Amongst this year’s lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and its first mainly in-person iteration since the start of the pandemic, “The Swearing Jar” (playing in the ‘Contemporary World Cinema’ programme) and Sheila Pye’s “The Young Arsonists” (playing in the ‘Discovery’ programme) were Canadian standouts.
‘The Swearing Jar’
For me, there’s no greater surprise when a film is unexpectedly a musical. Here, it’s a soft, acoustic musical that feels like an intimate concert, and one that hooks from its opening notes. Lindsay MacKay’s sophomore film, “The Swearing Jar,” opens with a flurry of swearing — but in song as Carey leads us in with a birthday song, one that shows her shared love of swearing with husband Simon (Patrick J. Adams).
Clemens has a beautiful, calm tone and I haven’t been able to get her birthday song out of my head since I’ve seen the film. The one amazing part about MacKay’s film is its narrative structure. It starts with a 40th birthday party, and so naturally weaves throughout the romance between Carrie and Simon, doing so through the birthday concert. So many films get confusing when weaving through time. However, MacKay and screenwriter Kate Hewlett have cracked the code: Transition through song.
The film’s first 25 minutes are bliss, where we’re finding comfort in the banter between Adelaide Clemens and Patrick A. Adams, and learning about the swearing jar and swearing as their love language. Their chemistry feels effortless, and “The Swearing Jar” takes on a different kind-of entertainment when Carrie also falls for local bookshop owner Owen (Douglas Smith). Clemens being able to have a strong chemistry between both characters is one of the film’s impressive feats.
The film in general is nothing short of brilliant, featuring a narrative arc that has believable and deserved conflict. Additionally, the dual exploration of love on display here is beautiful. The gorgeous songs are the cherry on top of “The Swearing Jar,” helping naturally take us through a stunning story.
‘The Young Arsonists’
In a debut feature film from a visual artist like Sheila Pye, it’s no surprise that the aesthetic and look of “The Young Arsonists” is one of the wonders of the film. Her way of transitioning between scenes, sometimes using coloured smoke, is creative. The heart of her film is just as large. It focuses on a pair of young girls in Nicole (Maddy Martin) and her best friend Veronica (Jenna Warren).
Along with their two other friends, Amber (Sadie Rose) and Sara (Madison Baines), they reclaim Nicole’s old farmhouse and form a bond over the summer of 1987. They are all bonded by trauma, but namely with Nicole who has lost her brother to a thresher accident, and Veronica who lives under the roof of a domineering, alcoholic and abusive father. As for Amber and Sara, we don’t go deep into their trauma. However we can tell they’re outsiders, as well, until finding this troupe.
“The Young Arsonists” features strong character work, where we learn early on that Veronica is the one struggling the most. When Nicole makes a throwaway joke about Veronica’s father, Veronica lashes out in a way where we expect her to say she’s joking, but she is dead serious. Jenna Warren shines in the role that is vastly different than Maddy Martin’s compassionate performance as Nicole.
Nicole is our and guide through the film. She writes letters to her deceased brother, putting her thoughts on paper and almost looking for guidance. The other central character is the farmhouse the girls occupy, which so well expresses the film’s exploration of grief. It’s a great feat in set design as we see a home so obviously lived in by a happy family – Nicole’s happy family – that has now been left to rot, unoccupied, because of the absence of such a big part of their family.
“The Swearing Jar” and “The Young Arsonists” are part of The Movie Buff’s continuous coverage of TIFF 2022. Follow us for more reviews this week.
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