# Toronto Film Festival 2025 Review - YMS #TIFF #TIFF25 #TIFF2025 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0dzotyTNBE Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/U0dzotyTNBE Generated: 2025-11-29T18:33:06.863+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The reviewer thoroughly enjoyed the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), highlighting the film "Nirvana, the band, the show, the movie" as a wholly original, once-in-a-lifetime achievement deserving a 10 out of 10 rating, while also praising "No Other Choice" (9/10) and finding "Bushra" a pleasant surprise (8/10), contrasting sharply with disappointing views on "Mellin" (5/10) and "A Poet" (5/10). **Key Points:** - The film "Nirvana, the band, the show, the movie" received a final rating of 10 out of 10 after the reviewer saw it a fourth time, calling it "a wholly original once-in-a-lifetime film to exist" and "a genuine achievement". - "Nirvana" is a comedy from director Matt Johnson, based on his TV show, set in Toronto and utilizing real locations as set pieces, which the reviewer notes should be seen in a crowd. - "Bushra," a 3D animated film about a queer Moroccan coyote filmmaker, was a pleasant surprise, earning an 8 out of 10 due to its authentic story, clever cinematography, and motivated sound design, despite low-budget animation imperfections. - "Mellin," the slow cinema film from Lav Diaz, was found to be "very slow, not interesting," receiving a 5 out of 10, marked by technical issues like automatic exposure adjustments visible even in promotional clips. - "A Poet," a Spanish film that won the jury prize at Cannes, disappointed the reviewer by becoming "heavy-handed" and relying on frustrating tropes where characters fail to explain obvious situations, resulting in a 5 out of 10. - "No Other Choice" by Park Chan-wook earned a 9 out of 10, praised for its exceptional music selection, visual depth, and comedic, outrageous energy in a story about a man eliminating job competition, despite comparisons to "Parasite". - "Sentimental Value" from director Yuim Tria, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes, received a high 8 out of 10 for its masterful, natural presentation, authentic portrayal of anxiety, and subtle environmental storytelling. **Context:** The reviewer attended the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which they consider their favorite festival of the year due to the vibes and audience, and proceeded to review numerous films screened there in a short timeframe, noting that they missed seeing some desired films which they plan to cover later. ## Detailed Analysis The review covered a diverse slate of films from TIFF 2025, starting with the highest praise for Matt Johnson's "Nirvana, the band, the show, the movie," a hilarious, outrageous comedy blending fiction and reality by filming candidly with real people, which benefited immensely from complex editing and filmmaking comprehension, culminating in a perfect 10/10 score. Following this success, the animated film "Bushra" impressed with its authentic, personal story and meticulous sound design, netting an 8/10 despite animation flaws. Conversely, Lav Diaz's "Mellin" was a significant letdown at 5/10 due to excessive slowness and technical flaws, while the Spanish film "A Poet" was dismissed as phony and frustratingly written, also scoring 5/10. Director Yuim Tria's "Sentimental Value" was expertly crafted and deeply felt, earning a high 8/10 for its nuanced character work and masterful presentation. "Roofman," starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, was deemed a solid, entertaining, true-story based film about a criminal hiding in a Toys R Us, achieving a 7/10 despite some cheesy moments. Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" was a comedic, visually stunning success with an intense narrative about eliminating job competition, rated 9/10. Other films reviewed included the forgettable "Dead Man's Wire" (high 5/10), the meandering documentary "Love Plus War" (6/10), the emotionally sound but narratively familiar "Steve" (6/10), and the UFC-centric "The Smashing Machine" (7/10). Soderbergh's "The Christophers" was criticized for its uncompelling narrative despite professional visuals, scoring 5/10, while Kthur Benhania's "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a dramatization of a real tragedy in Gaza using real emergency audio, was praised for its creative filmmaking despite being repetitive, earning a 7/10. ### TIFF Experience - The reviewer attended the 50th TIFF and had a blast, loving the vibes and audience atmosphere - They saw many films in a short time, promising coverage of missed movies later. ### Nirvana - The Movie Review: This film is outrageous and hilarious, a result of the director's previous success with "Blackberry" - It is a love letter to Toronto, using real locations extensively - The filmmaking relies on complex understanding of editing, blending fiction and candid public filming, leading to a 10/10 rating. ### Bushra Review - A low-budget, 3D animated film about a queer Moroccan coyote filmmaker in New York - The animation style was initially jarring but developed a nostalgic, grungy feeling - Exceptional sound design subtly amplified character stress, contributing to an 8/10 score. ### Slow Cinema & Technical Flaws - Lav Diaz's "Mellin" (2h 40m) was deemed boring and uncompelling, receiving a 5/10 - "Mellin" suffered from visible technical errors, like auto-exposure adjustments in promotional clips and the main feature. ### Narrative Frustrations - "A Poet" fell apart due to heavy-handed messaging and characters acting as obvious idiots who refuse to explain simple situations, resulting in a frustrating 5/10 - "The Christophers" lacked a compelling narrative, feeling like props in service of an uninteresting plot, scoring 5/10. ### Masterful Directing - Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" is his most comedic film, showcasing mastery in cinematography, music selection, and scene transitions, earning a 9/10 - Yuim Tria's "Sentimental Value" was expertly presented with natural character writing and strong thematic resonance regarding past traumas, scoring a high 8/10. ### Solid Commercial Features - "Roofman," based on the true story of a criminal hiding in a Toys R Us, was funny, entertaining, and well-acted by Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, earning a 7/10 despite some cheesy moments - "The Smashing Machine" offered an interesting character study of UFC champion Mark Kerr and explored addiction with an authentic style, getting a 7/10. ### Experimental & Documentary Work - "The Voice of Hind Rajab" used real audio of a tragic event in Gaza, aiming to show extreme terror through a bottle movie structure, earning a 7/10 despite repetition - "Steve" was a familiar story about a troubled teens' caretaker managing his own mental health, deemed solid but ultimately forgettable at 6/10 - "Love Plus War" was a character study of a war photographer that felt meandering, scoring 6/10.