TIFF 2017 Scorecard
92%
Critics Consensus: Thelma plays with genre tropes in unexpected ways, delivering a thoughtfully twisty supernatural thriller with a lingering impact.
Synopsis: A college student starts to experience extreme seizures while studying at a university in Oslo, Norway. She soon learns that the violent episodes are a... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen
Directed By: Joachim Trier
71%
Critics Consensus: Hostiles benefits from stunning visuals and a solid central performance from Christian Bale, both of which help elevate its uneven story.
Synopsis: In 1892, legendary Army Capt. Joseph Blocker reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their tribal land. Embarking... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons
Directed By: Scott Cooper
47%
Critics Consensus: Downsizing assembles a talented cast in pursuit of some truly interesting ideas -- which may be enough for some audiences to forgive the final product's frustrating shortcomings.
Synopsis: Mild-mannered therapist Paul Safranek and his wife, Audrey, decide to undergo a process in which scientists shrink people down to miniature size to live in... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau
Directed By: Alexander Payne
79%
Critics Consensus: The Day After may rank among the slighter works in writer-director Hong Sang-soo's filmography, yet it still presents an absorbingly earnest look at relationships in turmoil.
Synopsis: When a woman discovers a love poem that was written for her husband, she mistakenly believes that the author is her husband's new secretary.
Starring: Cho Yunhee, Kim Min-hee, Kim Sae-byeok, Kwon Hae-hyo
Directed By: Hong Sang-soo
39%
Critics Consensus: The Mountain Between Us may be too far-fetched for some viewers to appreciate, but it's elevated by reliably engaging performances from Idris Elba and Kate Winslet.
Synopsis: Stranded on a mountain after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must work together to endure the extreme elements of the remote, snow-covered terrain. Realizing... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, Beau Bridges, Dermot Mulroney
Directed By: Hany Abu-Assad
85%
Critics Consensus: The Square finds writer-director Ruben Östlund as ambitious as ever -- and delivering an unforgettably unusual work whose challenging themes pay thought-provoking dividends.
Synopsis: Disaster strikes when a curator hires a public relations team to build some buzz for his renowned Swedish museum.
Starring: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary
Directed By: Ruben Östlund
84%
Critics Consensus: Borg vs McEnroe makes tennis improbably cinematic -- and brings the absolute best out of Shia LaBeouf, who delivers some of the best work of his career.
Synopsis: It's the summer of 1980, and Björn Borg is the top tennis player in the world, dominating the sport both on and off the court.... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny
Directed By: Janus Metz
80%
Critics Consensus: Its unusual approach may not pay off quite as consistently as one might hope, but the boldly anachronistic Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc is definitely a biopic like no other.
Synopsis: Young shepherdess Jeannette, the future Joan of Arc, already carries the weight of the French nation on her shoulders as she grapples with matters of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Lucile Gauthier, Jeanne Voisin, Aline Charles
Directed By: Bruno Dumont
68%
Critics Consensus: There's no denying that mother! is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes.
Synopsis: A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
65%
Critics Consensus: Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria -- which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative.
Synopsis: Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the queen herself. As... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams
Directed By: Stephen Frears
67%
Critics Consensus: The Journey's narrative deficiencies undermine a powerful fact-based story, but those problems are often offset by solid work from Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall.
Synopsis: Ian Paisley, a staunch evangelical Protestant and advocate for Northern Ireland, and Martin McGuinness, a former leader of the IRA are forced to ride in... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Freddie Highmore, John Hurt
Directed By: Nick Hamm
67%
Critics Consensus: On Chesil Beach presents a well-acted and solidly crafted adaptation of a small yet resonant story with deceptively rich subtext.
Synopsis: In 1962, newlyweds Edward and Florence, both in their early 20s and also both virgins, spend their honeymoon preoccupied and terrified by the upcoming consummation... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle, Emily Watson, Samuel West
Directed By: Dominic Cooke
67%
Critics Consensus: Strong performances from Breathe's well-matched leads help add an edge to a biopic that takes a decidedly heartwarming approach to its real-life story.
Synopsis: After contracting polio at the age of 28, Robin Cavendish is confined to a bed and given only months to live. With help from his... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander, Stephen Mangan
Directed By: Andy Serkis
73%
Critics Consensus: Kodachrome gains richer hues due to Ed Harris' colorful performance, which is enough to enliven a solid if predictable father-son road trip drama.
Synopsis: Matt, a struggling executive, finds his world turned upside down when his estranged father's nurse shows up unexpectedly in his office. Matt's father, a famed... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, Elizabeth Olsen, Bruce Greenwood
Directed By: Mark Raso
60%
Critics Consensus: A nuanced motherhood study, April's Daughter austerely examines the threads of filial ties and gets tangled up in its characters' disparate motivations.
Synopsis: Valeria is 17 and pregnant. Although reluctant to tell her long-absent mother about her pregnancy, Valeria gives in to pressure from her sister to allow... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Emma Suárez, Ana Valeria Becerril, Enrique Arrizon, Joanna Larequi
Directed By: Michel Franco
69%
Critics Consensus: Happy End is far from Haneke's best work, yet it still succeeds in forcing audiences to confront -- and uncomfortably consider -- the dark side of human nature.
Synopsis: Although a middle-class family living in Calais deal with a series of setbacks, they pay little attention to the grim conditions in the refugee camps... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin
Directed By: Michael Haneke
52%
Critics Consensus: Papillon puts its own well-acted, solidly produced spin on a previously adapted tale, although it suffers in comparison to the 1973 version.
Synopsis: The epic story of Henri Papillon Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who is framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorious... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek, Roland Møller, Nina Senicar
Directed By: Michael Noer
69%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After he is framed for a vile crime, a Chinese pharmaceutical lawyer teams up with a Japanese detective to stop a dangerous plot.
Starring: Hanyu Zhang, Masaharu Fukuyama, Stephy Qi, Ha Ji-won
Directed By: John Woo
43%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Evelyn, a burlesque queen, bewitches single dad Al and his teenage son, Fin. As they compete for her affections, old wounds are reopened over the... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Melissa George, Ed Oxenbould, Ewen Leslie, Sophie Lowe
Directed By: Priscilla Cameron
74%
Critics Consensus: Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! may not be as filling as its predecessor, but it still manages to offer a moderately enriching overview of unsavory industry practices.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock opens his own chicken restaurant to explore industry claims that fast food is now healthier and more natural and organic.
Starring: Morgan Spurlock
Directed By: Morgan Spurlock
38%
Critics Consensus: The Leisure Seeker certainly doesn't suffer from any shortage of acting talent, but it's largely squandered on a predictable, diffuse drama with little to say.
Synopsis: Traveling in their family Leisure Seeker vintage recreational vehicle, John and Ella Spencer take one last road trip from Boston to the Hemingway House in... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay, Kirsty Mitchell
Directed By: Paolo Virzì
37%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: TV producer Glen Topher is a divorced dad whose teenage daughter China is living with him during her senior year. Glen takes China to a... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Louis C.K., Chloë Grace Moretz, John Malkovich, Rose Byrne
Directed By: Louis C.K.
55%
Critics Consensus: Intriguing yet heavy-handed, Roman J. Israel, Esq. makes the most of -- but never quite lives up to -- Denzel Washington's magnetic performance in the title role.
Synopsis: Roman J. Israel is an idealistic defense attorney whose life gets upended when his boss and mentor -- the legendary civil rights icon William Henry... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt
Directed By: Dan Gilroy
38%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Julia Sarah Stone, Denis O'Hare, Maxim Roy
Directed By: Carlos Sanchez
80%
Critics Consensus: Chappaquidick can't help leaving some of this true story's most intriguing questions unanswered, but it's bolstered by outstanding work from Jason Clarke in the central role.
Synopsis: On July 18, 1969, Sen. Ted Kennedy drives his car off of a bridge on Massachusetts' Chappaquiddick Island. The accident results in the death of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, Ed Helms, Bruce Dern
Directed By: John Curran
58%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: During a presidential summit in Chile, Argentina's president Hernán Blanco goes through family drama affecting the relationship with his daughter while facing the most important... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi, Érica Rivas, Elena Anaya
Directed By: Santiago Mitre
34%
Critics Consensus: Mark Felt may dramatize the man behind Deep Throat, but its stodgy treatment of history offers little insight into the famous whistleblower.
Synopsis: Lifelong G-Man Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat," leaks information to the press that helps to uncover the Watergate scandal of 1974.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Lane, Marton Csokas, Ike Barinholtz
Directed By: Peter Landesman
43%
Critics Consensus: Preachy, manipulative, and frustratingly clichéd, The Upside showcases Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart's chemistry without ever taking full advantage of it.
Synopsis: Phillip is a wealthy quadriplegic who needs a caretaker to help him with his day-to-day routine in his New York penthouse. He decides to hire... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman, Aja Naomi King
Directed By: Neil Burger
