blood lines | Dayton937

Hello Dayton937 & NEON Fans,

I saw four films today, and they were quite spread out…as today (errr, yesterday) was my first Midnight Movie of the festival. I can already tell it’s gonna be rough waking up in about 4 hours.

My first movie of the day was a hot ticket – THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (dir: Mona Fastvold – United Kingdom) “Mona Fastvold, co-writer of The Brutalist, examines the life and beliefs of Ann Lee, one of pre-Revolutionary America’s most seminal religious figures, in The Testament of Ann Lee — with Amanda Seyfried as Lee and a stellar cast including Tim Blake Nelson.” (TIFF catalog) It’s been a long time since I sat through a long film that I really disliked. Going into this, I knew it was a musical. Going into this, I knew it was about religion. Going into this, I knew it was 2 hrs & 17 min. I’m not opposed to any of those things, but boy, oh boy, this film did not work for me. There were historical elements that I found intriguing here – like certain aspects of the Shaker religion that are intriguing – like their pacifism, their belief in equal rights and anti-racist ideals…but I could learn these things without this film. Though some musical numbers were intriguing and certainly seemed necessary (the Shakers were essentially referred to as “shaking Quakers”), the introduction of electric guitars to the music in later scenes made me dislike the film even more. All that said, I’m glad I stayed until the end – as the last 15 minutes painted a very interesting picture.
There is no trailer yet for this film, but here’s a still photo:

My next film had hints of early Michel Gondry-like whimsy – ETERNITY (dir: David Freyne – USA) “Set in the afterlife, this stirring drama from director David Freyne (TIFF ’17’s The Cured) features Elizabeth Olsen (TIFF ’24’s The Assessment) and Miles Teller (Whiplash) as souls in transit — and a troubled love triangle.” (TIFF catalog). This film was an escapist treat, and it even got a round of applause from the industry folks (a rarity for Press & Industry screenings). This colorful, escapist film was tender and full of laughs, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph steals a lot of scenes, but everybody is terrific. I smile-cried on-and-off throughout. (This is one of those movies where I will want to pause scenes just to appreciate the set pieces and props. Everything about creating this world is thoughtful and fun.)

My next film of the night was a Canadian film made with indigenous people – BLOOD LINES (dir: Gail Maurice – Canada) “The second feature from director Gail Maurice (ROSIE, TIFF ’22) is a singular film: a Métis same-sex romance led by actor Dana Solomon, who is a revelation.” (TIFF catalog). This film’s strength is in its photography and it representation. It was made so much stronger by a lovely Q&A with the director and several people from the cast. Sadly, I felt the screenplay rushed some of the story/development…but was too slow at other moments. What was so fresh about the material was that the lesbian pairing was unflinching…being gay was at no point scorned or even questioned…and that was refreshing. I don’t think a little film like this will find distribution, but I’m glad it’s out in the world.
There is no trailer yet for this film, but here’s a still photo:

My last film of the day was visually dazzling – DUST BUNNY (dir: Bryan Fuller – USA) “A 10-year-old girl procures the services of a hit man (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill the monster under her bed in this whimsically macabre feature debut from acclaimed television showrunner Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal).” (TIFF catalog) This was a true Midnight Movie (I’ve seen films from this category before, but never actually at midnight…and I wasn’t alone – it was Sigourney Weaver’s first Midnight Movie, too…and it was so fun to see her in person). The design of this film was so polished and hyper-stylized, there were times I couldn’t tell if the entire set was CGI or if the practicals were just enhanced. The script was great, Mads and Sigourney were fantastic, and the little girl – Sophie Sloan – was absolutely incredible. Between the elevated production design and fun childlike playfulness of it all, it felt like a horror version of AMELIE. There were moments I had no idea what was going on…and I don’t know if it was because I was so tired or because the overall production was simply too stimulating. This film will find a dedicated cult audience for sure.