity Cregger throws into the mix feels like a nod to the outrageousness of the story, and serves the film’s folktale vibe,” says Rachel Ho at Exclaim!. Ho also chats with Cregger about cranking up the tension: “Julia [Garner]’s chapter is the first chapter, and it’s definitely the slowest; and Josh [Brolin]’s is the second-slowest,” Cregger explains. “You should feel like the movie is ramping up towards something awful.”

A Festival of Festival Coverage: TIFF’s Rollout Continues

At POV Magazine, Pat Mullen speaks with TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers about some of the documentary highlights in this line-up, including the world premiere of Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Love+War about photojournalist Lynsey Addario: “This film is following her closely over a couple of years that she was covering Ukraine,” says Powers. “A big question that the film is asking is, ‘How do you do this work and still be a present family member for your children and husband?’ The New Yorker journalist Dexter Filkins is interviewed in the film and points out that the stories of most people who do this work end in divorce, addiction, or death. One of the undercurrents in the film is to ask if someone can do it differently.”

TV Talk/Series Stuff

At What She Said, Anne Brodie investigates Irish Blood with Alicia Silverstone, which “was made in partnership with Murdoch Mysteries’ Shaftsbury Films, and it reflects its family friendly, comfy murder vibe and a light touch on the subject matter.” Meanwhile, A Spy Among Friends offers “an eye-opening look at the greatest traitor in modern times, British MI6 agent Kim Philby.”

At The Globe and Mail, Barry Hertz binges Seth Rogen’s Platonic: “Each 30-minute-or-so episode offers the kind of warm and straight-shooting humour that most television series these days seem allergic to,” writes Hertz. “There is no hidden darkness, no trauma needing to be unearthed. Every tightly edited episode simply provides a great opportunity to hang with characters who you love, even – or perhaps especially – when they get themselves into all manner of forehead-slapping predicaments. In other words, this ain’t The Bear – it’s just funny for funny’s sake.”

At Original Cin, Jim Slotek tunes into the return of King of the Hill: “The soulfulness is still there, now seasoned by the years. And like before, you must stick with it for a while before you realize you’re watching fictionalized people who can be achingly real,” says Slotek. “There has ache off-screen as well, with multiple deaths of voice actors. Brittany Murphy and rocker Tom Petty voiced my favourite couple, Luanne and Lucky, and both sadly passed. The couple is missing in action here.”