Well, if I was hoping to provide updates on events and happenings in Toronto, now that I'm here and not in Washington, D.C., I guess I haven't started out very well. It's a good idea, though - from a newcomer's point of view: Toronto.
To start, I arrived in Toronto for the third and last time (still without a semi-permanent residence or mailing address) just days before TIFF began. Lots of hype and celebrities and celebrity-watching... fortunately or unfortunately, I missed the crowds, the red carpet and the celebrities. I guess settling into school and a new city kept me busy enough. Not to mention the spiders.
To get back to the point, I did actually participate in TIFF, though not as fully as I might have hoped (I haven't decided yet, but I think next year if I can I'll be more involved). I went to see one of the shows. Meek's Cutoff was the movie I saw, by director Kelly Reichardt. It was the first I'd ever seen of her work, which is, according to a review I read, very emotionally involved.
Indeed, the plot focused mainly on the characters and the character interactions. Not a critical moviegoer (I like the ones with cars that blow up or have hoop skirts and cravats), I found the pace a little slow to be comfortable. It fit, it was good, but I definitely noticed the time passing.
The ending, well, I liked it. I thought it was fitting. And probably my favorite out of all the alternative endings I've imagined since the end of the film.
The audience was curiously involved - perhaps that's a festival thing? There was a live introduction by a TIFF employee/volunteer, who announced that sadly Kelly was unavailable - she'd had enough of the whirlwind tour of Venice and then Toronto. So no Q&A at the end of the film.
I didn't see a gala or premier event, and I didn't get to participate in a Q&A with the director, so I'm left with the feeling that instead of dipping my toes in the festival experience for an acceptable $20 purchase, I'd merely been to see an outrageously expensive, good film.
There's always next year.
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