FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival films to watch

Jordan Parker wants to point your attention to a few films you may not have heard of yet

With each passing year, there are always buzzy, big Hollywood movies, arthouse favourites and local gems that seem to garner all the attention. With this column, I want to point your attention to a few films you may not have heard of yet. These are the ones that have my attention so far, and that I’ll surely be checking out.

Memoria

This film won the Jury Prize at the 2021 Cannes Festival, and yet I feel like I haven’t heard a thing about it.

Even more, it stars critical darling and awards favourite Tilda Swinton, and is sure to be an acting showcase. She almost never disappoints, and I certainly don’t expect her to here.

It follows a Scottish woman who – while traveling in Colombia – begins hearing strange sounds. It looks to be a pretty fantastic one.

From storied director Apichatpong Weerasethakul – who has been a Cannes favourite with Sud Pralad and other favourites for two decades – it’s sure to be a memorable one.

P.S. Burn This Letter Please

You can always count on FIN to bring some incredible, deep and diverse offerings, and this year is no different.

I’ve consistently been stunned by the festival’s LGBTQ2S+ content, and while many are focused on opening film Wildhood – for good reason – I think this one is worth a look.

Co-written and co-directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Michael Seligman, it won the Audience Award at L.A. Outfest in 2020, and was nominated for the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award at 2020’s Tribeca Film Festival.

It follows the New York drag scene, and letters that have been kept secret for six decades. They provide a window into a world before drag culture was as prevalent, and is set to show what people years ago faced.

This one is sure to be one you’re going to need kleenex for.

The Righteous

I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like Newfoundland-born Mark O’Brien is on the cusp of A-List stardom.

From his turn in Halt and Catch Fire to roles in Arrival, Bad Times at the El Royale, Ready or Not and Oscar-bait film Marriage Story, he’s been absolutely everywhere the last few years. All it takes is one look at his work in Kevin Bacon’s Showtime show City On A Hill to be convinced he’s a major talent on the rise.

With The Righteous, he writes, directs and co-stars in a film that just might surprise absolutely everyone. I’m betting on O’Brien to blow people away.

His screenplay won at the Fantasia Film Festival, and the film itself won silver in the Audience Award Best Canadian Feature category.

Starring Henry Czerny, it follows a man who feels the Lord’s wrath after he and his wife are visited by a stranger. I’ve already purchased my tickets to this one, have you?

The Silence

It’s going to be a difficult one, but Renee Blanchar’s documentary is must-see for me.

The National Film Board has never put out a film I haven’t felt an urge to see, and this year is no different.

The Silence follows the sexual abuse suffered by children in New Brunswick at the hands of Catholic priests between the 1950s and 1980s.

But what the film really explores is why everyone felt the need to keep these heinous, unforgivable acts quiet in the community.

The feeling of shame causes people to do things to keep them from being viewed differently in public, even if they’re the victims.

It’s a hard-hitting documentary that I hope takes an unflinching look at the institutions that protect Catholic priests who betray the trust of those who need their guidance most.

The Noise Of Engines

I think it must just be a spidey sense at this point, but every festival I perk up about three or four films, and go see them just because I feel like they have a ton of potential.

Sometimes I’m rewarded, and sometimes I’m not. That said, I have a good feeling about The Noise Of Engines. A nominee for the New Director Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, it has an intriguing plot.

Alexandre is an instructor at a Canadian customs college who comes under scrutiny and surveillance by local police. There are sexually explicit drawings going around the small town making residents uneasy, and our protagonist is in the middle of the investigation.

Writer-director Phillipe Gregoire helms his feature-length debut here, and I plan on giving it a shot.

Hands That Bind

During a conversation with writer-director Kyle Armstrong, he took my interest from mid-level to sky-high. Armstrong is an interesting, dynamic individual, and if he writes a sliver as well as he communicates, we’re in for a ride.

The Albertan creates a Canadian film about a farm employee whose dreams of taking over his boss’s business are dashed when the landowner’s son returns to claim the land he legally owns.

With the Oscar-nominated Bruce Dern, Paul Sparks, Nicholas Campbell, young Landon Liboiron, and fantastic Halifax actress Susan Kent, this is a can’t-miss. Sparks was the best part – easily – of his season of Castle Rock, inspired by Stephen King.

This one has all the makings of an intense, down-home character drama, and I’m totally here for it.

Mass

It’s taken decades, but Jason Isaacs seems to be getting the accolades he deserves.

Long noticed for blockbuster fare like The Patriot, Harry Potter and his role in the Star Trek: Discovery TV show, it was in The Death Of Stalin I first noticed his enormous talent.

With Mass, his character gathers with three other adults in the basement of a church to discuss a violent, tragic event that occurred.

He, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd and Reed Birney are going to be set for a verbal sparring session, with Dowd gaining some early Oscar momentum in the Supporting Actress category.

Writer-director Fran Kranz – known primarily for his acting – appears to have made one heck of a directorial debut.

Portraits From A Fire

Director Trevor Mack is a British Columbian Tsilhqot’in nation filmmaker, and his FIN selection looks to be a taut, interesting drama.

In the midst of the festival, there are always a few quieter selections that will have a big impact. No one is talking about this one, but it’s on my must-watch list.

It follows an Indigenous teenage boy who deals with numerous realities as he struggles with the turmoil that comes along with a family secret coming out.

This one features Nathanial Arcand, of FBI: Most Wanted, The Revenant, and Heartland fame. I am fully prepared for him to wow me.

Mothering Sunday

The splashy closing night film this year is the Banderas-Cruz tandem Official Competition, but for those seeking other options, look no further.

This one is gaining rave reviews out of TIFF, and could be an intense choice for those looking for adult programming.

Director Eva Husson directs this film that I’ve intentionally not read too much about, lest I ruin the surprises. All I know is it promises to be a sensual drama, and that the cast is fantastic.

Olivia Colman has been absolutely killing it for five years now – In that time she’s amassed four Emmy nominations, an Oscar for The Favourite, and a nomination for The Father at the last ceremony.

She’s joined here by Oscar winner Colin Firth, Odessa Young and Josh O’Connor.

The latter may be known for playing Prince Charles in The Crown, but he really stunned me in God’s Own Country.

This period drama about a maid in Post WWI England who makes plans to meet her lover before he departs to marry another woman is my most-anticipated this year.

Bootlegger

Award-winning visual artist and filmmaker Caroline Monnet came out of the woodwork to bring this enticing film to Halifax.

It features two women on opposed sides of their Indigenous community. They’re trying to figure out the best way forward for independence.

I’m expecting a big performance from Devery Jacobs, currently starring in popular series Reservation Dogs. Crazy Horse, Brigitte Poupart, Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie, and Josgya Odjick should also give great turns.

I’m actually really excited to sit down and see what this one has to offer.

For film reviews of FIN selections during the festival, check in daily at parkerandpictures.wordpress.com.