TIFF Dispatch 1: Catching Up with Big Prize Winners and Finding Smaller Surprises

Far more political and about as entertaining is "Rumours," the latest effort from Canadian filmmakers Guy Maddin and brothers Evan and Galen Johnson. Maddin has made a name for himself since the late '80s with his eccentric and irreverent films that owed plenty to the early days of filmmaking. "Rumours" doesn't have the same stylistic showmanship as Maddin and the Johnsons' other works, although this is far from a conventional experience. Set during a G7 summit in Germany, the heads of state for the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan spend the evening going over what to put in their provisional statement (if you weren't aware that these statements exist, that's part of the film's point) when some sort of apocalyptic event finds them stranded in the nearby woods getting hunted down by supernatural creatures.

Before the horror elements of "Rumours" kicks in, the directors make it clear that nothing in this film should be taken seriously. Cate Blanchett plays the chancellor of Germany with such an exaggerated accent it sounds like a total joke, until the U.S. president (Charles Dance) speaks with a British accent. The Canadian prime minister (Roy Dupuis) has a manbun and mopes around over his impending divorce, a convoluted scandal in his home country, and getting rejected by the U.K. prime minister (Nikki Amuka-Bird). The other world leaders act like buffoons in various ways, and when faced with crisis all seven of them act exactly as they are: privileged, insulated from the real world, and unable to lead their way out of a paper bag. The satire itself is obvious because its targets don't deserve the gift of intelligent satire, since doing so would probably make them look smarter than they actually are. Maddin/Johnson/Johnson are making a comedy here (and on that front they succeed), but they smile with gritted teeth. Their rage at the Western world's deadly complacency shines through every moment of "Rumours," but as comedians they can only use the tools they have to address the horror of what they're acknowledging. If it's all just a matter of time before we meet our self-imposed, inevitable fate, we might as well have a laugh on the way out.

Elsewhere in TIFF's programming, one film with queer subject matter made for a low-key highlight. In the festival's Centrepiece section (think of it as a grab bag of world cinema) is Hiroshi Okuyama's sophomore feature "My Sunshine." Set on the Japanese island Hokkaido, the young hockey player Takuya (Keitatsu Koshiyama) finds himself more interested in figure skating after watching Sakura (Kiara Nakanishi) practice her skills on the rink. Sakura's coach Arakawa (Sōsuke Ikematsu) notices Takuya's interest, takes a shine to him, then has him train with Sakura as a duo for an upcoming competition.

What's surprising about "My Sunshine" is how precise it is for a film designed to be as unassuming as possible. Okuyama, who directed, wrote, co-edited, and even did his own cinematography, shows off plenty of skill in his compositions (most of the landscape shots of the snowy small town resemble old postcards), pacing, and command of tone, yet his execution is so modest it's easy to take it for granted. Part of that could have to do with Okuyama's tendency to sidestep expectation, like when Takuya's family has no issues with him choosing figure skating over hockey, or any scenes between Arakawa and his boyfriend (Ryûya Wakaba), which might be one of the more wholesome portrayals of a gay relationship on screen this year. One might look at "My Sunshine" and see very little given its humble presentation, but those willing to adjust to its particular wavelength should find plenty to enjoy from its gentle challenging of gender norms.