Dear Toronto,

It was my first time attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) or even Canada for that matter and I have to say — it wasn’t that bad. I was able to see 17 films at this years festival, so in this article I will be breaking down my top five TIFF picks.

5) THE LIE

In number 5 I have THE LIE. Its directed by Veena Sud who was a producer for two shows I highly recommend — THE KILLING and SEVEN SECONDS; both of which are on Netflix. It also has Joey King, who I haven’t really been a fan of recently, but goes back to her Conjuring roots for this role. Peter Sarsgaard and Mirellie Enos were also in THE KILLING, and they’re just as great in this one.

The premise revolves around Joey King’s character, Kayla, who is being dropped off at her ballet camp by her father. While waiting at a stop light they notice one of Kayla’s friends at a bus stop. Kayla and her father give her a ride and an event transpires that ends with a lie on top of another lie, on top of another lie that gets way out of control. The ending is so baffling that I cannot wait to read everyone’s reactions because whether you agree with the lie or not, it will be one of the most talked about endings of 2019.

4) WIDOWS

In number 4 is WIDOWS directed by Steve McQueen. For those who don’t recognize him by his name alone, he directed the Academy Award Winner for Best Picture 12 Years a Slave. Co-Written By Gillian Flynn, author of gone girl and sharp objects, we follow our principle cast a group of women who have each lost their husbands — Hence Widows.

Now the casting director alone gets a 10/10 for the ensemble they pulled together. I mean we're talking about: Liam Neeson, Jon Bernthal, Colin Farrell, Elizabeth Debicki, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, and of course Viola Davis.

Viola gathers these women to pull off her late husband’s (Liam Neeson) final heist to pay back a debt to Brian Tyree Henry's character. And like always she is fantastic. I mean, Liam Neeson had a heist plan and couldn’t do it. OBVIOUSLY Viola Davis can. I personally believe Elizabeth Debicki has the best scenes in the film, while Michelle Rodriguez does a great job flipping her usual casting and playing on her soft side. In the end, it's an engaging drama that borders as a thriller questioning everything these women have known and how they overcome their labels.

3) MID90S

In number 3 is MID90S directed by Jonah Hill. It follows a group of kids with on common past time — skateboarding. I love the nostalgia vibe Jonah hill was able to display. I love how it showed how close these kids were with this wolf pack mentality. That no matter their backgrounds they were able to unite together through this one passion.

When it nears the end, you’re given a bittersweet glimpse into their futures. Similar to Sundance's Mind the Gap with the hope that as long as they have each other, everything will be ok.

2) A STAR IS BORN

In number 2 is A STAR IS BORN, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut starring Lady Gaga tells the story of Jack who's spiraling down from his career as he gets more famous. He eventually finds his muse when he meets Ally at a club and decides to bring her on stage. Their first performance of ‘Shallow’ gave me goosebumps. I knew Gaga could sing, but she definitely went off the deep end here

While we see all the good that comes from being or seeing someone on tour it also balances it out when one starts to out shadow the other and issues arise. If you didn’t have this movie on your radar based on the cast alone, maybe 21 Pilots “A Trench is Born” support will.

1) SHOPLIFTERS

My number 1 came as a surprise. As a Spanish speaker, I always have this worry with foreign films that the subtitles will not evoke the same context or loose some of the emotions when translated — as I've seen many times before. But Shoplifters packed all of that and more

The subtle stares and mannerisms the family does while out and about. The way the story slowly unfolds making you look at everything from a different perspective. It all boils down to a heart wrenching third act that makes it one of my favorite of the year

Again, these aren’t the only good movies to come out of TIFF, but the top five that stood out to me.

Just like with our Sundance picks, we hope you keep these on your radar and let us know which ones you’re anticipating the most!

Film Festival Dispatches

Top Five Films at TIFF 2018

The AtZ Show