TIFF21 Report 3: The Mad Women’s Ball, Out of Sync & I’m Your Man

More TIFF21! All three of the films in my next report share in an idea of magic; magic in sound, in mind, and in heart.

The Mad Women’s Ball (Mélanie Laurent)

Let’s be honest. When you see that it’s a period film with female leads, you know it’s probably not going to be an easy watch even without reading the details. With The Mad Women’s Ball it’s just as you might expect, which doesn’t make it any easier to digest.

The young and beautiful Eugénie (Lou de Laâge) struggles within her family and societal restrictions. She doesn’t feel comfortable being someone who she is not, and in a time like this, that’s immediately considered “odd” instead of independent. It’s clear her family thinks of her similarly, except for her brother Théophile (Benjamin Voisin). He not only seems to appreciate her quirks, but encourages them, and knows her secrets. The relationship between the two is a fond, warm one, that seems to be the kind most yearn to have with their siblings.

When Eugénie has increased bouts where she says she sees different spirits, her brother, and her grandmother, become worried. It isn’t long before she’s forced into a neurological facility, against her will.

Geneviève (Mélanie Laurent) is a nurse there, one of the kinder staff members in a pretty horrible place. When Geneviève discovers that Eugénie has the ability to talk to spirits, and having recently lost her sister, Blandine, she feels compelled to help her out in exchange for communication with her sister.

The treatment of the women is abhorrent, and there’s a lot of cringe-inducing sequences that will test your ability to watch. These women arrive and are physically and mentally abused, and end up worse than they began. Despite the barbaric parts, there’s a sensitivity taken by Laurent who really proves her skill behind the camera, and her ability to deliver an engaging experience (as she writes/directs and stars).

While Laurent is wonderful as always, Lou de Laâge really steals the show. She’s magnetic, ensuring to imbue sympathy from anyone who watches. It’s easy to root for her with every fiber of your being, as well as the other women in the film.  The production design and costumes are also stellar, as they really embody the time, and visually you feel transported.

It’s a little melodramatic, but also inherently moving. An adaptation of the novel by Victoria Mas it’s a real unflinching look at the mistreatment in institutions. I thought it was also a touching portrayal of friendship as well.

There’s an interweaving idea of mental illness and the supernatural. Early on in the film, the viewer is set up to react much like others in the story do. But, as it continues on and more is understood the film becomes a fight for her survival as much as it is, about finding themselves. Parallel to the suffering of all the women in the institution, Geneviève also struggles with her own beliefs and her own place.

The film has a whimsical quality at times that pairs well with the more serious emotional moments throughout. You’re sympathetic to all of the characters, in some way or another (of course some much more than others). Sporadically the storytelling falters, but whenever that happens the genuine performances bring it back to its feet.

The Mad Women’s Ball feels sophisticated and powerful, and it shows that Mélanie Laurent is just as much of a force behind the camera as she is in front.

Out of Sync (Juanjo Giménez Peñ)

Right away the description for this movie hooked me, and so I was fascinated to see where it led. Once I started watching it only deepened my curiosity as I took in this slightly odd, compelling, film.

From the start of the movie, as we see sound designer C (Marta Nieto) work on her recent film, we really get a sense of the gentle feel of Out of Sync. There’s something quite intriguing about her work, and you can see the importance to her, as well as the attention to detail. This is something mirrored within the crafting of this movie as well. When she begins to lose the timing of sound, sometimes not hearing things until moments after it happened, it throws her entire perspective, and life, into a tailspin.

What exactly is occurring isn’t entirely clear, and as the film progresses she’s able to hear sounds from places she hasn’t even been, essentially fitting this already curious picture into a more science fiction-based glove.

The sound design and editing are truly some of the best I’ve seen. It’s unnerving, and intense, aptly capturing what’s happening to our lead. For a unique movie such as this, it’s kind of a requirement and it’s done so beautifully. It makes the audience a bit off-center, much like our protagonist, and it feels like a shared journey. As a somewhat minimalist story, despite diving into some pretty out-there ideas, there’s a grounded feeling.

Out of Sync’s concept is one that is quite intriguing, nothing I’ve seen before, and it’s matched with a slow burn arc that inevitably goes somewhere you don’t expect.  Marta Nieto is fantastic, genuine, and really carries the film on her shoulders.

I found the middle of the movie to feel a little, well, out of sync. While it course-corrected, I still think some of the threads that it chooses to explore are uneven. I loved the ending, and in many ways, I feel like that quelled any of my conflicts. By its close, Out of Sync seemed to have not only hooked me but it also sunk me. You’re enveloped, and each deliberate decision throughout seems to unnerve you, even as you’re intrigued. You’re empathetic to her plight, and you’re unsure what exactly you’re witnessing. The script combines experimental ideas with fundamental expression, and I loved how unpredictable it ended up being.

A sensory experience that really immerses you through sound, Out of Sync is a captivating film.

I’m Your Man (Maria Schrader)

Can romance be curated, specifically designed for a person? In I’m Your Man, the science-fiction/ rom-com, it’s the question that’s asked, and there’s something really rather lovely about I’m Your Man.

Alma (Maren Eggert), a renowned scientist, has been tasked with giving feedback on a new AI model, an android lover as you might say, that’s been crafted just for her based on her taste profile. That is, the perfect male suitor. She’s to spend time with him for a few weeks and then make an assessment. Enter, Tom (played by Dan Stevens) as her ideal.

There have been films that have played with the idea of humans falling in love with AI, but I’m Your Man nurtures some of those previous themes with intelligence and care.

“What can be wrong with being happy?”

The movie does so much more than dabble in normal rom-com fashion, it muses on love, philosophy, and romantic ideals. There’s a lot of emotion and clever ideas packed inside pockets of humor and light. It cleverly uses a formula that isn’t necessarily new, but manages to operate in a fashion that feels fresh.

As she spends more time with Tom her walls are softened, and Alma begins to question her feelings and reservations. The script, by Maria Schrader and Jan Schomburg, is both thought-provoking and romantic in the best way. It doesn’t try to be overly sentimental, but instead finds its home comfortably in-between feelings, like a tether from the heart to mind, and the constant struggle for choice between the two. There’s also a consideration for what makes us human, and what makes us love another person, human or not.

Dan Stevens is wonderful in the role, managing to show his usual knack for charisma while also being believable (not exactly easy given the circumstances). Eggert steals the show though, giving depth to the character, and giving us the kind of female lead in a romance that we all want and need.

With endearing performances, unique storytelling, and a winning charm, I’m Your Man is easy to fall in love with.

The Mad Woman’s Ball, Out of Sync and I’m Your Man had premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.