by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

The Toronto International Film Festival opened this week. With hundreds of films premiering there were some exciting discoveries at this year’s festival. Here are a half dozen films that are screening in this year’s program.

Sisu (dir. Jalmari Helander)

Sisu is a fantastic, exceedingly violent and action-packed Finnish film set in 1944 as the Nazis are being driven out of Lapland. Aatami (Jorma Tommila) is an ex-Finnish soldier who has left the war behind. When he discovers gold, a group of Nazis, led by Bruno (Aksel Hennie), try to take it from him. However, Aatami—is “a mean motherfucker you do not want to fuck with.” Cue a series of bloody and creative deaths, such as one where a knife goes sideways through a man’s head. Aatami is pretty much immortal—check out the many scars on his weathered but fit body—but he does absorb some real punishment, taking some bullets, and enduring some palpable pain. However, he has “sisu,” a Finnish word for courage and determination when all hope is lost. Director Jalmari Helander sheds considerable blood, and keeps the action nimble—even during a nifty underwater sequence—as Aatami aims to defeat the Nazis and cash in his riches. Sisu may be over the top, but it is consistently entertaining and features a great punchline.

Charcoal (dir. Carolina Markowicz)

Writer/director Carolina Markowicz’s accomplished feature debut, Charcoal, offers a brilliant twist on the theme of a stranger entering a house and disrupting a family. Irene (Maeve Jinkings) is the long-suffering wife of the barely employed Jairo (Rômulo Braga), and mother of their defiant 9-year-old son, Jean (Jean de Almeida Costa). When a new nurse, Juracy (Aline Marta) comes to care for Irene’s ailing father (Benedito Alves), she tells Irene that his condition will only get worse. She quietly suggests that the poor family end the old man’s suffering and instead hide Miguel (César Bordón), an Argentine kingpin, who faked his own death. When Miguel moves in, he is miserable in his new unglamorous and temporary location—but everyone else’s life slightly improves despite the irritation of this stranger. But as this slow burning film unfolds, tensions mount with the fear of outsiders discovering the family’s secret. Adding to the heat is Miguel’s growing impatience to leave. When things combust, it prompts a satisfying finale. Featuring an excellent ensemble cast, Charcoal provides a wonderfully claustrophobic experience that also slyly comments on both inequity and the price of life.    

Stories Not to Be Told (dir. Cesc Gay)

Stories Not to Be Told is an anthology film by Spanish writer/director Cesc Gay featuring five stories in which characters keep secrets from friends and lovers. In “I Can’t Wait to See You,” Laura (Anna Castillo) hides Álex (Chino Darín) when her husband Raúl (Javier Rey) unexpectedly comes home early. Her strained efforts to distract Raúl—rather than tell him the truth—are meant to be funny, but better are Álex’s efforts to extricate himself from the awkward situation. The best entry may be “Sandra,” about the brokenhearted Luis (Alex Brendemühl), who meets Sandra (Eva Reyes) and flirts with her. When his encouraging friends, Carlos (Antonio de la Torre) and Ana (María León) learn something about Sandra, they debate whether to tell Luis. “On Tuesday and Thursday” is also very strong, as three friends, Carol (Alexandra Jiménez), Blanca (Maribel Verdú), and Ángela (Nora Navas) gossip, trade secrets, and tell lies when they all meet at an audition. As juicy as their conversations are, this episode ends abruptly, and feels unfinished, which mars it.

“You’ve Made Me Very Happy These Past Few Months” has Andrés (Jose Coronado) shifting gears about asking Bárbara (Alejandra Onieva) to move in with him when he overhears her private conversation. It’s a slight story that could have had more tension. Better is “Paris,” where Edu (Quim Gutiérrez) panics about what his girlfriend Sofía (Verónica Echegui) may or may not know about an affair he had. How the couple navigates this slippery terrain may not be new, but it is well played by both leads. Gay’s film is a mixed bag, but it works best when it shows why some things are better left unsaid. 

Maya and the Wave (dir. Stephanie Johnes)

Maya and the Wave is an inspirational sports documentary about Maya Gabeira, a surfer who dreams of being the best big wave surfer in the world. The footage of her riding massive swells is impressive, especially considering how Maya can—and does—outperform male surfers. But Maya also sees surfing as a boys’ club, and her efforts to get respect in the sport, and even from the World Surf League, are fraught. When Maya, a five-time world champion, wipes out at Nazaré, she receives backlash from members in the surfing community. Moreover, when she returns to Nazaré—after years of surgeries and rehabilitation, no less—hoping to set a world record, her efforts are not initially recognized. Maya and the Wave uses archival and observational footage to chronicle the highs and lows Gabeira has experienced, from her love of catching a wave to her losing her sponsorship with Red Bull to her fight for what should be a world record. Director Stephanie Johnes opens her documentary with a man watching a clip of Maya surfing, and saying, “Look at her!” Maya and the Wave shows precisely why she demands attention.

Autobiography (dir. Makbul Mubark)
Writer/director Makbul Mubarak’s stunning Autobiography opens masterfully with a sequence that introduces Rakib aka Kib (Kevin Ardilova) and Purna aka The General (Arswendy Bening Swara). It quietly sets the tone for this taut, atmospheric thriller that examines the shifting balance of power and fear between these two men. Kib serves The General dutifully, driving him, picking up his laundry, or clearing the dishes almost as if not to be noticed. The General sees Kib as a surrogate son, someone he can play chess with, or teach how to shoot. The General expects loyalty from Kib—especially after Kib helps The General, a mayoral candidate, punish Agus (Yusuf Mahardika) for defacing his campaign banners. Nothing escapes The General’s eye, but Kib soon wants to escape, which causes things to intensify between them. A scene of The General washing Kib, could be read as tender, but it is absolutely creepy. Likewise, Kib’s expression during a forced karaoke session speaks volumes—as does the cloud of smoke that hangs in the air in front of his face. Mubarak’s film is filled with such dynamic images and two hypnotic lead performances.   

My Sailor, My Love (dir. Klaus Härö)

The heart-melting Irish romance, My Sailor, My Love, depicts the late-in-life relationship that develops between Howard (James Cosmo), an ornery, retired sea captain, and Annie (Brid Brennan), a housekeeper his daughter Grace (Catherine Walker) hires to care for him. Grace explains to Annie that Howard, “needs to be in charge of his own ship,” and while he is initially rude to Annie, she performs an act of kindness that earns his respect. Annie brings laughter to Howard’s life, and he soon falls in love with her. Moreover, she enjoys his company as well and eventually moves in with him. However, Grace is concerned about her father’s health and aging, and bitter about his relationship with her—as well as his with Annie. As these three willful characters navigate their feelings, My Sailor, My Love provides some emotional moments thanks to the solid acting by the three leads. If director Klaus Härö’s gentle film is not as gripping as the tales Howard tells children about strangling a gorilla with his bare hands, it is still captivating.