The Toronto International Film Festival saw some great stories and great films. There were also some great stories about women featured at the fest. Here, we highlight three capsule reviews about stories around the world about women. Featured are reviews of “Linda” (Argentina), “The Courageous” (Switzerland) and “Sweet Angel Baby” (Canada). We start in Argentina…
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‘Linda’ (Dir. Mariana Wainstein)
“Linda” had the potential to drift into many different genres, as it has all the sexual tension of an erotic Brian de Palma thriller. However, the film finds comfort only working within a slice-of-life type of drama, analyzing how the introduction of one character can sorely test a family’s dynamic.
The titular Linda (China Suárez) accepts a maid position in Buenos Aires as an interim fill-in for a cousin, who is recovering from an accident. Once Linda is there, she receives sexual interest from each member of the family: Matriarch Luisa (Julieta Cardinali), patriarch Camilo (Rafael Spregelburd), as well as son Ceferino (Felipe Gonzalez Otãno), and daughter Matilda (Minerva Casero).
The family dynamic itself among them all is believable, giving the façade of a normal family that sits down and eats together every night; but otherwise there’s not an impression they spend a lot of time together. The film is well-acted by each party, as everyone feels like real people occupying real spaces, and we’re just watching their lives unfold. That’s where “Linda” is unfortunately on the boring side, as everything is so mundane and not a lot happens in the film.
A Focus on Female Desire
However, the parts where the film is good or interesting show how very well-made it is. The effect Linda has on the entire family and how easily they take to her is almost mythical, as if she’s emulating a siren song. In one scene, Linda tells the story of the Deceased Correa, who traveled through a desert with her baby looking for her husband and died of dehydration. However, her baby was saved, found days later, breastfeeding on Correa’s still full breasts. Linda says, “I feel like that many times, going through the desert, looking for water.” I took that as Linda looking for purpose, or someone who will stick with her, as everyone seems to throw themselves at her.
Suárez as Linda believably brings that aura to the titular role, someone who is magnetizing on screen and is a main delight to watch. The chemistry she’s able to build with each co-star is what best displays the strong direction from Mariana Wainstein. Some scenes have palpable sexual tension created, such as when Linda goes in briefly on Luisa’s neck to smell a new perfume. There are some moments here that are simply breathtaking, where we just hang onto Linda’s every word. Unfortunately, it feels like a cumbersome task to make it through the mundane scenes, in order to get to those special ones.
Grade: C+
‘The Courageous’ (Dir. Jasmin Gordon)
There’s also beauty found in the everyday life of a single mother in “The Courageous” (French: Les Courageux). Jule (Ophélia Kolb) is a 40-year-old living in Switzerland with her three children; 10-year-old Claire (Jasmine Kalisz Saurer), eight-year-old Loïc (Paul Besnier) and six-year-old Sami (Arthur Devaux). She lives within the social welfare system in Switzerland, trying her best to provide for her children through limited means.
We meet her as she drops her kids off at a restaurant, orders them a lemonade, and leaves them there for hours, going off to do odd jobs. Like the kids, we don’t know what she does with her days; they leave the restaurant and cross a freeway to get back home, and Jule comes home panicked to find them asleep, passed out on the couch. There’s an automatic instinct to think of her as a bad mom; but throughout the film we know that she fights hard for her children. The theme song of the TV show “Reba,” Reba McEntire’s “I’m a Survivor,” sums up Jule best: “A single mom who works two jobs, who loves her kids and never stops… With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter, I’m a survivor.”
Even though we’re not entirely sure if she works two jobs, that’s the crux of “The Courageous”: A slice-of-life story following Jule, as her kids are the only thing keeping her going. Her ambition is being able to buy them a house on the market that she visits with them, before hastily sneaking out the back of the home when the real estate agent shows up with a couple. It’s her ambition; but feels more like an unattainable dream.
A Slice-of-Life Story About Motherhood
There’s a transitionary scene throughout the film that feels out of place but bears more meaning as the film progresses. It’s the camera creepily stationed on the forest as the wind howls, and a music sting hits before going to the next scene. It’s a scene that showcases the film’s setting of Switzerland (filmed in the Valais region), and with the music sting could feel like it’s setting the table for a horror film. However, symbolically, this day-to-day life of trying to survive must feel like a horror film for Jule, not knowing what the next day will bring.
Kolb shines in the role of Jule. She’s never flashy and is all about keeping her cool throughout. Her role feels more rewarding as we learn more about the character as the film goes on, perfectly finding a balance of portraying the anxiety of her situation and trying to maintain a smile on her face to convince her kids that everything is fine. It’s a life where you have to roll with the punches; but at a certain point, it’s very difficult to want to get back up and pretend everything is okay. That’s something that Kolb plays incredibly well with her emotions, and she helps make “The Courageous” worth the watch.
Grade: B-
‘Sweet Angel Baby’ (Dir. Melanie Oates)
“Sweet Angel Baby,” set in a small fishing town in Newfoundland, Canada, is my favorite of the three films. It follows Eliza (Michaela Kurimsky), an upstanding citizen in the town, who is even heading a fundraiser for the historic church in order to save it. However, Eliza holds secrets. One is her relationship with out lesbian Toni (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers). The other secret is an anonymous Instagram account with over 300,000 followers.
Under the moniker “Wildling,” Eliza posts photos in bikinis or in the nude, all of which obscure her face. The types of poses range from being covered in jelly and yarn on the beach, to chopping wood in bikini. Family man Sean (Peter Mooney) stumbles upon her profile, and essentially uses it as blackmail. He promises to keep her secret, but soon shows his friends anyway. Soon, the news spreads like wildfire.
A fascinating look into small-town politics and the power of social media, Melanie Oates’ feature is patient in how it lays its groundwork. The secret doesn’t spill until almost the third act of the film, but it is so worth the wait. When the secret is out, it makes everyone wonder how well they know their neighbors, when they’ve known Eliza her entire life. When a salacious secret like this comes out, everyone has an opinion on it, especially because it’s a small town where nothing happens. At the same time, in a vacuum, it’s 2024 and a spicy Instagram page shouldn’t matter so much.
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A Beautiful, Heartbreaking Look into Small-Town Life
Kurimsky’s performance anchors the film as Eliza, expressing such vulnerability as she navigates her life changing because of a secret that’s really no one’s business. Seeing how she navigates it with Toni is fascinating, too, as Kurimsky and Tailfeathers share some fantastic scenes. The queerness aspect of the film is great as another secret that lingers. Early on in the film, Eliza’s family asks her why she doesn’t have a man yet and she shrugs.
These kinds of scenes are why I love small-town films like this. The acting feels so natural, as if the secondary characters are played by its town members. The scenery of “Sweet Angel Baby” is also gorgeous. It makes me want to visit a town like this one. They look inviting and these films always seem to be set in October or November (think “Manchester by the Sea,” “Blow the Man Down” or even “CODA”). It’s a world that I always just want to visit, or even move to; and it’s no different here, even if something as spicy as Eliza’s secret probably won’t happen.
Grade: B
“Linda,” “The Courageous,” and “Sweet Angel Baby” had their world premieres at TIFF, which ran from September 5th to September 15th. Follow us for more coverage.
