Somehow, in between peameal bacon sandwiches at Carousel in St. Lawrence Market and vegan donuts at Bloomer’s, we found time to stop cramming Toronto’s many culinary delights down our gullets so we could watch a few movies. TIFF 2025, a.k.a TIFF50, a.k.a “TIFFty,” as a pre-show sketch thanking the volunteers (who deserve all the cheers one can give) put it, was a celebration of everything that makes this festival one of North America’s best. The program more than lived up to the promise — by our count, we only disliked four or five movies out of the 20-odd titles we saw, and the number we wound up writing long-form reviews about had a disproportionate number of raves compared to past years. Even musical-massacre Motor City endeared us to the point that we can’t stop blasting the Let’s Dance cut of Bowie’s “Cat People” in the car.
This was also a year where the audience awards — the People’s Choice and its international equivalent, long a preview of coming awards season love — showed that the masses can, in fact, get it right on the goddamn money. No Green Books this year: The top prize went to Chloe Zhao’s masterful, devastating Hamnet, while the international honor went to Park Chan-wook’s astonishing No Other Choice.
We went long on both, and if you’d like to read about a movie that had the whole critical crew (shouts out to the Sleazoids, Paste and We Hate Movies crews for being great company throughout) crying at the function after the fact, well, read the Hamnet piece. God help us, we’re already welling up again just thinking about it.
So, yeah, happy TIFFty, TIFF — you guys kick ass, and you make one of North America’s best cities even better when you come around every September. Join us in reliving this year’s fest by checking out our full archive below.
TIFF50 Preview: Five films we’re hyped about at this year’s festival —
TIFF50 has arrived, and our annual curtain-raiser looks at ‘Christy’, ‘Motor City’, ‘No Other Choice’, ‘Roofman’, and ‘The Smashing Machine’.
TIFF50 Review: David Mackenzie’s ‘Fuze’ never fizzles out —
Boasting a swell ensemble cast and a somewhat surprising narrative structure, it’s Mackenzie’s strongest work since ‘Hell or High Water’.
TIFF50 Review: Messy yet masterful ‘Motor City’ has musical muscle —
There are a fair number of frustrating things about Potsy Ponciroli’s new film ‘Motor City’ — often by design.
TIFF50 Review: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ won’t shake things up too much —
‘Ann Lee’ is spiritually inert, its passions reserved for aestheticization and accuracy rather than insight.
TIFF50 Review: Soderbergh goes 3-for-3 in 2025 with ‘The Christophers’ —
‘The Christophers’ is a lovely tribute to the process of creative evolution via how, rightly or wrongly, an audience engages with an artist’s work
TIFF50 Review: Channing Tatum steals hearts in ‘Roofman’ —
‘Roofman’ is a rare pleasure: A big-hearted true crime picture with legitimate depth and soul. Oh, and humor. What a hoot.
TIFF50 Review: The Rock dominates ‘The Smashing Machine’ —
In light of recent drubbings, it’s somewhat poetic that ‘The Smashing Machine’ is Dwayne Johnson’s big return to the multiplex.
TIFF50 Review: del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ doesn’t have much of a pulse —
Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelly’s icon doesn’t even come close to equaling James Whale’s masterpiece. It barely beats Branagh, even.
TIFF50 Review: ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ has awful luck —
Edward Berger’s latest can be best compared to the savory ‘elevated’ cotton candy served as an amuse-bouche at high-end restaurants.
TIFF50 Review: ‘No Other Choice’ is probably the best movie of 2025 —
Go see ‘No Other Choice’. Seriously, just fucking go to it when it comes out on Christmas Day. You won’t be sorry.
TIFF50 Review: Chloe Zhao astounds with the spectacular ‘Hamnet’ —
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal give two of the most accomplished and moving performances of the decade. Grab the tissues.
TIFF50 Review: Bob Odenkirk kicks ass with a ‘stache in ‘Normal’ —
Bob Odenkirk’s upper lip isn’t the only thing strange in Ben Wheatley’s ‘Normal.’ There’s also the Yakuza and Henry Winkler.
TIFF50 Review: Joel Edgerton gives ‘Train Dreams’ its soul —
Clint Bentley’s ‘Train Dreams’ is a poetic, beautiful tale of a life in the Northwest, anchored by Joel Edgerton’s masterful performance.