The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will return September 8-18 for its 46th year. Known as one of the largest film festivals in the world, the event will open with Sally El Hosaini’sThe Swimmers, a drama flick about the real-life story of Yusra Mardini. Upon fleeing Syria, the teenage Olympian refugee (along with her sister and a few other onboard swimmers) drag a small boat of refugees across the Aegean Sea after its motor stops working. The movie stars sisters Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa as Yusra and Sarah Mardini, along withArmy of Thieves’ Matthias Schweighöfer.
TIFF will close with Mary Harron’sDalíland, which sees Ezra Miller (who has been insomehot waterlately) and Ben Kinglsey sharing the portrayal of surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, as the movie follows the artist and his wife-slash-muse, Gala Lear, in their later years. Andreja Pejić will portray Gala, with actors Rupert Graves (Sherlock) and Suki Waterhouse in supporting roles.
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Between these two movies, roughly 200 feature films will screen, including world premieres, new releases, and some solid throwbacks—likeThe Mummyand a 30th-anniversary screening ofA League of Their Own, which are both part of TIFF’s Festival Street program. Here are five must-see movies to catch at the film festival. Our list includes two highly-anticipated titles, an “intimate drama” led by Brendan Fraser, a directorial debut starring a buzzworthy actor, and a fan-favorite book adaptation seeking distribution (also a feature directorial debut).
Highly Anticipated:Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Detective Benoit Blanc is back—and this time, with a new mystery! Thesequel to the acclaimed whodunit,Knives Out,will make its world premiere at TIFF on September 10 with additional screenings playing throughout the 17th. The highly-anticipated movie welcomes to return of director Rian Johnson and actor Daniel Craig, along with an all-star cast consisting of Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Ethan Hawke, and more.
In a significant change of tone from the previous film, this new adventure finds our intrepid detective on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many mysteries. As in all the best whodunits, the characters inGlass Onionall hide their own secrets, motivated by those most human and elemental of sins: greed, lust, envy, and pride — but which of these is the deadliest?
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is set to be released December 23 on Netflix and in select theaters.
Fan-Favorite:Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s coming-of-age queer novel,Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, was released in 2012 to worldwide acclaim, garnering a passionate fanbase across social media and book platforms like GoodReads, where it has a 4.43 out of 5 stars with 466,750 ratings. Over the last decade, the universe has continued to grow, first with its 2021 sequel,Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World,and now, the release of the movie adaptation by Aitch Alberto, a Miami filmmaker making her feature directorial debut.
With many similarities to the 2012book-to-movie adaptation,Perks of Being A Wallflower, this movie has high cult potential—however, it is still seeking distribution. Alberto (who has likely been hounded with endless questions from fans) shared on Twitter, “to answer this question and give you a little insight on indie filmmaking. #arianddantemovie is an indie film, usually most indie films don’t immediately have a distributor. like ours, so we’re going to TIFF with the hope that we’ll sell the movie to a distributor…” sparking a revolution of fans tagging their favorite distributors—including A24, HBO Max, Netflix, and more—in the comments and quotes.Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universewill have its world premiere at TIFF September 9 and will screen in person until the 15th, in addition to a limited run on the TIFF digital platform.
There’s Ari, whose crushing social anxiety is only slightly more of a challenge than the burden of family secrets surrounding the absence of his volatile older brother. And there’s Dante, a confident free spirit Ari meets at the local public pool. The pair find themselves in each other, with all the beauty and grace of teenage discovery while never losing sight of the fact that they’re growing up in Reagan-era Texas, where queerness of any sort is repressed at best.
Highly Anticipated:The Woman King
Another big title! This historical drama is inspired by true events and tells the story of a 19th century all-female group of warriors, the Agojie (who were the inspiration for the Dora Milaje from Marvel Studios’Black Panther), tasked with protecting their kingdom from evil. The Viola Davis-led movie will have its world premiere at the festival on September 9 and is set to screen through September 15, being released in theaters on September 16.
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The year is 1823. Orphaned at birth and raised by an abusive guardian who seeks only to marry her off for money, young Nawi petitions for entry into the Agojie, led by the single-minded Nanisca. To defend their people against the oppressive and heavily armed Oyo Empire, the Agojie run candidates through an arduous training program. Nawi proves herself an outstanding, ferocious soldier, though she questions the Agojie rules, which state that no one in their ranks shall marry or have children.
Brendan Fraser Alert:The Whale
Brendan Fraser is the man of the hour! The actor—known for his roles inThe Mummytrilogy,Blast from the Past, and DC’sDoom Patrol—will receive the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance at the 2022 TIFF Tribute Awards (one of two acting awards handed out at the September 11 gala fundraiser) forhis performance inThe Whale. Past winners include Jessica Chastain, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Joaquin Phoenix.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) and based on the 2012 play by Samuel D. Hunter (who also adapted the screenplay), the movie tells the story of an English teacher living with obesity and his attempt to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (played byStranger Things’ Sadie Sink). The movie will screen September 11-12 at TIFF, following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4.
Writing instructor Charlie never seems to have his webcam enabled while teaching online. He makes excuses and is so good-natured that no one makes a fuss, but the real reason for his invisibility is his appearance. Charlie weighs 600 pounds. His obesity starts to pose a grave threat to his health and his friend Liz, a nurse, begs him to check into a hospital, but also recognizes that it might be more important to simply offer support. Charlie’s current status quo is upended by the return of his long-estranged adolescent daughter, Ellie, though her willingness to resume a relationship seems prompted as much by Charlie’s offers to ghostwrite her school essays as it is by her sense of familial loyalty.
Feature Directorial Debut:Causeway
Theatre and television director Lila Neugebauer (The Sex Lives of College Girls,Maid) makes her feature directorial debut with this psychological drama, which stars Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (who is also a producer) and Brian Tyree Henry.Causewayfollows a soldier, Lindsay, after she is hit with an explosive in Afghanistan and sent home to recover. She meets a mechanic named James and the two bond over their similar trauma.
While Apple TV+ has acquired distribution rights, a release date has not been announced. The movie will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 10 and will stream throughout the 15th. (Hopefully it hits the emotional notes that the Chris Pratt-led Amazon Prime military showThe Terminal Listlacked.)
Lindsay was working for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan when her vehicle hit an explosive, injuring her body and brain. Following an arduous rehabilitation period, Lindsay returns home to New Orleans, where she lives with her well-meaning but neglectful mother and takes a job cleaning pools while she waits for her doctor to approve her petition to redeploy.
TheToronto International Film Festivalruns September 8-18.
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