Becoming an Egghead, Searching for Maple Syrup, Contracting Salmonella, and Falling Asleep During an 8:30 AM Premiere: My Weekend at TIFF

Posing in front of the TIFF letters at approximately 1:30 AM - the only time there wasn't a crowd!

In the days following my Toronto adventure, I’ve come to the realization that it is quite difficult to put into words how much this weekend meant to me (and also, apparently, what it did to me). That being said, I wanted to take time to reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I was presented with, and haphazardly took, allowing me to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies! 

Traveling 

I thought that Toronto was only about two hours away from Syracuse - I was wrong, but that’s okay. I drove two classmates and friends of mine, Naiya and Lily, across the border and into Canada. The drive in its entirety took about 5 hours. I am used to that distance from my rides to and from home, so I did not mind. On the way home from Toronto, we decided to stop and enjoy the canadian-border side of Niagara Falls, which was breathtaking! I had only been to the American side, which is arguably worse. Afterwards, Naiya and I began blasting 2000s pop to get us through the rest of the hours, while Lily attempted to write an essay due that night. The three of us had a fantastic time together driving and enjoying TIFF. 

Experiencing Toronto

Toronto itself was absolutely wonderful. I had never been to Canada, aside from the Niagara Falls area. Toronto is surprisingly extremely quiet - I was blown away by the lack of noise pollution poisoning the streets. Throughout the weekend, I got to minorly explore the area, stumbling upon the CN tower and seeing the outside of the Blue Jays stadium. I got my shot glass too, which I get in every place that I visit. It is a beautiful city and I would love to return, as we passed many wine vineyards on our way into the city that I would also like to check out, in addition to experiencing more of the culture. Before we left Toronto, Naiya, Lily, and I were determined to try maple syrup, settling on a breakfast restaurant for pancakes and eggs. This is potentially the cause of my demise, though I also think the infamous Mystic Muffin could have also turned the following weeks into trouble as well. Who knows! 

Watching Movies, of course! 

The best part about this weekend was getting to participate in my favorite hobby: watching movies in movie theaters. I had the opportunity to attend 5 screenings, 3 of which were world premieres of the film, meaning I was amongst the first viewers to ever lay eyes on it aside from the crew. That was a spectacular feeling and one that I will cherish for years to come.

The Egghead Republic

My friends and I bought these tickets for 30 bucks last minute, beginning to make jokes up until the showing that the movie was going to “blow our minds” and we were going to “sufficiently become eggheads,” while simultaneously theorizing how much funnier it would be if the movie sucked instead. But the movie was ridiculously awesome. It was different, it was silly, it was insanely weird, it kept you on your toes, it made you rethink everything you thought about the reality they brought you into. I gasped and I smiled and I clapped at the final frame before the movie cut to black - that feeling felt synonymous with what you get in the final scenes of Inception. After the screening, we actually had the opportunity to witness a Q&A by the creatives themselves, including the actors and writers of the movie. This was extremely exciting, and afterwards, Lily and I got to shake hands with one of the stars of the movie. It is a memory I will take with me forever as I finish school as a screenwriting major. 

Obsession

Following my proclaim that I was an Egghead, I had tickets to see Obsession at a midnight world premiere. I unfortunately did not make it, and I am silently extremely grateful. One thing about me: I cannot do horror. And to my friends feedback, Obsession is horrifying. Horrifyingly extraordinary, but horrifying nonetheless. I had a horrible headache and felt ill from the large travel day, that I knew sleep was of priority over a midnight screening. But I urge anyone that can handle thriller and horror to watch this film, as it was immediately picked up by a distributor after its premiere and will likely appear in theaters or on streaming soon. I heard fabulous things, but I was blessed to have a restful, and not fearful, nights sleep. 

Christy

This film will receive its own review by me in time. But one thing is for certain: you must see it. “But Faith, it’s just another biopic, and this time with Sydney Sweeney…” ENOUGH. I do not want to hear it. This movie is more than a biopic, more than simply an informative tale of an athlete’s life…it’s a feature that explores much deeper themes than your average Rocky film. While I am no fan of Sydney Sweeney’s controversy, she gained my utmost respect after this performance. She was determined, driven, and ultimately dominated the screen. Seeing her and the real Christy Martin on stage afterwards, alongside her dog, was fantastic. I sincerely hope that she walks away with an Oscar for best actress. She deserves it, and so do us women.   

Poetic License

The primary reason Lily and I decided to watch this world premiere was because it was directed by Maude Apatow and starred Andrew Barth Feldman in addition to Leslie Mann. Needless to say, seeing all three of them speak after the premiere and sitting a few rows behind Andrew himself was exhilarating. The script itself is so fun and captivating, while the film is a silly, light-hearted stor!. Extremely visually engaging for me because it’s set during the fall at a liberal arts college. If you need a fun film I suggest this one when it inevitably hits streaming. I wouldn’t be surprised if Netflix picks this up. Oh, and Maude Apatow walked past Lily and I and I think my heart skipped a beat.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 

Went out with one of the best films premiering here as my last screening of the festival. Lily and I splurged on tickets in hopes of seeing Rian Johnson in the flesh; we not only saw him, but also Daniel Craig, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, and the rest of the cast speak!!!! We woke up at 7am after a night out in the city to get breakfast to-go at Tim Horton’s and head to the theater for an 8:30am screening. Unfortunately, the coffee I chugged did not kick in quickly enough, as Lily and I both fought sleep for the first act and I definitely dozed for a few minutes. I woke up to a (singular of the movie) jumpscare and almost peed my pants. That being said, however, this film was incredible! It was equally as engaging as the rest of the Knives Out mysteries, and I’d go so far as to say it’s similar to the first movie. I will definitely rewatch this with my family over winter break, as we have watched both of the previous films together.

I’ll never forget how surreal it was to hear Rian Johnson speak afterwards; I have watched him closely ever since he ruined The Last Jedi (and the rest of that franchise. If you have qualms with my take, let’s talk) but ever since he has been working on Knives Out he has completely won me over. Needless to say seeing him in the flesh was inspiring, and a great way to close out my first Toronto International Film Festival. 

The Unfortunate Aftermath 

The Tuesday after I came back from Toronto, I began to experience an intense stomachache that I had never felt before. Don’t get me wrong, this is not out of the ordinary for me - most of my friends know I have IBS and lactose intolerance (amongst other notable but nevertheless marvelous issues within the gut) but this stomach ache just felt…different. And persistent. And inevitably a complete nuisance. Afraid for my health and convinced I had appendicitis, I went to student health on that wednesday and was immediately brought into the emergency room for CAT scans and ultrasounds and bloodwork and…eventually…a stool sample…where the culprit was found. Salmonella! Likely contracted during my weekend adventure. I blame Mystic Muffin. But I will never blame Toronto itself, or TIFF; I plan to come back the second I have the funds to do so.

In Conclusion 

To close out, TIFF was one of the most captivating experiences I had the pleasure of having, thanks to my Newhouse capstone program and professor Ben Frahm. I will forever remember this opportunity and it gave me the confidence to continue to pursue screenwriting with the goal of one day premiering my work at a film festival such as TIFF. I suggest to any film lovers to consider film festivals - you won’t regret it! 

Thank you for having me Toronto; I will be back TIFF!!!! Without Salmonella!!!!