March 20, 2026

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

In Release this Week!

André Is an Idiot (dir. Tony Benna)

“The vibe is more grin than grim in André Is an Idiot, but the Reaper remains a looming presence over André Ricciardi and his medical prognosis,” says Peter Howell at the Toronto Star. “Ricciardi’s a guy who told routine colonoscopies to, well, kiss his ass, and whoops, here we are! Cue the title of this compassionately irreverent documentary from Tony Benna, who helps Ricciardi greet woe by laughing at death. The film, wry as it is, doubles as a cheeky public service announcement aimed at those who neglect to pay attention to love and their biological needs.”

“It’s a joy that audiences throughout the world will be able to share in André’s story. People talk all the time about the courage of the terminally ill, or put their struggles in militaristic terms like ‘battling’ or ‘fighting’ against these cells that are killing them from within,” writes Jason Gorber at POV Magazine. “Yet Ricciardi’s battle, while certainly one that involves wretched chemicals and other medical treatments, is equally one where his voice is kept going, with all his sense of humour and silliness intact.”

How Deep Is Your Love? (dir. Eleanor Mortimer)

“Whatever its political resonances, How Deep Is Your Love (the Bee Gees hit is never heard here) is one spectacular visual extravaganza. Some of the sea animals look more like monsters than anything resembling mollusks or fish. Others are delicate creatures in splendidly vibrant colours,” says Susan G. Cole at POV Magazine. “The only cavil I have with this excellent doc is the narration by director and cinematographer Eleanor Mortimer. The content is excellent but her tone, while a bracing contrast the sound of a plummy male voice, is quiet, almost breathless. It’s sometimes hard to hear, which makes it sound like Mortimer isn’t fully committed to the words.”

Miroirs No. 3 (dir. Christian Petzold)

“The film works for its somewhat brilliant creation of mood and psychology,” writes Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “At the ⅔ mark of the film, the film poses the question [if] hotel Laura’s replacement of the deceased Yelena is helping the family or entrapping them in a web of despair.”

Monica’s News (dir. Pamela Gallant)

“As Casey, child actor Polly Gallant-McLean is completely believable as a ‘70s kid, all deference in the company of adults but otherwise free-spirited and still very much a child at age nine — the ‘pre-teen’ era being not yet upon us. Her impressive performance anchors the storytelling,” writes Liz Braun at Original Cin. “Monica’s News is an affecting drama that meticulously recreates the era. It will not be lost on women viewers that due to social pressure, Casey eventually has to give up her paper route.”

The Plastic Detox (dir. Josh Murphy and Louie Psihoyos)

“The doc achieves several educational objectives that include the fact that plastics may be silently affecting human health and fertility, and avoiding them completely is nearly impossible,” says Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “As the couples demonstrate, small lifestyle changes can reduce exposure.”

Project Hail Mary (dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)

“[A]ll hail Ryan Gosling, who manages some deeply felt moments while acting opposite a computer-generated creature that doesn’t even have a visible face,” declares Chris Knight at the National Post. “Rocky also gets some nice lines, performed by actor James Ortiz, after Ryland flirts with having the ship render his words in the voice of Meryl Streep. At one point Rocky says he has a mate whom he desperately wants to see again. ‘One hundred eighty-six years is not enough,’ the long-lived alien adds, and I dare you not to tear up at such a plaintive proclamation of love.”

“The Ryan Gosling-led Project Hail Mary does, in many ways, feel like a lowercase Interstellar: a fantastically good time at the movies, if not quite as insightful or far-reaching as that generational classic,” writes Jackson Weaver at CBC. “It’s a dreamlike exploration of our responsibility toward other humans and what exactly defines our own humanity, told via the story of a man struggling to reconcile his perceived personal failings with the wonder and value inherent to all life, given its rarity in the immense coldness of space.”

“While we can’t undersell the work Gosling does here carrying a large portion by himself or opposite his new CGI alien best friend in Rocky, this film really works as well as it does because of Academy Award Nominee Sandra Hüller,” says Dave Voigt at In the Seats. “As the head of the ground mission and the team trying to save the world, she channels some genuine moments of compassion with the realities of bearing the weight of the survival of the entirety of humanity resting on her shoulders. She’s fantastic in bearing the realities of the situation while we get lost in Gosling’s dreamy eyes.”

“Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a science teacher turned reluctant astronaut, wakes up alone on a spaceship with his memory blank and a dying sun that only he might be able to save,” says Peter Howell at the Toronto Star. “Screenwriter Drew Goddard, returning to novelist Andy Weir’s orbit after The Martian, spins this cosmic crisis comedy for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose wry touch keeps the doom buoyant. Vibes wise, it’s like Interstellar meets Fraggle Rock.”

“Visual effects and tech-heavy sci-fi movie about some yarn saving the universe that turns quite too sappy at the end. Would [you want Grace] Ryan Gosling (i.e.  his character) to save the universe?” asks Gilbert Seat at Afro Toronto. “Ryan Gosling and especially Sandra Hüller who gets to sing the Harry Styles ‘Sign of the Times’ impromptu (just as she sang ‘The Greatest Love of All’ in Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann) [and] save the day.”

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett)

“Despite the fact that the writers have upped the ante with two victims, Grace and Faith, providing some emotional drama in the story and the introduction of a total of 4 families instead of one, the first film had more tension, direction, and emotion,” says Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “More gore in the sequel does not necessarily translate to more horror comedy. Grace and Faith are constantly on the run.”

“It’s all well and fun but it’s also just recycling many of the beats from the first movie.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing but this also isn’t a story that kicks any kind of genuine innovation into high gear,” notes Dave Voigt at In the Seats. “It follows the ethos of ‘same but more’ as new players like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Kevin Durand, Dan Beirne, Nestor Carbonell, Elijah Wood and even David Cronenberg join in for the fun.  All of them have fun chewing the scenery and being villainous but it’s actually our heroines that makes these films entertaining as all hell.”

“Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return, splitting the film between two competing energies. On one side, there are the chamber pieces: interior sequences steeped in gothic tension, where conversations are edged with panic, threat and exposition. Indoors, the film shifts into chamber comedy, with characters watching events unfold on monitors and reacting in exaggerated bursts—an overexcitable Greek chorus narrating the carnage,” writes Thom Ernst at Original Cin. “On the other hand, the film periodically erupts into full-throttle chaos—action sequences that feel less staged than unleashed.”

The Things You Kill (dir. Alireza Khatami)

“A slow-burn revenge tale that feels half ghost story, half psychological inquest. Iranian Canadian filmmaker Alireza Khatami (Oblivion Verses, Terrestrial Verses) begins with an austere family saga of infertility, filial duty and a tyrant father,” notes Peter Howell at the Toronto Star. “Then he lets things mutate into something like Asghar Farhadi filtered through Brian De Palma. Doppelgangers emerge, errands turn fatal and the plot twists back on itself until morality feels like a trap. The film is chilly and didactic at times, but its discipline is hypnotic. When the final knock comes, it lands less as a twist than a verdict.”

“The Things You Kill is a challenging movie about the world men inhabit, about patriarchy, about intergenerational trauma and about all the exigencies of “masculinity.” Iranian-Canadian writer/director Alireza Khatami presents a family drama that has rich social and political underpinnings,” writes Liz Braun at Original Cin. “The film was Canada’s entry for the Oscars this year.”

“In the second half of the film, director Khatami dishes out a whole bunch of metaphors to be interpreted by the audience,” observes Gilbert Seah at Afro Toronto. “This is a very bold move that does not always work for as much as Khatami wishes to lift his film to a higher level; it is also quite confusing in parts.”

Whistle (dir. Christopher Nelius)

“Whistle delivers a textbook competition doc with its hugely entertaining observation of what it means to commit oneself to one’s passion,” writes Pat Mullen at POV Magazine. “The character-driven film leaves one completely bemused and enlightened. The passionate competitors illustrate how the whistle ranks among the most unsung instruments in music. It’s not merely a noise for training dog and sending sexist catcalls. They share how it takes technical mastery, respect for tradition, and a memorable stage presence to captivate an audience. Anyone who can’t master all three is just whistling Dixie. But this consistently delightful film shows how finding the right tune keeps each whistler grounded.”

File Under Miscellaneous: Robert Lantos Is RAD

At Zoomer, Brian D. Johnson profiles producer Robert Lantos and chronicles a distinct career in Canadian film. “Lantos mastered the art of extravagance – like not staying in Cannes but up the coast with the stars at the ultra-luxe Hôtel du Cap,” says Johnson. “But the conspicuous posture was also a means to an end, to a refined sphere of influence. While casting Hollywood stars in Canadian movies to get them financed, he remained an independent producer who was not of their world. And with Cronenberg and Egoyan at the top of his portfolio, one can hardly accuse him of not taking artistic risks.”

On In the Seats With…, Dave Voigt chats with actor Bill Allen and stunt man and BMX legend Eddie Fiola to mark the 40^th anniversary of RAD and its re-release in theatres.

At Afro Toronto, Gilbert Seah offers capsule reviews of films at the Canadian Film Festival.