The Toronto Film Festival slate can be a fickle animal.
The 2018 schedule — of which we have only seen a sliver — already belongs in the former category, with highly-anticipated titles by household-name directors like Alfonso Cuaron, Barry Jenkins, Claire Denis, Damien Chazelle, Jason Reitman and Bradley Cooper, making his directorial debut with Lady Gaga in tow.
Some years, it is packed with noteworthy dramatic heavyhitters and potential Oscar contenders from some of the top names in the storytelling business.
And other years, the initial blast of programmed films lacks pizzazz, meaning that it’s time to hunker down and find gems from unheralded voices (and gems, believe me, can always be found on the fest slate at TIFF).