TIFF 22: 17 TIFF Films We’ve Added to Our Must-Watch List

The 47th Toronto International Film Festival begins today, and we couldn’t be more stoked for its eclectic lineup of films. After going virtual, TIFF, like other festivals such as Cannes and Venice, is back in person this year. The Black Cape has been eying the programming and making notes of our most-anticipated films. We love watching the journey some of these films will make after their festival run, that for some, may end with an Academy Award. It’s no surprise that our watchlist includes The Whale starring Brendan Fraser, The Good Nurse starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, and Raymond & Ray starring Ethan Hawke and Ewen McGregor. With so many films and so little time, here’s a quick list of a few movies we’re most excited to see at TIFF.

Riceboy Sleeps

After losing her husband, South Korean mother So-young (Choi Seung-yoon) relocates to Canada in the 90s with her son Dong-hyun (Dohyun Noel Hwang as a child, Ethan Hwang as a teenager) in tow. Directed by Anthony Shim, Riceboy Sleeps centers around their life in a new country and the rift growing between them due to the weight of loneliness, frustration, and grief.

The Woman King

The Woman King follows the story of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of the Agojie, an all-female group of skillful warriors who protect the Dahomey Kingdom in 19th century Africa. When European settlers invade their lands threatening their way of life, Nanisca and the Agojie must ready themselves to defend their home and their freedom.

Pearl

Mia Goth returns to give us an origin story in the prequel to the slasher events of Ti West’s horror, X. Set in 1918, Goth stars as Pearl, a farm girl with a short fuse and deadly ambition.

On the Come Up

Sanaa Lathan’s debut feature is an empowering story based on the Angie Thomas novel. Bri (Jamila C. Gray) is a high-school student looking to follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming the next hip-hop legend. After a run-in with security, Supreme (Method Man) offers to guide Bri down a path that leads to fame and fortune. Bri has to decide if she wants to take that road or carve out her own path.

The Good Nurse

Academy award winners Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain star in this true crime drama directed by Academy-nominated Tobias Lindholm. Amy (Chastain) is a graveyard ICU nurse struggling to support her family and take care of herself. Things become a little easier when Charlie (Redmayne) joins the late-night crew. After a few mysterious patient deaths, an investigation is begun that points to Charlie, and Amy is enlisted to help which risks her own safety. Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Charles Graeber, and adapted for the screen by Krysty Wilson-Carnes (Last Night in Soho), the film makes its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before heading to Netflix later this fall.

Prisoner’s Daughter

Max (Brian Cox), a terminally ill inmate, is granted a compassionate release after 12 years in prison and must move in with his estranged daughter Maxine (Kate Beckinsale) and her son Ezra (Christopher Convery). In this emotional film from director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight), Max struggles between trying to make amends and the reality that it may be too late.

The Whale

Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), the psychological drama stars Brendan Fraser in his comeback role as a 600-pound (272kg) middle-aged man who attempts to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter, played by Stranger Things fame Sadie Sink. Screenwritten by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale is an adaptation of Hunter’s own 2012 play of the same name. The film has been produced and backed by A24. Just this year, the studio has so far been the name behind titles including Kogonada’s sci-fi drama After Yang, directorial duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s multiverse madness movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, and more recently, Dutch actor-director Halina Reijn’s English language directorial debut Bodies Bodies Bodies.

Raymond & Ray

Written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, Ewen McGregor and Ethan Hawke come together in this story about distant half-brothers who reunite after their father’s death. Raymond (McGregor) was recently dumped by his wife and Ray is a musician and former addict. Despite their own individual issues, the brothers are forced to address the resentments from the past and come together to fulfill their father’s final request and finally move on.

Susie Searches

Susie (Kiersey Clemons) is a college student with a lot on her plate — taking care of her mother, holding down a part-time job, going to classes, and running a mystery-solving podcast that hardly anyone pays attention to. When a podcast rival and classmate goes missing, Susie seizes the opportunity to increase her popularity by attempting to solve the case. Expanded from her 2020 short of the same name, this feature debut from director Sophie Kargman also stars Jim Gaffigan, Ken Merino, Rachel Sennott, and Alex Wolff.

Decision to Leave

South Korean film and television director Park Chan-Wook, known for his brutal 2003 thriller Oldboy, and his American feature film debut Stoker starring Nicole Kidman, returns to direct a romantic mystery film about a detective falling for the prime suspect of his murder investigation. Starring Memories of Murder’s Park Hei-Il and Lust, Caution fame Tang Wei, the film premiered at the Cannes film festival earlier this year, followed by a public release across South Korean cinemas.

The Inspection

Writer-director Elegance Bratton uses his own life as the base for this gripping story about a young Black man struggling with his sexuality and sense of belonging. Inez French (Gabrielle Union) throws her 16-year-old son Ellis (Jeremy Pope) out of the house for being gay. To escape homelessness, he enlists in the Marines. With homophobia running deep in the service, he struggles to keep his sexuality a secret, especially from his unit commander (Bokeem Woodbine).

V/H/S/99

In this found footage thriller, a thirsty teenager’s home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations. This is Shudder’s fifth entry into the horror anthology series and promises to offer a nostalgic and bloody trip down the analog era.

Sweet As

During a youth therapy trip in Western Australia, 15-year-old Murra finds an escape and inspiration through her love of photography. The coming-of-age story is a directorial debut from Jub Clerc and is said to offer an uplifting and refreshing twist on the genre.

What’s Love Got To Do With It

Lily James, Shazad Latif, and Academy Award winner Emma Thompson star in this film from director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) that honors culture and friendship. Best friends Zoe (James) and Kazim (Latif) grew up next door to each other but were raised very differently. Zoe was raised to be independent by her mother Cath (Thompson), while Kazim was raised according to his family’s Muslim faith. After watching his parents’ response to his sister marrying a white man, Kazim decides on an arranged marriage. Determined to understand, Zoe, a filmmaker, chronicles every step of her friend’s journey toward matrimony.

Saint Omer

Rama (Kayije Kagame) is a young novelist working on a retelling of the ancient Medea myth, a Greek tragedy written by Euripides. She attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of infanticide. Pregnant herself, Rama must address her own history and traumas as she learns more about the life of the accused woman. Written and directed by documentarian Alice Diop, this film takes a deep look at the violence forced on Black Women in French society.

The Wonder

Set in 1862 in the Irish Midlands, 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy) has reportedly not eaten for four months. Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is brought in to observe the young girl. As word continues to spread about Anna, travelers and pilgrims descend on the small village which worries the town council. As Lib investigates, she is met with opposition that further motivates her to do whatever she can for the young girl. Adapted from the novel by Emma Donoghue (The Room), The Wonder is directed by critically acclaimed Chilean director Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman) whose films feature tales of formidable women.

Triangle of Sadness

Teasing a satirical edge similar to his previous film The Square, Ruben Ostlund’s newest film—this time fully in the English language—is about a luxury yacht with a wild bunch of characters finding itself in troubled waters, both literally and metaphorically. Boasting an eclectic cast from across the world, the film includes Beach Rats breakout star Harris Dickinson, Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s Woody Harrelson, and South African actress Charlbi Dean, who was last seen in the CW superhero series Black Lightning. This film marks Dean’s final film role before her untimely passing earlier this year.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept 8 through Sept 18. View their complete lineup here.