by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is like the Fall Fashion Preview for cinema. Many of the big films that will top year-end lists and score Oscar nominations make their North American debut at TIFF. And with hundreds of movies unspooling over ten days, what to see can be overwhelming. 

While I am anxious to screen Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness, I generally gravitate to the smaller films, or new works by favorite directors. I also try to see films that I likely would not get to see elsewhere. Here are six titles that most interest me this year at TIFF. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (dir. Aitch Alberto), which is an adaptation of Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s novel. High on my list because it depicts the friendship between two Mexican-American teenagers grappling with self-discovery in 1987. The novel is said to have queer content, which only makes me more interested in seeing this film (and reading the book).

El Suplente (dir. Diego Lerman) One of my favorite Argentine actors, Juan Minujín, stars in this film by one of my favorite Argentine directors, Diego Lerman. A substitute teacher tries to help a student threatened by a drug kingpin. Lerman’s films are gritty and tough, which is exactly why I want to see this.

La Jauría (dir. Andrés Ramírez Pulido) is set in a Colombian rainforest where troubled teens are forced into therapy and manual labor. When a new kid is introduced, things get increasingly more intense (and I expect violent.) This film looks wonderfully uncomfortable. I can already practically feel the heat of the rainforest and the claustrophobic sensation these restless teens have dealing with their issues. 

No Bears (dir. Jafar Panahi) is the latest film from arrested Iranian filmmaker, Jafar Panahi. His films are exceptional, and this one, depicting two parallel love stories, could possibly be the last he can make for some time. The plot also deals with superstition, so that only intrigues me more. 

Sparta (dir. Ulrich Seidl) Ulrich Seidl is an uncompromising filmmaker who holds a mirror up to society and dares viewers to blink. This new film, a companion piece to Rimini, which alas, I have not seen, features “a pedophile who has not acted on his deplorable inclinations.” I expect this to be an unflinching portrait and I love a tough sit.

Stories Not to Be Told (dir. Cesc Gay) is billed as five comic tales by Cesc Gay, a Spanish filmmaker I’ve been watching for years. I like the rhythm of his previous film and hope to catch this latest effort because it might provide some amusement in my otherwise dour festival schedule.