Matthew St.Clair

Emma Thompson easily carries this smartly written workplace satire.

An unsettling telling of religious dogma with horror elements and a vivid visual aesthetic.

Odessa Young and Josh O’Connor are a fabulous pair in this erotically charged yet disjointed period romance.

Edson Oda’s feature directorial debut is a wonderfully minimalist sci-fi picture on the nature of finding purpose.

A hair-raising horror comedy with Christie-esque mystery, a colorful acting ensemble, and Ace of Base.

Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are gloriously scene-chewy in this flawed yet refreshingly atypical live-action Disney remake.

A functional thrill ride that expands upon its simple premise by putting queer protagonists at the center.

Despite having a compelling action hero performance from Jason Statham, Wrath of Man is hardly a deviation from Guy Ritchie’s previous work.

Andrea Riseborough easily carries this well-crafted, insidious slow burn thriller about loss.

A familiar crowd pleaser that still forms a layout for representation of the disabled community going forward.

Moffie is an unsettling yet incredibly well-shot look at how toxic masculinity breeds self-hatred and bigotry.

Udo Kier is at a career-best level as an elderly gay man reconciling with his troubled past.

Language Lessons is about how personal connections can transcend both languages and locations and goes in some surprising directions.

Just like life itself, it involves humor, heartbreak, and healing and is a promising feature directorial debut from Mari Walker.

Normally, a picture feeling like two different short films would be detrimental, but in the case of Potato Dreams of America, it works wonders.

An insidiously eerie yet affecting experience.

A 106-minute nonsensical shouting match.

A breezy travelogue that creates refreshing polyamorous visibility.

Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature directorial debut commendably balances audience perception of horror with genre mechanics.

At 84 minutes, Saint Maud is a twisted, performance-driven look at the human psyche of Biblical proportions.

The Midnight Sky aims for the stars, but should’ve been brought down to Earth.

Diego Luna and Sienna Miller are an emotive dual force in this neutrally executed sci-fi romance.

A slow-burn romance that’s disappointingly too measured.

A suitable comedy for this particular holiday season that’s both humorous and incredibly emotive.

As Jungleland gets hit with convention, the three leading performers still serve as its strong emotional center.

A queer coming-of-age story as jarring as it is nonchalant.

Tamara Lawrance carries this viable paranoid thriller with ease and articulacy.

A manifold crowd-pleaser from multi-hyphenate talent Radha Blank.

An overly stylized yet incredibly energetic feature debut from I-Fan Wang.

One of this year’s TIFF Midnight Madness selections offers a searing look at sexual violence and trauma.

Sebastian Stan and Riley Keough stand out in this distended indictment of toxic masculinity and religious hypocrisy.

An atmosphere creepy woods picture with masterful ideas that often become tangled up.

A slow-burn melancholic horror romance only someone like Charlie Kaufman can pull off.

A masterful exercise in mixing tenuous political commentary with queer love.

Like a bittersweet beach day. Rain clouds sometimes loom, but the Sun finds ways to shine.

Gina Prince-Bythewood breathes all sorts of new life into the realm of comic book cinema.

Natalie Erika James’ directorial debut offers a blend of lingering frights and melancholia.

Both an adequately understated family drama and a missed opportunity.

Kim Bora’s directorial debut soars to terrific heights.

A requisite doc about on-screen trans representation told in a stirring, matter-of-fact manner.

A brisk road movie that offers a refreshing take on the coming-of-age narrative.

Dramatic realism and genius character work make this brisk indie romance feel insightful.

An intricate character study with a slight horror backdrop.

CRSHD overcomes familiar story beats with its zestful directorial structure and profound central performances.

Rob Morgan and newcomer Amber Havard salvage greatness out of this undercooked friendship drama.

A poignant love story that’s as culturally specific as it is universal.

A sincere and simplistically topical look at an adult store that became a landmark.

A flawed yet nostalgic homage to ’70s horror lore and simultaneous grim allegory for the trials of adolescence.

A simple, empathetic ode to mental health patients that thrives on its sensibility and fine acting.

Despite some sluggish pacing and undercooked thematic material, Swallow doesn’t bite off more than it can chew.