While the Academy Awards may be months away, it’s never too early to start planning out which movies will be worth seeing before they hit theaters. This past weekend, there were many noteworthy films previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with many unique characters and stories based in fiction and fact, from a mute, female janitor with an unconventional romance to the Prime Minister of England during World War II.
One convention that does seem to be common at TIFF 2017 is the presence of strong, rebellious women in many of the films, which is a positive change to the representation of female characters in Hollywood, existing in and of themselves rather than serving as a support for a male lead. While there were plenty of other impressive films, here’s a list of five of the best films shown at TIFF that deserve Oscar nominations.
1. Molly’s GameÂ
In this gutsy adaptation of a true story, which hits theaters on November 22nd, Jessica Chastain plays Molly Bloom, an Olympic skier who decides to run one of the world’s largest underground poker games once an accident ruins her skiing career. In his directorial debut, Aaron Sorkin, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter who penned The Social Network and The West Wing, transforms his witty, fast-paced dialogue into visual format, imbuing into film the same kind of energy found within his screenplays, which is perfect to depict Bloom’s determined personality and intense lifestyle. Throughout the film, Sorkin provides his actors, including Idris Elba and Kevin Costner, with lengthy speeches that alone are Oscar worthy, but if that doesn’t get the Academy’s attention, Jessica Chastain’s performance surely will.
2. Darkest Hour Â
Christopher Nolan’s war epic, Dunkirk, which depicts the troops being evacuated from Dunkirk beach, could easily be paired with Joe Walsh’s film, Darkest Hour, since both films show two very separate yet equally important events within World War II: the bombings that took place in Dunkirk and the decisions made by the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, that brought them there. Darkest Hour, which will be released on November 22nd, provides a behind-the-scenes look at Winston Churchill’s struggle to maintain his power as the new Prime Minister and shows his determination to continue to battle the Nazi’s instead of appealing for a ceasefire.
