TIFFinately go to the Toronto Film Festival: September 18th in Toronto

TIFF- The Toronto International Film Festival

Kristin and I claim the bed this time. Melkamu and Umair are out at a club so we figure it’s only fair, especially since it’s midnight, the family of 6 is still awake, and the lights are still on. So we sleep, and I sleep as I usually do, like a non-breathing lump… until Kristin nudges me at 6:57 in the morning and the two of us pull ourselves out of bed, throw on some clothes (Kristin is of course wearing her new hippy skirt) and head out the door to pick up Z. We know we have to pick up tickets at least one hour before our first movie “October” and traffic is slowing us down. 

On Bloor, we come to a stop pretty close to the theater, Kristin hops out of the car and runs in, while Z, who’s currently in the back gets out of the car, runs to the driver’s seat, jumps in, takes the wheel, and we drive off to look for parking. We find it, quite easily actually, and head out to meet up with Kristin. She got the tickets on time. Now we just need to wait, make sure Mike finds us, and get something for breakfast.

I grab some german chocolate coffee and sit down with the pair. Mike arrives after walking clear across town to get to us. We’re all recovering at this early hour, still waking up. The man next to us has a quart of milk on his table and there’s a woman at the coffee stand counter with an adorable golden-doodle that Kristin and I run up to and play with for a wee bit before strolling back, finishing our breakfasts, and heading up the escalator to TIFF movie 1, “October.”

“October”, oh “October”. Let me just say never watch this movie unless you’re already bored. Sure it has some funny moments like when the old man steals a wheelchair for his lover, and the premise only incites the impression that it will be an excellent film. I mean, wouldn’t you want to see a movie where a middle-aged curmudgeon of a man finds a baby, takes it in, and there’s an assortment of other peculiar characters that weave themselves into the movie with all of it leading up to the Peruvian Day of Miracles? I know I did…. and so did Kristin… and Z. Mike is the only one who didn’t have it on his TIFF movie list, and he’s the only one who rated it a 5 in the Cadillac People’s Choice Award. Epic fail of a movie. All I’m thinking at this point is, we should of gone to see “Uncle Bonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” and that hopefully, fingers crossed, the next couple of movies will be infinitely better.

I will say though, that it was apparently thought-provoking enough that the four of us can’t stop talking about it, trying to find the potential symbols, wondering if there was some sort of cultural component to the movie that we completely missed, and debating whether or not the woman who ended up taking in the baby was actually a good person. This continues pretty much all the way from the car, where I get my bags, to the Canadiana Backpackers Inn, where I’m staying the night with Mike. Although during a brief portion of that time we talk about the downfalls of other movies, and of course have to stop and take photos when we some beautifully painted leaves on the concrete ground. Color attracts us like honeysuckles attract hummingbirds.

After checking in and taking a moment to freshen up we find a dim sum place close by and eat there before moving towards the University of Toronto Campus to see movie #2, "Microphone," where Umair and Melkamu are going to meet us. Mike and I go in, Kristin and Z wait outside for the rest of the crew, and the movie starts. Z returns but it takes 10 more minutes before Kristin comes to the seats. The boys left late, were lost, and Kristin and them decide that they might as well not come.

Let me just say, that "Microphone" is so incredibly uplifting, and humorous, and human that if anyone ever has the opportunity to see it, they should, without a doubt, see it. It’s a pseudo non-fiction story about the underground music scene in Alexandria, Egypt. The soundtrack is amazing, the people are beautiful, and the story is phenomenal and presses the point that time isn’t linear. When we think back on things, it’s never in order. It’s scattered, with one memory or thought hopping to another. Then, when the movie stops, the director, screenwriter, other movie techies, and my new celebrity crush, Khaled Abol Naga, who is an absolutely gorgeous man, come on stage to answer questions about the film. Great experience. It definitely beats “October”.

We go outside and Melkamu and Umair are there. Slowly we head over to find food somewhere. It takes us awhile since we have to stop and use the bathroom, and stop to spin some spinning public art, and stop and take a photo of all six of us before we end up at a Lebanese kebab shop.

Melkamu, Umair, and Kristin eat while the rest of us enjoy their company. This is our last moment together before our two groups have to part ways… until goodness knows when.  Goodbye to the group of 3 Muslims, 2 Christians, and a Jew, now it’s just a 1:1:1 ratio of people following monotheistic religions.

Mike, Z, and I head out to find our own dinner and end up getting burgers close to our theater, right in front of the TIFF Lightbox.

It starts trickling rain right before we’re done. We head over to the movie theater were I went with Nate to watch the Bourne movie and Harry Potter back in 2007. We’re waiting in line for a while and Mike is wondering if we’re in the right line. We are, and finally end up in this huge, stadium-style theater to watch the Australian film “Wasted on the Young”. It’s actually a really good movie with some great swim team shots. Of course, that’s not what it’s about. just think of the movie “Brick”, it’s kind of like that and deals with the brutality of teenagers. In fact, no adults are actually shown throughout the entire film. It’s just high schoolers partying, doing drugs, drinking, and brutalizing one another while pressing home the point that it is often people acting as bystanders doing nothing that allows atrocities to continue.

“Wasted on the Young” is another thought-provoking film that takes us all the way from the theater, to Mike’s and my hostel, to Church St. where the final portion of our night commences.  Oh Church St., God I love Church St. Essentially it’s the LGBTQ friendly district and it has a lot of great bars, restaurants, shops, and of course is the area that Gay Pride happens in Toronto. The three of us bar hop to three different places, drinking and talking about life for the first half of the night… of course we also watch some drag queens dancing and lip-syncing… and then the dancing begins. This makes me realize how much fun I have dancing, especially when I’m with friends and letting loose, and just jumping and spinning from one place to another. We jump on the second floor stage at one place and it’s just the three of us dancing and singing along to the music until the bar closes around 3. As soon as we get downstairs, Z says a quick goodbye and catches a taxi back to his aunt’s house and Mike and I saunter sleepily back to the hostel. The two of us, the only ones left, agree to meet up at 9:30 the following morning and try to catch another TIFF movie before he catches his bus out of down. We’re in the journey’s dénouement.