Toronto Film Festival 2010: Day Two - "Bad Faith," and "A Night For Dying Tigers"

Bad Faith Director: Kristian Petri Stars: Sonja Richter, Jonass Karlsson Country of Origin: Sweden Why I Chose this Film: This film was on my radar, but didn't make my initial top 30. Strangely, all of it's screening times fell on holes in my film going schedule. The Rundown: An interesting little Swedish film that sets itself up like Repulsion (1965) on the streets, I think I appreciated the film the more I thought about it. Mona, a young woman who has just moved to Sweden and joined what appears to be a law firm (we’re given no details of her background or reason for moving to Sweden, though she speaks the language fluently) is portrayed by Sonja Richter in an intriguing performance (she resembles a young Amanda Plummer, and I thought she was about as twitchy). Mona’s creepy boss wants to hit on her and demands she meet him and her co-workers for a drink after work. On the way to meeting her co-workers, she stumbles upon a man recently stabbed in an alley, the victim of a serial killer currently terrorizing the city, known as the Bayonet killer. She examines the man, getting blood on her hands, stooping over him as the life slowly ebbs out of him. Rather than report this to the police, she stumbles in a daze to the bar where her co-workers are and promptly has to leave. On her way home, she sees another crime of violence, in which a long haired man beats another man senseless over a traffic incident. Threatening her to not stare at him, she walks away. Convinced she has just seen the Bayonet killer, she goes home and calls in to work using sick leave, and thus begins a potboiler of a thriller that involves Mona’s creepy boss, a stranger named Frank that enters her life the same evening, and the man she suspects to be the killer. All the while, we suspect that Mona may not have all her marbles in a row…..Interestingly, the film title refers to Sartre’s theory of Bad Faith----meaning, when you’re letting the outside direct how you act, you’re not being your authentic self---you’re being what people/society want you to be. 8/10

A Night For Dying Tigers

Director: Terry Miles

Stars: Jennifer Beals, Gil Bellows

Country of Origin: Canada

Why I Chose this Film: Sounding a bit like a Canadian Lawrence Kasdan picture mixed with something like Home for the Holidays (1995) and featuring the gorgeous and talented Jennifer Beals, this was a delightful sounding film of which I'd heard no word of mouth whatsoever.

The Rundown: From Canadian director Terry Miles, Tigers is one of those dysfunctional family movies where there’s way too much dysfunction to be realistic and the film often feels like a soap opera written by J.D. Salinger (whose work Franny & Zooey is reference accordingly). Three genius brothers and adopted sister are throwing a party for the eldest brother (Gil Bellows) the night before he is to serve a five year prison sentence for killing the supposed rapist of his mistress. His wife is played by the film’s strong point, a drop dead gorgeous Jennifer Beals. His other brother is the author of a canonized piece of literature and hasn’t written anything sense (more Salingerisms) and he brings his 19 year old girlfriend to the party. His youngest brother just filmed a movie in Swedish and has optioned the rights to his other brother’s famous novel. Meanwhile, the director has been having sex with the adopted sister, herself a pill popping mess whose lesbian college friend is catering the party and is also in love with her. The director is currently engaged to the ex-lover of the author brother and has just left his Icelandic producer or editor behind in Iceland. Their parents killed themselves in a cult-like Hale-Bop incident and everyone makes a lot of money in some type of artistic, creative way and they’re all viciously unhappy. Like I said, Beals gets to shine in a handful of key scenes, but all the happenings were more cause for eye-rolls than any genuine emotion. 7/10