Wednesday, October 23, 2024​

Location: SilverCity
Showtimes: 6:30 & 8:30 pm

Director: Pablo Berger
Running Time: 101 m  
Language: 

This animated, dialogue-free story about the miracle of true friendship between a dog and a robot was nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.

Prepare to enjoy one of the best animated films of the year, as Spanish director Pablo Berger — last at TIFF with “Blancanieves (2012), his surprising black-and-white take on “Snow White” — returns with an enthralling, dialogue-free story about the miracle of true friendship and what the end of a platonic relationship feels like.

The hand-drawn film, based on the 2007 graphic novel by Sara Varon, is set in New York City in the 1980s. Paradoxically, the city’s relentless flow of activity can make for rather lonely lives, such as the one the quiet, composed Dog leads. But when Dog orders Robot from a TV sales channel and assembles him, he brings to life a kind, strong, and flexible buddy with a great smile and incredibly expressive eyes. 

Their instant, honest bond allows them to enjoy an unforgettable summer together to the beat of Earth, Wind & Fire’s funky “September”, only to be involuntarily separated at the beach after a day of underwater antics.

Unable to figure out a way to take Robot home with him, Dog leaves his dear friend behind. The seasons pass and, after countless failed efforts to reconnect, Dog tries to find new friends and has some success, while Robot has no choice but to dream of more ideal situations. They move on with their lives out of necessity.

Suitable for every family member, the beauty of this jewel of a film is its reminder of the good fortune of having a caring pal, even if it’s only for a brief time.

Wednesday, October 16 2024​

Location: SilverCity
Showtimes: 6:30 & 8:30 pm

Director: Minhal Baig
Cast: Blake Cameron James, Glan Knight Ramirez, S. Epatha Merkerson
Running Time: 93 m  
Language: English

Two young boys, best friends Malik and Eric, discover the joys and hardships of growing up in the sprawling Cabrini-Green public housing complex in 1992 Chicago in the latest film from director Minhal Baig (“Hala,” TIFF ’19).

Constructed over several decades beginning in the late 1940s, Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing complex embodied contemporary thought on housing and urban development. By 1992, however, the community — and the world — had changed significantly. That’s captured in the latest film from director Minhal Baig (Hala, TIFF ’19).

Along with his mother Dolores (Jurnee Smollett) and grandmother Anita (S. Epatha Merkerson), 12-year-old Malik (Blake Cameron James) has lived in this community all his life. The same is true for his best friend Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) and together the boys know every nook, stairway, and rooftop — all of these a playing field for their (sometimes forbidden) adventures. 

But change is intruding on their childhood idyll. Drugs and crime are seeping into the neighbourhood and, when a sudden tragic event further shakes the families, the children’s future becomes uncertain. 

As Dolores weighs a new job that would take them to the unfamiliar suburbs, Malik and Eric struggle with accepting that they may have to say goodbye to each other.

Anchored by astonishing performances from young newcomers James and Ramirez, “We Grown Now” serves as a rich and textured portrait of the friendships we often neglect to acknowledge when we talk about what a community is. Baig spent significant time with former residents of the now-demolished Cabrini-Green homes, gathering their stories and garnering support for the telling of them. The result is a lyrical and poignant tale of boyhood innocence, social change, and the fight to hold on to optimism.

Wednesday, September 25 2024​

Location: SilverCity
Showtimes: 6:30 & 8:30 pm

Director: Thea Sharrock
Cast: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall
Running Time: 102m  
Language: English

Best Feature Film Nomination: Cleveland International Film Festival

“Wicked Little Letters is a broad and funny period piece, and it sparkles with sharp dialogue.”---Liz Braun, original.cin

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley play neighbours who get on each other’s nerves in this dark comedy about a small English town where residents start receiving anonymous, expletive-laden letters, igniting a scandal in their community.

It’s the 1920s and there’s a scandal brewing in the charming seaside town of Littlehampton. Residents have started receiving anonymous, poison-pen letters, brimming with curse words and scandalous prose. Who is writing them and how can they be stopped?

Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) — pious and respected (if not well-liked) — is one of those residents. The letters assassinate her character in the most blue-tinged language imaginable and, when they start to stack up, her autocratic, scripture-quoting father Edward (Timothy Spall) insists the culprit be found. With law enforcement reluctantly investigating, Edith bandies a pet theory that her neighbour Rose (Jessie Buckley) might mean her harm.

Rose is the opposite of Edith: loud, brash, a lover of spirits and dancing, and unapologetic about all of it. When the police arrest her in the letters case, assuming her guilt because of her “loose moral character,” it doesn’t sit well with Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan). With her superiors unwilling to listen, she gathers a group of unlikely yet resourceful female volunteers to get to the bottom of the mystery.

What begins as a village whodunnit suitable for the pearl-clutching set evolves into a profound statement about the stifling social confines around women’s behaviour and their possible tragic consequences. Screenwriter Jonny Sweet provides fabulously sharp dialogue, made even more enjoyable through the talents of the cast.

It’s all brought together by director Thea Sharrock (“Me Before You”), who makes room for the darker narrative undertones of misogyny, hypocrisy, and repression while keeping the many twists of this story moving at the perfect clip for its comedy.