TIFF 2022 Day 2: ‘Susie Searches,’ ‘Emily,’ and the Toronto Islands
By Jake Skubish and Peter Coutu
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JS: After a whirlwind first day and the national fanfare our arrival caused, we decided to slow things down in the morning before our film screenings in the evening. Peter and I grabbed some coffee and milk buns from Bà Nội before working on our own screenplay, sure to be purchased for a large sum by one of the industry insiders we are rubbing elbows with.
PC: There’s just nothing better than some char siu. A delicious start to the day. Jake has also quickly become an Americano man, after hating the concept when he heard about it for the first time. I’m sticking with cold brew.
Peter on the ferry
JS: In the afternoon we took the ferry over to the Toronto Islands. Some people ahead of us in line accidentally bought an extra ticket and offered it to me, and I got swindled out of a few bucks because I didn’t factor in the exchange rate. Canadians are a ruthless people. Centre Island was a nice excursion into nature, but as native New Yorker Peter kept repeating, “It’s no Central Park.” Can’t deny that skyline, though.
Jake on Centre Island
PC: Jake appears to be the easiest mark of all time. I don’t think the Canadians were even trying to rob him, but he just kept shoving more singles toward them. I couldn’t stop the man! I did like the islands, but I think they were talked up a bit too much immediately before our trip. My favorite part was the completely shut down amusement park.
JS: We took a water taxi back from the island for a hefty fee because we didn’t want to wait around for the infrequent ferry. Canadians will take you for everything you’ve got. Before our first screening we sat down for udon noodles at Manpuku, an honest-to-god 10 out of 10 meal. Just one of the dishes I’ve ever had. Hard to see how any film will top this.
PC: Another great pick by me (though I can’t take credit for it as it was recommended by a friend). Slurping up some thick, chewy udon noodles after a long day trekking all over Toronto — just an absolute joy. Also, we saw a fun bit of architecture in the neighborhood, OCAD University’s Sharp Centre for Design.
JS: Finally, we sat down for our first movie of the day: Susie Searches, starring Kiersey Clemons and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Sophie Kargman. The film follows Susie, a true-crime obsessive who has an opportunity to put her crime-solving acumen to the test when a student at her university goes missing.
I absolutely loved this movie, and I was baffled to see some tepid reviews after the screening. It’s a smart and entertaining story about the stories the internet feeds itself, and Kargman builds an incredible amount of tension into the story — I was squirming in my seat, in a good way. Of course, my Movie Star Draft pick Clemons was terrific as well. Highly recommend Susie Searches.
PC: I thought this movie was very, very fun as well. All the secondary performances absolutely killed, especially Dr. Sam from New Girl (David Walton). He should really be in more movies. I was just a touch skeptical before the flick, especially after recently watching Only Murders in the Building, another story about true-crime obsessed people who start their own podcast to crack a case. But this was definitely different, in tone and story. A big success.
Director Sophie Kargman and the cast of ‘Susie Searches’
JS: After the film I stuck around for the Q&A with the Susie Searches cast. Alex Wolff sang the praises of Clemons’ performance, and Jim Gaffigan, jokingly taking Wolff down a notch, said to the audience, “You know, when I was walking on stage Alex spit on me.” Knockout Gaffigan zinger.
PC: I missed this as I desperately had to pee after the movie, so I have nothing to add.
JS: Peter and I had a small window to house some dinner from a food truck before our second screening, Frances O’Connor’s Emily. The film is a character study of writer Emily Brontë, with relaxed adherence to the facts of Brontë’s life. Moments before the film started Peter turned to me and said he thought this movie was about Emily Dickinson.
Despite this rocky start, Peter and I both really enjoyed Emily. It’s a terrific directorial debut for O’Connor, who takes what could have been a typically staid depiction of a writer finding her voice and infusing it with energy, wit, and visual flair. Emma Mackey is outstanding as Brontë, and she is just going to be a really special movie star for a long time.
Director Frances O’Connor and the cast of ‘Emily’
PC: Jake’s tandoori chicken fried sandwich looked soooo good. I should’ve ordered that. I just assumed a piece with this title set back in the day would be about Dickinson. Sue me! Despite my shame, Emily, I think, is my favorite flick of the festival so far. I’m usually not the biggest fan of period pieces, but this skipped a lot of the usual stuffiness. Mackey is great. More Oscars murmurs, of course.
JS: Day two was a rousing success — two excellent picks by us. Tomorrow we have Bros and Baby Ruby lined up, and it should hopefully be another great day of movie-watching.