“Hamnet”, by Chloé Zhao, won the Mayor Prize in Toronto

From Toronto – He Toronto Festival It represents the opportunity to watch rewarded films in previous samples such as Berlin, Cannes and Venice.

In the 50th edition of the Canadian festival, there was the opportunity to see the new version of the classic story of Shelley, “Frankenstein”, of Guillermo del Torothat when lasting 150 minutes it makes it the longest in history.

Divided into a prelude and two chapters, the first of which bears as a name “Dr. Victor Frankenstein”, while the second and final is simply titled “The creature.” The original proposal tries to elucidate the question of who of the two is the true “monster” and being so accustomed to the answer to lean towards the second named here there is a twist that undoubtedly betrays the famous nineteenth -century novel.

This 50th festival has been an event where politics has intermingled more than ever with the artistic. Already in Venice the second prize went to “Hind’s voice” (The Voice of Hind), of the director Kaouther Ben Haniaa film favorable to Palestine, while until the last moment Toronto had banned the exhibition of “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue”, of Noam Tibonreferring to Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, although it was then authorized.

Access to the Chamber was the reason for a large security operation; In the street and separated by fences, protesters were seen with Palestinian and Israeli flags respectively. Fortunately, there were no episodes of violence and the debate at the end of the function was attended by the parents of a couple who saved their life locked in a hermetically isolated room in a Kibutz near Gaza. The father an Israeli general, regretted that the hostages have not yet been released, which is really the central message of the film.

He surprised favorably “& Sons”, The first film of Pablo Trapero After eight years of absence of the screens. And even more being the first time I films in English with a totally British cast. The strange title refers to the three children of a successful writer, retired twenty years ago (Bill Night) Who wants the two elders, who do not see it from many years, know the child.

Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) Like the two oldest, who conceived the child and the revelation of this ancestry is one of the great successes of the film. The issue of family ties seems recurrent in Ragpicker (“Rolling Family”, “The Clan”) In addition to being dedicated to his deceased father.

He also returns to the cinema with “Mother land”, After a long period, Lucrecia Martelalthough yours is closer to a docudrama about the famous case Chocobarwhere the quality of great exquisite images stands out. Instead, he disappointed the realization of another director, Milagros Mumenthalerwhose “the currents” represents a clear false step in his work.

As usual, in this festival was the United States, the country with the highest number of world premieres, the one that was most present. “Hamnet”, of the Chinese director Chloé Zhaowho obtained an Oscar with “Nomadland” In 2021 and now in Toronto he won the public prize, which is the largest granted by this festival. This chronicler had the opportunity to participate in an interview in which Zhao He explained that Shakespeare’s wife is known by two alternative names: Anne Hathaway or simply like Agneswho is here the central character, the outstanding Jessie Buckley.

Paul Mescalwho makes Shakespeare was absent from the festival, since he is filming with Sam Mendes The film about the Beatles entitled “George” (by Harrison), where he plays Paul McCartney.