By Tyler Banark

Toy Gun Bandit:

Rémi St-Michel’s latest film is a crime thriller that follows in the vein of the Safdie brothers. Félix Munger plays Félix, a teen who turns to crime after robbing a convenience store as a joke. His performance works and ultimately carries the movie. However, the Safdie influence shows too much in both St-Michel’s writing and directing. For that reason, Toy Gun Bandit almost feels like a bore despite having a promising story. If the movie and script had capitalized on this with a more resonant impact, Toy Gun Bandit could’ve been something truly special. Still, the movie was a fun enough time and made for a slow start to the fest for me.

🌟 🌟 🌟 stars

Being Heumann:

One of the most heavily advertised movies of TIFF this year, Being Heumann is a crowd-pleasing film about Judy Heumann leading the Disability Rights Movement in the 1970s. Sian Heder’s follow-up to her Best Picture winner CODA does the job of winning audiences, but it feels like a Wikipedia entry on a three-and-a-half-week nationwide protest Heumann led. However, it lacked genuine heart; it didn’t leave me as moved as I’d hoped. Furthermore, Heder and Rebekah Taussig’s script, along with actress Ruth Madeley, portrays Heumann more as a toxic girlboss than as a leader who knows how to balance getting her message across with keeping herself and her colleagues safe. At least Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien, and the rest of the cast make a more lasting impact.

🌟 🌟 🌟stars

In Alaska:

In Alaska follows a teen who finds himself on the run from the FBI after a failed suicide attempt. Like Toy Gun Bandit, there’s little superstar power, but Leo Matthew Temala’s lead performance helps keep the film’s momentum going, to an extent. The movie’s heart is in the right place, but the pacing is dragged, and it feels much longer than it actually is. Noomi Rapace is the biggest named actor attached and plays the lead FBI agent who follows Temala’s Woody. She doesn’t do much more than follow the same plot beats as a character who follows the same path in other works. Regardless, In Alaska has heart in its story but not much else going for it. 

🌟 🌟 1/2 stars

Clarissa:

Adapted from Virginia Woolf’s 1925 book Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa follows a woman reuniting with her old friend and former lover, set in modern-day Lagos, Nigeria. The movie features an elaborate, talented cast of big-name stars like Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, and Ayo Edebiri, along with lesser-known names like Toheeb Jimoh and India Amarteifio. Everyone here does a wonderful job bringing a strong story about letting go of past grievances. In particular, Okonedo and Amarteifio play the titular character at different points in her life and nail the mindset she has during those periods. Meanwhile, Edebiri and Jimoh do what they got in their respective parts but never fail to remind me why they’re as good as they are. Unfortunately, the ensemble is the strongest thing about Clarissa, as everything else feels either phoned in or doesn’t resonate much. Everyone gets the job done and makes Clarissa good enough for what it’s worth. 

🌟 🌟 🌟 1/2 stars

Faith:

Paul Andrew Williams’ drama film felt unsure whether it wanted to be a family drama with some romance elements or a depressing horror flick. Erin Doherty and James McAvoy lead the movie with strong performances, but the former is the MVP as she plays a struggling single mom raising her son and unsure whether to trust McAvoy’s Michael. The film has strong elements, including the score and religious themes. However, the film’s tone is so inconsistent that it overshadows everything else on display. If Faith stuck with one tone, it would’ve been a soulful, sentimental film that cuts right to the heart. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and Williams leaves us with a tonal mess going face-to-face with a dedicated performance from Doherty.

🌟 🌟 1/2 stars

Closing Night:

Over time, I have learned that Sarah Paulson is a very much respected actor, even if she can also seem a bit underappreciated. Closing Night showcases that and further proves that there can be more to her than being the face of a lot of FX shows. In Closing Night, she, Naomi Watts, Dianne Wiest, Toby Wallace, and Odessa A’zion play a dysfunctional family on the cusp of collapsing even further than before. In brief, Closing Night felt like an acting exercise between Paulson, Watts, and Wiest on who can outact the others more with Wallace and A’zion in the background phoning it in. While that may seem like a good thing, Closing Night has a melodramatic plot, and a lot of the time, it feels too much. It has the potential to be something great but totally wastes it by having its three leading ladies take turns hogging the spotlight.

🌟 🌟 stars

Misty Green:

Chris Rock’s fourth directorial effort sees an aging actress, played by Rosalind Eleazar, trying to find her next big break years after her breakout role. Eleazar leads a stacked cast, but ultimately, she’s the one running the show and being the standout. She plays the titular character with nuance as she tries to figure out how to establish herself in a Hollywood that isn’t as kind as it used to be. Rock’s script does come off a bit shaky with certain plot points feeling random or out of context, but there are few jokes that do stick the landing and his directing isn’t too bad. Misty Green is a capital D dramedy in every sense of the word, even if it has a few speed bumps.

🌟 🌟 🌟 1/2 stars

The Debut:

 Jesse Eisenberg takes on the community theater world via his Whiplash inspired effort, The Debut. One of the biggest crowd pleasing films of TIFF 2026, and a surprise miss from placing for the People’s Choice Award, The Debut sees two dynamic actors in Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti giving it their all as the Miles Teller and JK Simmons, respectively, of the film. Moore plays a timid housewife looking to do something different with her plain life by auditioning for a local community theater’s upcoming musical. Giamatti’s cutthroat director pushes her to the limits to get her to give the best performance possible, and seeing the two of them go for it is a delight. It also helps that the music from the musical is fun, and Eisenberg’s script is equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. The only downside to The Debut is how too influenced the movie is by Whiplash, but I’d rather have that than one trying too hard to be like it and failing!

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 stars