by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

As the Toronto International Film Festival comes to its close, here are a few more reviews of films that received their world premieres at the fest.

Project Wolf Hunting (dir. Hong-sun Kim)

Director Hong-sun Kim’s spectacularly gory thriller, Project Wolf Hunting, takes place mainly on a cargo ship transporting extradited criminals from the Philippines to Korea. Tensions are high even before boarding, and while the cops are told not to take their eyes off the criminals, it is only a matter of time before the prisoners break free and start killing. However, “Alpha” (Choi Guyhwa) is also secretly on board. An experiment that involves the wolf of the title, Alpha, whose eyes are sewn shut, has the strength of many men and he proceeds to dispatch everyone who is not already dead. The plot is just an excuse to feature an impressive number of excessive killings as victims are bitten, stabbed, sledgehammered, and more and worse—one character is beaten to death with his own just-severed arm, while another man expires when Alpha steps on his face. Project Wolf Hunting is not deep, but it is drenched in oceans of blood that is continuously spilled, spurted, and even slipped on—and that is all this film’s fanbase needs to know.

Roost (dir. Amy Redford)

Adapted from Scott Organ’s play, The Thing with Feathers, Roost opens with 16-year-old Anna (Grace Van Dien) face timing with Eric (Kyle Gallner) about poetry. He is 900 miles away, but on her 17th birthday, Eric surprises Anna by showing up on her doorstep with a gift. Does he have an ulterior motive? Yes—and when Anna introduces Eric to her mother, Beth (Summer Phoenix), there is friction. Beth is in shock—and not just because Eric is 28. Roost addresses the knotty ethics of grooming, the abuse of power, as well as the truth and lies these characters tell to protect themselves and others. The story may get contrived, but director Amy Redford lets each scene make its point without overemphasis. However, the performances are uneven. Anna, Van Dien is the standout in the cast as the innocent pawn in over her head. Gallner is strongest when he is quietly menacing, but less effective showboating in the big dramatic scenes. Likewise, Phoenix is best when her expressions silently reveal her emotions, and less surefooted during some of her speeches. Roost is certainly compelling, but it does not quite pack the punch it should.

The Hummingbird (dir. Francesca Archibugi)

The Hummingbird is a sprawling, engrossing drama about Marco (Pierfrancesco Favino as an adult) who is first seen as a teenager conspiring to meet his neighbor, Luisa (Bérénice Bejo as an adult) in secret. Marco loves Luisa, but they never fully act on their attraction; it is his strategy for always being able to love her. Instead, Marco later marries Marina (Kasia Smutniak) because they both survived the same tragedy. Their marriage is rocky—Marina has various affairs and incorrectly suspects Marco of cheating on her with Luisa—but it produces a daughter, Adele (Benedetta Parcaroli), who develops a strong attachment to her father. How Marco’s life plays out over the years forms the basis for The Hummingbird, which makes interesting connections as the story toggles back and forth in time. A scene where Marco has an epiphany at the end of a high-stakes poker game is especially inspiring. Nimbly directed by Francesca Archibugi—who cowrote the screenplay adapted from Sandro Veronesi’s novel—and featuring strong performances from the entire ensemble cast, this film is a big, glossy Italian drama about love, death, fate, and the meaning of life.

Coyote (dir. Katherine Jerkovic)

The melancholy Coyote offers a glimpse into the life of Camilo (Jorge Martinez Colorado, in a wonderfully lived-in performance) a former restaurateur, now working as a janitor. Just as he finally secures a new job as a chef in restaurant in another town—and puts plans in motion to move— his addict daughter, Tania (Eva Avila), asks Camilo to look after her five-year-old son, Zachary (Enzo Desmeules Saint-Hilaire), while she goes to rehab. Coyote tracks how Camilo makes sacrifices for his grandson, and scenes of him caring for Zach, or doing laundry together are simple and affecting. Director Katherine Jerkovic is not making a male melodrama; her film artfully presents how decent men like Camilo are resigned to making and upholding difficult choices. A scene where Zach visits his mother in rehab is both tender and painful, but it is how Camilo behaves in this sequence that is quietly powerful. This is a lovely, understated, and heart-wrenching film that never gets cloying or becomes moralizing.

North of Normal (dir. Carly Stone)

North of Normal is a poignant adaptation of Cea Sunrise Person’s memoir about her wild childhood. In 1979, Cea (River Price-Maenpaa) is a foul-mouthed, free-spirited pre-teen living in the Yukon with her young mother, Michelle (Sarah Gadon), and grandfather (Robert Carlyle). While they have moved off the grid, Michelle impulsively decides to leave the campground with Karl (Benedict Samuel) and return with Cea to the city. As the film toggles back and forth in time between 1979 and 1986—when Cea is a wise-beyond-her-years teenager (Amanda Fix)—North of Normal shows how Michelle’s choices impact Cea. This bumpy film gets better as it goes along because Cea’s identity becomes clearer as she becomes an active participant in her own life—punching a classmate at school or grappling with a past trauma while high on drugs. As Cea tries to find a sense of self and personal freedom while also establishing her own set of values—independent of her mom or grandfather’s will—she is a very sympathetic heroine, and Fix makes her every decision resonate which keeps viewers rooting for her.

Stellar (dir. Darlene Naponse)

Stellar features hypnotic drone shots of trees and fields, rivers, oceans, and waters, storms raging and fires burning. There is an environmental crisis taking place outside a bar where two indigenous characters, She (Ell-Máijá Tailfeathers) and He (Braeden Clarke), are drinking. This mystical film is all about connection—be it to the earth, one’s community, or an individual. But despite its crisp cinematography and some marvelous even magical images, there is very little to connect with here. The plot is almost non-existent; various characters enter or exit the bar, and the little dialogue can be pretentious—as when She says something that translates as, “Find within the lines of willingness, jetstreams of love.” Better is a moment when He reflects on the rez and misses the smell of dirt, or when the characters dance. Alas, while Stellar is often lyrical and poetic, it goes nowhere slowly.

Nighttalk (dir. Donald Shebib)

Nightalk is a low-budget erotic thriller that offers minimal eroticism and even fewer thrills. It is best appreciated as one of those so-bad-it’s-good films. Brenda (Ashley Bryant), a police detective, meets with a therapist to talk about her dreams. She recounts a story about the time when she was the lead detective on a case in which a woman who used a phone sex app called Nightalk, was found strangled in her apartment. Was this “death by misadventure,” because of autoerotic asphyxiation, or is one of the Nightalk users a killer? Brenda secretly goes undercover to find out and “meets” the sexy voice of the tall, dark, and handsome Tom (Al Makadam). He aurally pleasures her while she pleasures herself in one risible scene scored to Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Things get further complicated when Tom wants to meet. As the investigation unfolds and Tom becomes a suspect (natch), Brenda gets caught in an ethical quandary and tries to keep her identity secret. How Tom doesn’t recognize Brenda’s voice when she questions him is a far greater mystery than who committed the murder. While the love story is more interesting than the crime drama, that is because the leads are attractive and do what they can to service the silly story.

La Jauría (dir. Andrés Ramírez Pulido)

Lastly, La Jauría is a hypnotic film that received its North American Premiere at TIFF. This hothouse drama, written and directed by Andrés Ramírez Pulido, is set in a youth prison camp in the Colombian forest, where the moody Eliú (Jhojan Stiven Jiménez) is doing manual labor for a murder he committed with El Mono (Maicol Andrés Jiménez), a new arrival. The camp leader, Álvaro (Miguel Viera), tries to help the young men by giving them breathing exercises to release bad energy and feelings. Meanwhile, Godoy (Diego Rincón) stands guard with a gun. As authorities try to learn more details about the crime Eliú and El Mono committed—and find the victim’s body—a few disturbing facts emerge. La Jauría exudes a sweaty, uncomfortable atmosphere during the many leisurely scenes of the incarcerated youth working or fooling around. Eventually, some dramatic things happen—a youth goes missing, Álvaro is pressured to clear the forest, and Eliú and El Mono are taken out of the camp. But the tension here is as muted as the film’s color palette. La Jauría holds interest, but it also can be enervating.