More from TIFF'09

The Day Will Come
A German, former activist, is hunted down by her long lost daughter, and is threaten to be exposed of a crime she committed, that she is trying to keep secret from her new family. Very well paced, and good approach on the relationship between a mother and daughter. I enjoyed the flow between German and French languages, due to the geographic setting of the film in France, close to the German border.

The Misfortunates
Trailer Park Boys in Dutch. I was sadly drained from many longs days at the festival at this point, and was sitting in the second row, so did not leave the film understanding the plot. Film ended with a simple, yet sweet scene of a young boy learning the ride a bicycle with his father/uncle, which was enjoyable. Heard from a co-worker later that his date was offended by the misogynistic themes, that's too bad.

Mr. Nobody
Synecdoche, New York meets 2001: A Space Odyssey, a crazy ride of what the hell is going on. A very old man recounts many potential lives he may have lived. Like Sliding Doors in reverse, the audience finds themselves intertwined in three different stories of his life, and trying to decipher which path is the real one. I left this movie with a profound feeling that life can't be bad regardless of the decisions I make. One of the few films that had an impact on me at this festival. The structure of the film felt like reading a "Choose Your Own Adventure", but in chronological order (because we've probably all done that at one point or another).

Phantom Pain
A touching film about a cyclist who survives a horrible accident, and needs to get one of his legs amputated. The protagonist is a slacker, who does not take responsibility in his life, and the accident is a wake up call. The film is German, but has a very American soundtrack, which gives me the impression that they are pushing for wide release. Story is good, acting is strong, but also, the whole film has a Hollywood formula, which lets you predict how it will end. Amazing cinematography of the countryside when he is cycling. Overall, very enjoyable, and accessible.