TIFF is almost here, and the festival’s Primetime lineup is looking better than ever. Because yes, TIFF is mostly about movies, but every year the festival provides an early look at some intriguing new shows and this year it’s no exception. And there’s a lot of range in the selection, too! Historical (both period and contemporary), non-English language, horror, mystery and even a little tragedy.
So, what are we most looking forward to? We looked at the entire lineup and picked the shows we’re most excited about. Here’s what they are, the synopsis (or trailer, if one is available), and why we’re looking forward to watching.
Alice
Synopsis: La Belle Époque: a time of prosperity and tantalizing innovation. As Paris flourishes with cultural and scientific advancements, some traditions remain frustratingly unchanged. The expectations placed on women, for example, are maddeningly decorous for Alice (Bérénice Bejo, The Artist, TIFF ’11), who dreams of a life beyond the domestic. When she secures a position working in the office of Léon Gaumont (Thibaut Evrard, TIFF ’17’s Submergence), the aperture of her life widens irrevocably.
Why We’re Excited: A show following the real-life story of Alice Guy-Blaché, widely recognized as the world’s first woman director? Sign us up. Bérénice Bejo in the lead role? Say no more! This is the perfect TV show for a film festival, one that will hopefully allow for a more nuanced conversation of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go in the fight for equality. Also, Heated Rivalry fans, keep an eye out for François Arnaud.
Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically
Synopsis: Young flight attendant Nando (Johnny Massaro, The Son of a Thousand Men) leads a glamorous, carefree life, revelling both in Brazil’s neon-lit 1980s club scene and a passionate affair with a closeted football star. Everything changes, though, when Nando begins experiencing strange and frightening symptoms, and is diagnosed with HIV.
At first, Nando tries to ignore the looming danger of his disease, which carries great stigma. But when a beloved performer and friend is struck down in her prime, she makes a dying request to her adopted son Raul (Ícaro Silva): tell people what happened to me, and speak its name. Raul and Nando are galvanized. Nando soon realizes that, with the help of his colleague and best friend Lea (Bruna Linzmeyer), he can access AZT — a new, life-saving drug — during his frequent trips to the US, smuggling it back into Brazil where it is hard to access, thus helping the wider community, possibly saving lives.
Why We’re Excited: So many queer stories are stories about pain instead of stories about hope. Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically positions itself as something different, even from the recent lighter queer stories we’ve gotten. And sure, this is bound to get dark at times, and perhaps even depressing. But it’s also a reminder of the strenght and the power of queer community.
Blindspot Berlin
Synopsis: Roughly one week before Christmas in 2016, a truck was driven into the popular holiday market at Breitscheidplatz — a major public square, crowded with revellers and holiday shoppers. A dozen people were killed, and many more injured, in what became the deadliest terror attack in Germany in decades. The attacker was a 24-year-old man, not only known to police but who had been under surveillance for nearly 18 months before the attack. In the days and weeks after the tragedy, the shock of the devastation gave way to one major question — how could this have happened?
Why We’re Excited: Stories that deconstruct real life tragedies are often very interesting, not because we want to relive what happened, but because there’s no often no other way to understand. And it’s not just about undertanding the facts, but what’s behind them. That’s, after all, the only way to prevent tragedies from happening again. Those who do not remember the past, and all that.
American Hostage
Synopsis: In Indianapolis in 1977, local radio reporter Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm, Mad Men) enjoys widespread trust from his listening public and respect from his colleagues. He’s even caught the interest of some New York media bigwigs; their job offer is weighing on his mind, spurring him to repeatedly discuss the pros and cons with his wife (Mireille Enos, TIFF ’18’s The Lie). But Heckman’s personal quandaries are suddenly sidelined when the station hears word of a developing story unfolding downtown.
Tony Kiritsis (Giovanni Ribisi, TIFF ’18’s A Million Little Pieces) is a desperate man with a desperate plan: he’s decided that his only available course of action, after being denied an extension on his mortgage payment plan, is to take his broker hostage. Kiritsis begins a stand-off with local police, and one of his earliest demands is a phone call with the most reliable newsman in town: Fred Heckman. The station’s staff and regulators are faced with a series of impossible and novel decisions — can the station ethically air a live interview with a kidnapper? What does the reporter’s duty to the public require him to divulge? Will they be fined into oblivion for airing Kiritsis’ inventive stream of curse words?
Why We’re Excited: Another show based on a true story, this is not just about what happened, but about the ethical implications of the journalistic side of it. Doctors vow to first do no harm, but what’s the line for a journalist? And how does the desire to get a good story out of what is undoubtedly a tragedy play into how the events unfold? In a time where honest journalism is so important, this seems like required viewing.
Crystal Lake
Synopsis: Pam is a devoted single mom: she works hard at her job in the camp’s kitchen, glad to be able to stay close to Jason but wary of the other kids’ cruelties. When negligent counsellors leave the kids unsupervised in the lake, tragedy strikes: Jason disappears in the water, surely having drowned. As time goes by and the town moves on, Pam struggles to cope; she’s encouraged to rejoin the community by one of her few friends, local chief of police Levon Brooks (William Catlett, A Thousand and One). But when shadowy figures from Pam’s past come knocking at her door, her paranoia doesn’t seem so far-fetched. Pushed to the brink of grief, how far will Pam go to protect herself and avenge her son?
Why We’re Excited: If you’re a fan of horror, this one’s a must. A prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise, Crystal Lake focuses on the events leading up to the 1980 movie. But, fair warning, this is probably going to be a hard watch. And not just because of the horror. Remember, Linda Cardellini plays Pamela Voorhees as she deals with her grief and descent into madness following the drowning of her son, Jason.
Yaga
Synopsis: Carson (Clark Backo, The Changeling) is a local detective, at once weary and protective of the small coastal town she serves and its inhabitants. After the disappearance of commercial fishery heir and local party boy Henry Park (Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry), Carson begrudgingly partners up with Rapp (Noah Reid, Cardinals, TIFF ’17), a private investigator hired by the Park family. Rapp arrives on the scene with a bemused swagger and a personal connection to the case that immediately raises Carson’s hackles. When their initial lines of questioning lead them to an enigmatic and seductive university professor (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix franchise), it becomes clear that it’s going to require all hands on deck to uncover the truth hidden underneath these shrouds of secrecy.
Why We’re Excited: We know the legend of Baba Yaga. But this is a different side of the legend than what we’ve seen before. And not just because Carrie-Anne Moss, though… who wouldn’t follow her anywhere and everywhere? We still hope the good guys win, but… we’ll have fun in the meantime. If you’re into weird horror/mystery vibes, this is the show for you. And if you’re here to see a very different side of Hudson Williams, then you’re also in for a treat.
