TIFF 2022 Day 6: ‘The Banshees of Inisheerin,' 'Broker,' and festival awards

By Jake Skubish and Peter Coutu

More TIFF Coverage

JS: Our last day in Toronto kicked off with a trip to St. Lawrence Market, a spacious complex full of various signature eateries of the city. I am a strong believer that any city is made better by an eclectic indoor market, and St. Lawrence is a pretty good one. I’m starting to think I may move to Toronto. Unfortunately, my halibut sandwich from Buster’s Sea Cove was only pretty good, not measuring up to the other excellent meals we have had.

PC: The quality of my peameal bacon sandwich was about the same. Good, not great. The market itself was fun though, a lively mix of restaurants, butchers, cheese shops, and fishmongers, among others. 

JS: We walked over from the market to our first screening of the day, The Banshees of Inisheerin, the follow-up to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri from director Martin McDonagh. This was Peter’s most anticipated movie of the trip, and he was staking the quality of the entire vacation on whether Banshees delivered. Thankfully, it is yet another banger from McDonagh (Peter and I are bold defenders of Three Billboards as well). McDonagh manages to get the biggest laugh lines of the year into the same film that delivers some crushing, existentially bleak scenes. Few can weave these two moods together as coherently as McDonagh, and the result is a poignant, unique tragicomedy. Barry Keoghan is also terrific, solidifying himself as the best little weirdo in all of cinema. 

PC: My god, what a movie. My most anticipated, and somehow it hit my sky-high expectations. Farrell’s best performance. He reminded me a lot of Jake in this one (will make more sense after watching but this was a good burn). After just an initial watch, I’d say this dethrones In Bruges as my favorite McDonagh movie. 

Peter at Old City Hall

JS: In between screenings we went to putz around Toronto’s old and new city halls, for some reason an attraction of great desire for Peter. Old City Hall is a glorious building, but the current building looks like it would have been too depressing for Lumon Industries to greenlight. Another baffling architectural decision from the city of Toronto.

PC: Honestly, who doesn’t love a good city hall? They’re often the best building a city has to offer. Old City Hall didn’t disappoint, and Jake is sadly right that the new one is disastrous. As someone who is pro bureaucracy, I wouldn’t even want to work in that depressing coffin. Fix it!!!

JS: We headed back to the Royal Alexandra for our final screening of the festival: Broker, from director Hirokazu Kore-eda. We somehow truly saved the best for last; Broker ended up being my favorite film of the festival. Like Kore-eda’s previous film Shoplifters, one of my favorites of the 2010s, Broker is a story of found family among people on the fringes of society. The story is moving in a delicate way, slowly building and building until the ending hits you with a wave of emotion. It’s a beautiful film from a master filmmaker. 

Hirokazu Kore-eda and Song Kang-ho at the screening of Broker

It was also a joy to hear a Q&A after the screening from Kore-eda and Broker star Song Kang-ho, who many will recognize as the dad in Parasite. What a charismatic star! Kore-eda couldn’t stop complimenting Song in every response he gave. What a delight.

PC: I’ve never seen Shoplifters, so I really didn’t have many expectations for this flick outside of Jake really talking it up. Usually, that spells death for a movie. But this was just so so so lovely. I can’t stop thinking about it. Song Kang-ho was maybe my favorite performance of the festival, and I think the best movie star I saw (outside of Daniel Craig). Tall, radiant, charismatic, the total package. The Q&A after was also my favorite of the festival. The director and star just singing each other’s praises the whole time. Shoplifters is now at the top of my watch list. 

JS: We left the theater on a high note, grabbed some so-so sushi at Kinoya Sushi, and finally said goodbye to the festival. (We saw Lily Tomlin on the red carpet on our way out — very cool!) The week was honestly over before I knew it, and I can’t wait to go to another festival. Perhaps my buddy Peter will join me again, unless he keeps threatening to cut off his fingers every time I try to talk to him.

My final awards for the weekend:

Best Film: Broker

Best Lead Performance: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisheerin

Best Supporting Performance: Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisheerin

Best Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker

Best Screenplay: The Good Nurse

Biggest Letdown: Decision to Leave

Biggest Surprise: Susie Searches

Movie I Wish We Saw: The Fabelmans

Best Movie Star Sighting: Jessica Chastain

Worst Baby: Baby Ruby, Baby Ruby

PC: I had a blast at the festival, and would definitely attend again, even if I’m a few appendages short. And I loved being back in Canada for the first time since becoming a citizen. What else do you need in life other than great films, tasty meals, and a friend to share them with. 

Best Film: The Banshees of Inisheerin

Best Lead Performance: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisheerin

Best Supporting Performance: Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisheerin

Best Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker

Best Screenplay: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Biggest Letdown: Wendell & Wild 

Biggest Surprise: Susie Searches

Movie I Wish We Saw: The Menu

Best Movie Star Sighting: Daniel Craig

Worst Baby: Baby Ruby, Baby Ruby