Fantasia International Film Festival - Week 1 Film Reviews

 

Fantasia International Film Festival - Week 1 Film Reviews

Fantasia International Film Festival kicked off its 29th year with a bang!

With over 125 features and 200+ short films, there was quite a variety of genre films to choose from.

For the first week, I was able to watch the following titles, and three films in particular have already secured their spot in my Top 5 films for 2025.

Grab your popcorn and explore with me!

 

LA MORT N’EXISTE PAS

Written and Directed by Félix Dufour-Laperrière

Animator Félix Dufour-Laperrière takes on the world’s current anxieties around inequality in LA MORT N’EXISTE PAS (DEATH DOES NOT EXIST).

It took over 10 years to create this artistic film telling the story of a group of young activists who take up arms against an affluent family, hoping to plant the seed that sows a rebellion.

However, the violent act ends up being too much for them all, leaving one woman, Hanna, to be haunted by her friend, relive the day over and over again, and ultimately come to terms with the consequences of her inaction.

Dufour-Laperrière’s hand-drawn frames are stunning as they flow and interchange among one another. Additionally, the five core colors he chose as his palette help to drive home the following feelings:

• Green - a sense of optimism
• Gold - accomplishment and reaching the highest standards
• Beige - a neutral color that doesn't demand attention
• Red - anger, aggression, urgency, and danger. 
• Gray - depression, loneliness, but also a stable base for positive change 

Dufour-Laperrière’s choice to use wolves throughout the film is also very symbolic. Wolves are pack animals with loyal bonds. They are associated with destruction but also inner strength to overcome challenges.

Hanna’s journey as the lone wolf is a roller coaster ride that leaves the viewer anxious, sad, and self-reflecting.

LA MORT N’EXISTE PAS is an important, potent film as many of us right now are choosing to speak and act based on emotion before thinking through the consequences.

Maybe it’s time we step back and re-evaluate our strategy in creating equality.

 

THE BEARDED GIRL

Written and Directed by Jody Wilson

I knew from the moment I saw the title and the press image that THE BEARDED GIRL was going to be my favorite.

This coming-of-age story with mysticism and fairy tale-like qualities breathes fresh life into the oversaturated theme of girlhood to womanhood.

For Cleo (Anwen O’Driscoll) her role in the family-run exhibit is clear: as the 88th generation of proud, bearded women, she follows their legacy of sword-swallowing, and her overbearing mother, Lady Andre (Jessica Paré), wants Cleo to be an obedient daughter and stick with tradition. But outside the tents is a big world, and when Cleo’s fresh ideas for their sword show aren’t embraced, she gets the itch to leave her talented fringe family to find love and perhaps a new normal that doesn’t include facial hair.

The acting by Anwen O’Driscoll is genuine and as a woman, it made me want to jump in the film and tag along on her journey.

Her performance is well-balanced. She’s angsty, stubborn, and lost in the first half of the film, but these traits start to fall away as she explores the world outside the sideshow. We don’t dwell on her personal suffering but see her rise to the occasion as she discovers who she truly is and how she wants to be seen moving forward.

Additionally, what made this film extra special were the smaller characters in Cleo’s journey. It felt like a trip down the Yellow Brick Road. Everyone seemed to have an important part in Cleo’s self-discovery. This became especially apparent as the absence of a father figure was a big black cloud that loomed over Cleo, and her resentment to her mother.

I only wish the ending didn’t feel quite as rushed.

I highly recommend this film to all the ladies out there. Whether you’ve already gone through your growing pains or have yet to discover them, THE BEARDED GIRL will comfort you like a favorite blanket with it’s spirit and uniqueness.

Stay Tuned for a Q&A with director Jody Wilson and actress Anwen O’Driscoll!

 

NOISE

Directed by Kim Soo-jin

Be ready to have your senses go into overdrive.

NOISE is a Korean ghost story that pulls no punches when it comes to jump scares.

Joo-young (Lee Sun-bin) moves into a new apartment with her young sister Ju-hee (Han Soo-a), in a seemingly quiet neighborhood. Joo-young has a hearing impediment and wears hearing aids, but her ears start to sense intense and eerie noises in her own home. After her sister suddenly disappears, she eventually begins to realize it has something to do with those creepy sounds she has been hearing, while also noticing a sinister entity that is coming after her.

As she’s being haunted by these disturbing noises, she will now discover the dark truth behind Ju-hee’s mysterious vanishing and the ominous presence surrounding her apartment.

NOISE has a lot to offer in terms of a story. It has some romance, some family drama, some mystery, some crime, and of course, some horror.

All are great elements to bring together but at times, all the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit together. Some are even flat out missing, leaving the viewing with some unanswered questions when the credits rolls.

Yet the acting is very well-done, and the mystery is so intriguing that it’s easy to get through this 95-minute ghost story.

You may just feel like you want to edit a few pieces to make this film more impactful.

SWEETNESS

Written and Directed by Emma Higgins

Are you looking for a film that will keep you guessing and leave your mouth open in shock?

May I present SWEETNESS, an unbelievable, wild ride that has not left my psyche.

Think of the twist and turns PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN provided and then strap on for an even bumpier ride.

Rylee (Kate Hallet) is a bullied teen girl who is trying to get through her teen years. But all is forgotten when she listens to Swedish pop star Payton (Herman Tømmeraas).

After an incredible concert experience, Rylee has an unexpected run in with an unsober Payton resulting in a car accident and him left in her care.

So she does what any girl would do - chain him up with her dad's spare police-issued handcuffs to help get him clean.

What follows is a sobering view of grief, trauma, teenage angst, and transformation. With only good intentions, Rylee's plans quickly go awry when she's forced to make some high-stake decisions.

This film gives viewers a glimpse into every teenage girl’s wildest fantasy – if it quickly went down the rabbit hole.

Hallet’s performance is phenomenal and extremely authentic. At times you want to hug her and console her. Other times, like her BFF Sidney, you want to shake her back to reality.

For Emma Higgins’ first feature film, SWEETNESS walks a fine line between obsession and heartbreak leaving you sick to your stomach from the overwhelming helping of emotions.

Do not miss partaking in this feast. This is one film that will be talked about at cocktail hour or the dinner table.

 

DOG OF GOD

Written and Directed by Lauris Abele and Raitis Abele

Don’t be fooled by the dark colors and Baltic flair. This animated feature is not your black metal story about witchcraft.

But it is a hedonistic, clerical fanaticism nightmare that is inspired by the true story of the 1692 Livonian werewolf trial of Thiess of Kaltenbrun.

Thiess was a man who claimed to be one of the “Dogs of God” who descended into Hell not to spread terror but to fight witches and demons, protect crops, and secure the well-being of peasants.

In DOG OF GOD, a nameless backwater town is shared between a domineering priest and a decadent baron, each with his own cringing lackey to carry out their dishonorable errands.

When a holy relic precious to the pastor vanishes, he casts blame upon the object of his secret lust, the tough but lovely tavern-keeper whose dabbling in alchemy invites suspicions of witchcraft. Meanwhile, an uncouth, otherworldly figure drifts ever closer to the town, bearing a gift of sorts, one sure to upend what faint traces of normalcy remain.

DOG OF GOD starts off with a bang as a demon’s testicles get ripped off. But the killer opening may leave some viewers wishing for more as the first three quarters of the film slowly provides all the background for the epic climax of chaos, malice, and mortal sin.

Even though the film is set in the 17^th century, DOG OF GOD’s exploration and analysis into religion, women’s rights, immigrant’s rights, and economic equality still ring true today.

 

LUCID

Written and Directed by Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan

LUCID is described by the directors Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan as a “coming of monster” story.

Mia (Caitlin Acken Taylor) is an art student with a creative block that is threatening her future as an artist. When three fellow classmates share their “cure” to creative blocks, Mia jumps at the chance to be creatively healed.

What follows is a candy-elixir wonderland that pulls Mia into the forgotten trauma from her past. But Mia doesn’t heed warnings on dosage, or close certain doors so the wonderland spills over into her everyday life, with her past haunting her, literally at the climax of the film with one of the coolest practical effects I have ever seen.

LUCID is DIY punk aesthetic, shot on both 35 and 16mm film, with a focus on the ’90s art scene through a raw, surrealist lens.

Mia’s journey is jarring, and it takes time to clearly see how all the pieces fit together. But when they do, the performance Taylor pulls off mirrors one of my favorite lines from the film by Mia’s grandma, “Be ugly. And be honest.”

For all the creatives out there, this beautifully shot film is for you.

 

PEAU À PEAU (NESTING)

Written and Directed by Chloé Cinq-Mars

Not since THE BABADOOK have I seen a movie so powerful and so eye-opening around motherhood and post-partum depression.

Chloé Cinq-Mars received the Northern Excellence Award for Best Canadian Filmmaker 2025 for PEAU À PEAU (NESTING) and I praise this decision.

Delving into the quiet horrors of early motherhood, PEAU À PEAU opens with a scream in the night. Pénélope (Rose-Marie Perreault), a new mother grappling with sleep deprivation and post-partum depression, finds herself unable to separate dream from reality. After witnessing a violent hold-up in a convenience store, her already fragile psyche begins to crack.

PEAU À PEAU doesn’t shy away from the raw realities of motherhood. Viewers will see bloody, cracked nipples; sunken eyes; a trauma inducing bathing scene with the baby; judgement from family, friends, and boyfriend; and no where to turn to for help, as every open door gets slammed shut.

Perreault’s performance as Pénélope is masterful and heartbreaking. Additionally, the horror elements aren’t over the top or for entertainment only purposes. They’re an exploration into the reality of motherhood and the expectations that come with it.

There are two distinct reasons why I love this film:

1. When Penelope meets up with her former lover, she tells him that before she had her baby, all she saw were the babies. Now, all she sees are the mothers. The sleep deprived women trying to get through each day. That’s a powerful statement.
   
   
2.  There were times as I watched this film that I judged Penelope and her mental state. I was just as guilty as the other characters in the film not willing to help. And that stuck with me. Because how can I help my fellow women in need if I’m sitting here judging a fictional one? And I think that’s what Chloé Cinq-Mars wants us to do. Take a good look at ourselves and the empathy and care we’re willing to give others. That's the power of film.