One of the most exciting film festivals in Canada, the Toronto International Film Festival, AKA TIFF, is right around the corner and will kick off on September 8. With a number of movies from around the world set to premiere, from dramas to comedies to short films, there’s no shortage of films generating buzz thanks to their all-star casts or their plots.
From Harry Styles’ lead role in My Policeman, to Canadian director Chandler Levack’s TIFF debut, I Like Movies, there’s a stacked lineup of movies you need to watch at this year’s festival. Before you try to score tickets, these are the movies you can’t miss at TIFF 2022.
Note: plot synopses ahead.
‘My Policeman’
Harry Styles and Emma Corrin star in this queer love story about — you guessed it — a police officer. Styles stars as Tom, the cop who falls in love with another man, a museum curator named Patrick (played by David Dawson), in the 1950s at a time when they faced persecution for being together. Styles’ character ends up marrying Corrin’s Marion, but that isn’t where his love story with Patrick ends.
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‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’
Janelle Monae, Madelyn Cline, Daniel Craig and Kate Hudson are only a few of the famous faces starring in the hyped-up sequel to the first Knives Out film. This time around, Craig’s Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to figure out who is behind the latest whodunit. There isn’t a trailer out yet, but if it’s as twisty as the first film then it’s sure to be another hit.
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‘I Like Movies’
Toronto director Chandler Levack makes her debut with I Like Movies, a funny coming-of-age film littered with references to Canadian cinema. The plot focuses on teenager Lawrence, who is obsessed with movies and wants to study at NYU. But as he crafts his student short film and works part-time at the local movie rental store (this movie is set in the 2000s), he clashes with his mom and his best friend.
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‘The Woman King’
Viola Davis stars in this buzzed-about film based on the true story of the Agojie, an all-female military regiment in the 1800s. The warriors, led by Davis’ character Nanisca, are in charge of protecting the Kingdom of Dahomey from other kingdoms and colonizers. The plot follows up-and-coming actress Thuso Mbedu as Nawi, who joins the warriors and trains to fight.
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‘Triangle of Sadness’
Fans of The White Lotus will be keen to see this film that centres on rich, spoiled people behaving badly. Starring Woody Harrelson, Where the Crawdads Sing‘s Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean, who recently passed away, the satirical movie pokes fun at the cruise ship industry and some of the dark sides of living a lavish lifestyle. The film already won the prestigious Palme d’Or, meaning it’s a lock for audiences to love it — and it might just go on to nab an Oscar next year.
