TIFF Reviews: How to Have Sex, The Boy and the Heron, Monster, The Settlers

The 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival began on Sept. 7 and runs through Sept. 17.

The Boy and the Heron

When released earlier this year under the cloak of secrecy, The Boy and the Heron was announced as Hayao Miyazaki’s last film (for real this time, or maybe not, as there are already rumours he’s working on a new project). Before playing in Japan, the film featured no trailer or poster, and the elusive (and occasionally cranky) filmmaker did no press. With shades of The Little Prince and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Boy and the Heron is a harrowing and bewildering tale of a young boy who relocates to a small town with his father after his mother’s horrific death. The film opens with the tragic incident; the animation style blends different mediums to achieve the effect of heat and smoke. Characters are distorted, lines are blurred and emotions are heightened in a traumatic event that will mark the young Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki).

Though aimed, in part, at children, The Boy and the Heron reflects the questions and concerns of a man searching for meaning at the end of his life. The movie features as many shocking moments as it does heartwarming ones. Even adults who are faint of heart may find some of the imagery haunting. The film’s Japanese title translates more literally to the less fairy-talesque “How Do You Live?” A grand philosophical consideration overtakes the film as Mahito Maki attempts to rebuild his life after losing his mother. He discovers a strange tower on the grounds of his new home and, through the presence of a mysterious and shape-shifting heron, gets drawn into a fantastical and frightening world that offers him a path toward meaning and direction. How do we deal with the enormity of loss? How can we find love again when those closest to us die? The film features some of the most beautiful animation of Miyazaki’s entire career, and as is the case with any of his movies, it could be argued that this is his best work yet. (Lately, though, my personal favourite has been Ponyo).  (Justine Smith)

The Boy and the Heron is scheduled for a Dec. 2023 release. 

Monster 

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film, Monster, is a mesmerizing journey into the labyrinth of human emotions, deceit and the quest for acceptance. As Kore-eda returns to Japan after making films in France and South Korea, he invites us to unravel a narrative that unfolds like a puzzle. Monster begins with a dramatic blaze: a “hostess bar” engulfed in flames sets the stage for a tale that defies expectations. The film employs a Rashomon-esque structure, revisiting the same events from multiple perspectives. As we follow the story from various points of view, we’re left questioning the very definition of a “monster.” Could it be a child, an adult or the society that shapes them? Kore-eda uses selective unveiling and a tricksy timeline to keep us guessing. Yet, beneath the layers of complexity, Monster explores how children are socialized and the undue pressures placed on those who don’t conform to societal norms.

Kore-eda excels in portraying multifaceted characters, each hiding their truths and vulnerabilities. Saori (Sakura Ando), a single mother, strives to uncover the reasons behind her son Minato’s peculiar behaviour. As she delves deeper, she confronts a wall of silence and resistance from the school. In her relentless pursuit of the truth, we see the film’s central message: the difficulty of discerning truth lies in the fact that the world is awash with misinformation. The film navigates themes of bullying, self-discovery and the struggle to belong, all through the lens of childhood innocence. Kore-eda’s ability to depict the inner world of children with tenderness is on full display here. 

While occasionally challenging, the non-linear narrative rewards viewers with a more profound understanding of the characters and their motivations. This approach, coupled with nuanced performances, elevates Monster to a level of storytelling that few films achieve. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s hauntingly beautiful score underscores the film’s emotional depth. Its sad piano chords counterintuitively enhance scenes, creating an atmosphere of ambiguity that adds to the film’s mystique. The film reminds us that the truth is never one-dimensional and that, sometimes, monsters are created not by malevolence but by our limited perspectives. (Chico Peres Smith)

Monster will open in Montreal theatres on Nov. 17. 

How to Have Sex 

Set in the Mediterranean as young people from across the U.K. descend upon the town post-exams for a week of revellery and sin, in How to Have Sex, Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake) and Fi (Eilidh Loan) look to get fucked on the most epic vacation they can imagine. Tara, in particular, is pegged early on as a virgin, and her friends are desperate for her to get laid. A visceral sensory assault, the film pulls the viewer into the action: girls scream, music pulses, drinks spill and drunks vomit (they also piss, cum and bleed). Set in a resort overlooking a pool, the party goes from morning to morning. Hangovers are cured with more drinking, and more drinking leads to more hangovers, which only leads to more drinking.

Amidst the party vibes, though, How to Have Sex turns dark as Tara’s anticipation of new experiences becomes a nightmare. The film’s naturalistic and linear format eventually gives way to a more fragmented style that adopts new points of view and deconstructs her night non-linearly. The intensity of the film’s decadence transitions to rot and decay. The film’s sound and image reflect this through rapid camera movements and edits that, after Tara’s traumatic night, give way to more carefully composed shots emphasizing character discomfort, including an ominous slow zoom as the film tackles the emotional complexity of consent and assault under morally loose circumstances in a compelling and challenging way. Mia McKenna-Bruce’s performance is astonishing, rich in naturalism and complexity, and an incredible star-making turn by the young actress. How to Have Sex is an astonishing work of style and direction that will, unfortunately, speak to a shared experience. (Justine Smith)

How to Have Sex is scheduled for a Feb. 2024 release. 

The Settlers 

Set at the beginning of the 20th century in rural Chile, The Settlers opens with a wealthy landowner hiring three horsemen to mark the perimeter of his enormous property and a route to the Atlantic Ocean. Prefaced by an infamously bleak quote from Thomas More’s Utopia (a proverb about sheep devouring men), The Settlers paints a blood-soaked portrait of colonial violence. Though frequently evoked, the exact meaning of More’s passage remains elusive. An allusion to the Bible and the lord’s flock, the quote has often been thought to invoke resilience in the face of wolves. In The Settlers, a Western-infused colonial nightmare, the sheep might be understood as the Indigenous peoples of South America who suffer at the hands of barbaric and greedy settlers.

By employing many familiar Western tropes, the film showcases in equal measure the horrific brutality the settlers inflicted on the American South and an almost mythic view of an unforgiving landscape that eclipses the men who travel it. As one American character says, “Look at this enormous land and three men — isn’t it absurd?” As it overflows with acts of depravity, both visible and insinuated, the movie suggests a colonial tradition steeped in blood and carnage. Unflinching in its depiction of violence, The Settlers frequently adopts the perspective of its native characters as a means of framing intention, rendering familiar tropes with entirely new eyes. It’s a movie that embraces genre imagery from Westerns, exposing how the wealthy and powerful dress up their crimes with respectability politics. Twisting familiar tropes on their head, the film feels very much in conversation with a sanitized cinematic history that downplays the horrors of white invaders. A harsh but poetic cinematic vision, this is the director Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s feature debut, announcing the arrival of a great and incisive new talent. (Justine Smith)

MUBI will release The Settlers, date TBA.

For more on the Toronto International Film Festival, please visit the TIFF website.

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