TIFF 2012: Best of Fest (And All the Rest)

By far, TIFF 2012 has been my most exhausting thus far---in 2013 I am hoping to attend Cannes in May, and, therefore, cut down considerably on the craziness in September. I caught 60 titles and feel like my head is spinning (with many reviews still to write as of this posting). 35 of these titles were quite good---and I had a hard time selecting my top 10.

The Top 10 Films of TIFF 2012:


1. Post Tenebras Lux – Dir. Carlos Reygadas (Mexico)
2. Barbara – Dir. Christian Petzold (Germany)
3. Berberian Sound Studio – Dir. Peter Strickland (UK)
4. Amour – Dir. Michael Haneke (France)
5. Beyond the Hills – Dir. Cristian Mungiu (Romania)
6. Paradise: Love – Dir. Ulrich Seidl (Austria)
7. In Another Country – Dir. Hong Sangsoo (South Korea)
8. The Paperboy – Dir. Lee Daniels (US)
9. Rust and Bone – Dir. Jacques Audiard (France)
10. The Place Beyond the Pines – Dir. Derek Cianfrance (US)

Best of the Rest:
11. iLL Manors – Dir. Ben Drew (UK)
12. Spring Breakers – Dir. Harmony Korine (US)
13. The Hunt – Dir. Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
14. Reality – Dir. Matteo Garrone (Italy)
15. Sightseers – Dir. Ben Wheatley (UK)
16. Laurence Anyways – Dir. Xavier Dolan (Canada)
17. In the Fog – Dir. Segei Losntiza (Russia)
18. The Bay – Dir. Barry Levinson (US)
19. Byzantium – Dir. Neil Jordan (UK)
20. Peddlers – Dir. Vasan Bala (India)
21. Cloud Atlas – Dir. Wachowski Siblings/Tom Tykwer (US)
22. Dredd – Dir. Pete Travis (US)
23. In the House – Dir. Francois Ozon (France)
24. Blondie – Dir. Jesper Gandslandt (Sweden)
25. A Liar’s Autobiography – Dir. Bill Jones/Jeff Simpson/Ben Timlett (UK)
26. All that Matters Is Past – Dir. Sara Johnsen (Norway)
27. Smashed – Dir. James Ponsoldt (US)
28. Like Someone In Love – Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (Japan)
29. Something In the Air – Dir. Olivier Assayas (France)
30. Out in the Dark – Dir. Michael Mayer (Israel)
31. At Any Price – Dir. Rahmin Bahrani (US)
32. The ABCs of Death – Dir. Various
33. Seven Psychopaths – Dir. Martin McDonagh (UK)
34. Everybody Has a Plan – Dir.Ana Piterbarg (Argentina)
35. Just the Wind – Dir. Benedek Fliegauf (Hungary)
Of Minor Interest:
36. Passion – Dir. Brian De Palma (US)
37. Peaches Does Herself – Dir. Peaches (Germany)
38. To the Wonder – Dir. Terrence Malick (US)
39. The Land of Hope – Dir. Shion Sono (Japan)
40. Thy Womb – Dir. Brilliante Mendoza (Philippines)
41. Dormant Beauty – Dir. Marco Bellochio (Italy)
42. Here Comes the Devil – Dir. Juan Antonio Bogliano (Mexico)
43. Zaytoun – Dir. Eran Riklis (Israel)
44. Tower – Dir. Kazik Radwanski (Canada)
45. Rhino Season – Dir. Bahman Ghobadi (Iran)
46. Come Out and Play – Makinov (Mexico)
47. Three Worlds – Dir. Catherine Corsini (France)
48. Crimes of Mike Reckett – Dir. Bruce Sweeney (Canada)
49. Dead Europe – Dir. Tony Krawitz (Australia)
50. Shores of Hope – Dir. Toke Constantin Hebbeln (Germany)
51. White Elephant – Dir. Pablo Trapero (Argentina)
52. Lines of Wellington – Valeria Sarmiento (France/Portugal)
Banal:
53. Jayne Mansfield’s Car – Dir. Billy Bob Thornton (US)
54. What Maisie Knew – Scott McGehee and David Siegel (US)
55. Thale – Dir. Aleksander Nordaas (Norway)
56. When I See You – Dir. Annemarie Jacir (Israel)
57. Jackie – Dir. Antoinette Beumer (Netherlands)
58. Wasteland – Dir. Rowan Athale (UK)
59. Hellbenders – Dir. JT Petty (US)
60. God Loves Caviar – Dir. Yannis Smaragdis (Greece)

Already Seen:
61. Middle of Nowhere – Dir. Ava DuVernay (US)
62. John Dies at the End – Dir. Don Coscarelli (US)
63. The Sessions – Dir. Ben Lewin (US)