After a 2023 Toronto International Film Festival that was impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike, TIFF returned in full force this year, with an incredible lineup of world premieres, special presentations, midnight madness screenings, and more. This year saw the premieres of new films from Ron Howard, David Gordon Green, Mike Flanagan, John Crowley, Mike Leigh, Marielle Heller, and more, as well as special presentations of some of the most buzzed-about films coming out this year, like Anora, The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, The End, Megalopolis, The Piano Lesson, Queer, and Saturday Night Live. Simply put, September 5-15 of this year was a great time to be a film fan.
This year’s TIFF featured 278 films, which is just a lot of damn films. To help comb through the hundreds of films, we’ve put together a list of our ten favorite films we saw at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, from the People’s Choice Award winner to great international films and future classics that somehow still don’t have distribution. Here are our ten favorite films we saw at this year’s TIFF.
‘The Assessment’
Having its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, The Assessment is a sci-fi thriller in which couples have to pass an assessment before they can have a child in a world that has been wrecked by climate change. In Fleur Fortuné‘s directorial debut, Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel play the couple in question, with Alicia Vikander playing their assessor. At times, The Assessment almost sounds like a horror story, with Vikander’s Virginia asking the couple awkward questions about their lives and sex, and working them through simulations to test different scenarios they might have to undergo if they do get to have children. In her 9/10 review, Isabella Soares said that The Assessment will “get into your nerves, instigate reflections, and leave you at the edge til its final frame.” While Amazon has purchased international rights for The Assessment (excluding Germany), no word yet on who will be handling the U.S. release.
‘The Brutalist’
Brady Corbet‘s 215-minute epic isn’t as unwieldy as it might seem, a powerful story of László Tóth (played by Adrien Brody at his all-time best), an acclaimed architect who comes to America after the Holocaust to find a new start. Corbet handles The Brutalist both like a classic big-screen drama, but with touches that scream of modernity in the best way possible. Every scene feels grand, and simply watching Tóth in his element is a joy to behold. It’s also a great showcase for its incredible cast, led by Brody, but also featuring staggering performances by Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones. In his 8/10 review, Ross Bonaime said “It’s a movie that warrants this level of scope and grandiosity, an ambitious, towering achievement of a film.” A24 has purchased the U.S. distribution rights for The Brutalist for a planned 2024 release.
‘Conclave’
Edward Berger‘s Conclave, his follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front, might seem smaller in scope than his previous film, yet the twisty plot, incredible performances, and a script that is deciding the future of the Catholic church feels just as grand as Berger’s war epic. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who leads the search for the new pope. Yet conspiracies within the church and questionable decisions by those in power make this a far greater challenge than Lawrence ever expected. In his 9/10 review of Conclave, Jason Gorber said “Berger’s latest is a blast of brilliance, with a supremely compelling story driven by some astonishing performances.” Beyond Fiennes, this tremendous cast also includes Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Conclave will be released in the U.S. on October 25.
‘Friendship’
Friendship, the absurd comedy starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and the laughter never stopped throughout the entire screening. Friendship feels right in line with I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, a strange story about Craig Waterman (Robinson), a suburban father and husband, who makes friends with his new neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Rudd), a charismatic weatherman for the local news. As one would expect, when the friendship goes sour, Robinson’s Craig does not take it well and hilarious antics ensue. In his 9/10 review of Friendship, Ross Bonaime said “From Robinson’s way of exploring each scene to DeYoung’s bonkers screenplay that knows how to play to its actor’s strengths, Friendship feels ready to become the next great cult comedy hit.” While A24 purchased the film after the festival, there’s no word yet on when Friendship will be getting a release.
‘Hard Truths’
The latest film from Secrets and Lies, Naked, and Another Year writer-director Mike Leigh also had its world premiere at this year’s TIFF, an incredible showcase for its lead actress, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, reuniting with Leigh for the first time in 28 years. Jean-Baptiste stars as Pansy, a woman filled with anger who will jump down anyone’s throat at a moment’s notice. Her husband (David Webber) and son (Tuwaine Barrett) have given up trying to change her furious ways, but Pansy’s sister Chantal (Michele Austin), a much happier person than her sister, tries to dig a bit deeper into the source of this rage and get to the bottom of why she’s like this. In his 8/10 review, Ross Bonaime said “Hard Truths is a remarkable presentation of Leigh’s work as a filmmaker and shows that even in his 80s, he’s one of the most vibrant and exciting writer-directors we have.” Hard Truths will have a limited run in New York on December 6, followed by a wide release on January 10, 2025.
‘The Last Showgirl’
Also having its world premiere at this year’s TIFF is The Last Showgirl, the latest film from Palo Alto and Mainstream director Gia Coppola. Pamela Anderson gives a captivating performance as Shelley, a Las Vegas showgirl who has to figure out what her future holds when her current show announces its closing in two weeks. Anderson has been an icon for decades, but Coppola’s film is an opportunity for Anderson to truly show her talents as an actor, leaving TIFF audiences impressed, alongside an all-star cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd. In her 8/10 review of The Last Showgirl, Shaina Weatherhead stated, ” With stunning performances, perfect needle drops, and thoughtful, loving direction, The Last Showgirl is a stylish, emotional, and visually striking work, and a worthy exploration of its impossible protagonist.” Unfortunately, no word yet on who will be picking up The Last Showgirl or when it will be released.
‘The Life of Chuck’
This year’s winner of TIFF’s People’s Choice Award, Mike Flanagan‘s The Life of Chuck had a rapturous world premiere at this year’s festival. Written and directed by Flanagan and based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King, The Life of Chuck is told in three acts as well as in reverse, exploring, as the name implies, the life of Charles Krantz (played by Tom Hiddleston, Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan, and Jacob Tremblay). The Life of Chuck is a beautiful surprise from Flanagan, who has mostly worked in horror up to this point, and having won the People’s Choice Award, this seems like a new competitor at the Oscars, considering every winner of this award since 2012 has gone on to receive a Best Picture nomination at least. In his 9/10 review of The Life of Chuck, Jason Gorber said, “The Life of Chuck is a modern fable told with the deftness of a fairy tale, with the sheer exuberance of a musical while exuding the same sense of wonder one gets staring up at the heavens.” There has also been no word yet on who will pick up The Life of Chuck or when it will be released.
‘We Live in Time’
Another one of the biggest world premieres at this year’s TIFF came in We Live in Time, the latest film from Brooklyn and The Goldfinch director John Crawley, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. We Live in Time follows Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield), a couple that we follow through three different periods of their time together: the early days of their relationship, their attempts to get pregnant, and Almut’s cancer diagnosis. Writer Nick Payne‘s screenplay helps balance all of these moments to show the beauty of the life these two share, led by two wonderful lead performances that show the deep love and friendship that connects these two together. In Ross Bonaime’s 8/10 review of the film said, “We Live in Time becomes one of the best movie romances in years, and proves that few filmmakers can present the power of love quite like Crowley can.” A24 will release We Live in Time in the U.S. on October 11.
‘When the Light Breaks’
Rúnar Rúnarsson‘s fourth feature, When The Light Breaks, follows Una (Elín Hall), a young student in Iceland, who has to come face-to-face with tragedy after losing the one she loves, and dealing with interactions that bring up all sorts of emotions in these 24 hours after this massive loss. Rúnarsson hits on powerful emotions, and in her 9/10 review of the film, Anna Miller said, “When the Light Breaks recognizes there is somewhat of a delicate yet feral nature that humans exude while in the throes of anguish,” complete with magnificent performances, heart, and deep passion. When the Light Breaks will be released in France on December 18, but no word yet on U.S. distribution.
‘The Wild Robot’
Director Chris Sanders has co-directed plenty of animation classics, from Lilo & Stitch to How to Train Your Dragon, and his latest film for DreamWorks Animation, The Wild Robot, seems destined to be another classic in his filmography. The Wild Robot stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, an intelligent robot who becomes stranded on an island and starts to bond with the area’s animal wildlife, voiced by Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Catharine O’Hara, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and others. In her 9/10 review, Shaina Weatherhead said that The Wild Robot has “some of the most gorgeous frames of animation you’ve likely ever seen, and is a jaw-dropping and tear-jerking endeavor that immediately cements itself as one of the director’s very best, and possibly one of the best films of the year.” The Wild Robot opens in the U.S. on September 27.
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