Maren Ade
Despite its length, Toni Erdmann succeeds because of the character study at its core, and also contains one of the best scenes of the year.
There is a story with immense emotional depth within Toni Erdmann, but the movie is so frequently dull, when the moments of comedy arrive they can feel somewhat cynical.
Toni Erdmann may have left the Cannes Film Festival empty-handed, but it’s on course for a much larger prize. It’s already been selected as Germany’s entry in the Foreign Language Oscar race, taking the early lead thanks to its critically adored festival run. It will have to fight off a record 84 other entries, but at this point, not earning a nomination would be a shock.
Ah, TIFF. A film lover’s delight, and for a little ol’ Canuck like me, the perfect time to indulge in all the fun and excitement of a festival without having to travel thousands of miles. Ever since I attended my first festival in 2011, I’ve found no reason to stop coming back.