#TIFF2018 Diaries: Day Five

I have been feeling like shit for the last couple days because of a combination of Toronto’s weather and my frail constitution, but even though I cancelled all but one of my screenings today it was worth it. I have two straight days of 5-a-days so I’m trying to get to bed early and get some rest tonight. That said, you’re gonna get this quick review a little early today!

WHERE HANDS TOUCH: I have already been assigned a piece for this so I will keep most of my comments vague enough to not be spoilers, but ultimately I do not think this film justified its existence. There was a lot of commotion about the film’s premise (a black German girl falls in love with a Nazi youth) and having seen it, I think it was justified. I didn’t leave the film offended or upset, just annoyed. To make a film like this in a time like this requires a specificity and clarity that this lacked. There were some baffling choices made here, and it is definitely the worst film I’ve seen so far. I enjoyed Amma Asante’s 2013 film Belle and haven’t seen her 2016 effort A United Kingdom, but it seems to me that her desire to tell stories about interracial couples has left her with blinders about the realities of these relationships in historical times. The choices feel concerning and insinuate some ideas I can’t believe she would condone. In the end, it’s a bit of a pity, because the performances are strong throughout, but wasted. (Read my full review at Jezebel.)

*Header photo courtesy TIFF