It’s been nearly 20 years since I visited TIFF in 2005. This was back when I was still obsessed with Gerard Butler, so my primary purpose was to see Beowulf & Grendel and I did get to shake Gerry’s hand after the screening which still made me chuckle when I think about it. I was there only for a couple of days, but I saw two more films: Romance & Cigarettes, a bawdy musical with a great ensemble cast that includes James Gandolfini, Christopher Walken, & Kate Winslet) and Everything Is Illuminated, actor Liev Schreiber‘s directorial debut starring Elijah Woods.

Well, speaking of directorial debuts, this year’s TIFF just might boast the most of those, as more and more actors are broadening their horizons from acting to directing. Thanks to IMDb for all the info. All of the films here are directorial debuts, except for the ones by Michael Keaton and Viggo Mortensen. So here are seven actor-directorial-debut films that screened at TIFF. Glad to see more women moving into the director’s chair, so let’s start with the ladies, shall we…

Kristin Scott Thomas’ North Star

Three sisters return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. But the mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected wedding guests.

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham, James Fleet

Love the female cast, and fun seeing Fleet’s name here as I always remember Thomas and Fleet as brother and sister in the hilarious Four Weddings And A Funeral. This Hollywood Reporter review even mentioned the writer of that movie “… feels like a lesser variation on one of Richard Curtis’ amiable, sleek comic-dramas, without the sharp-witted dialogue.”

Well, the reviews might not be stellar, but I’ll still give it a watch when it’s released on VOD.

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Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl

A struggling young writer takes a job working as an assistant to a novelist with a wild reputation.

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Patricia Arquette, Sean Penn

Per IMDb, it’s a fictional story loosely inspired by the author Cheryl Della Pietra’s real-life experiences working as an assistant to American journalist, Hunter S. Thompson who founded the gonzo journalism movement. Dafoe played the Thompson-like character in the film which should be interesting to watch. Now, I’m not too familiar with the subject matter, nor have I seen the Johnny Depp movie based on Thompson’s novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Not sure this one would be on the top of my most-anticipated list.

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Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour

Rodney Alcala was a killer in the midst of a killing spree when he brazenly took part and won a date on the popular TV game show “The Dating Game”.

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale

This is the one I’m looking forward to seeing the most out of TIFF. I mean, the premise itself is just bonkers, as Alcala was a serial killer who reportedly had killed over 100 people, mostly women, yet somehow he was able to get into a dating show during his killing spree. Well, the streaming giant who has a penchant for content about serial killers has acquired this, surprise, surprise! Variety reported that Netflix’s acquisition of Woman of the Hour was the first major sale of the festival with $11 million.

It’s certainly the buzziest movie of the festival and so far it’s garnered over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, though critics and audiences don’t always see eye to eye on things. Good for Kendrick who’s clearly a talented actress, sounds like she has a bright future in directing as well. I’ll definitely be watching this once it’s out on streaming.

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Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away

When a contract killer is diagnosed with a fast-moving form of dementia, he is presented with the opportunity to redeem himself by saving the life of his estranged adult son. But to do so he must race against the police closing in on him as well as the ticking clock of his own rapidly deteriorating mind.

Cast: Al Pacino, Michael Keaton, Marcia Gay Harden, James Marsden

Boy, Micheal Keaton is on a roll this year! He is truly the best thing about The Flash that made watching it worthwhile, so I’m thrilled to see him doing double duty for this one as an actor and director. I had missed his directorial debut in 2008 called The Merry Gentleman which is also a thriller. This time Keaton is playing a hitman losing his memory (not to be confused with Liam Neeson’s Memory where he plays an assassin whose memory is fading).

So far the review is mixed, though this Variety reviewer says “… it may be one of the best dramas about dementia I’ve ever seen.” I’ll make up my own mind once I see it, but color me excited as Keaton is always fun to watch on screen.

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Chris Pine’s Poolman

Follows a hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny LA. When he uncovers the greatest water heist, he does what he can to protect his precious LA.

Cast: Chris Pine, Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito

Ahhh poor Chris Pine… his directorial debut is getting mercilessly trashed by critics, some calling it ‘abysmal,’ and ‘disastrous,’ ouch! Even just looking at the still photo from the movie immediately makes me think of The Dude from The Big Lebowski, which apparently was one of the inspirations for the film. Now, some are saying the movie’s reception might be ‘jeopardizing Pine’s position as Hollywood’s best Chris’ Puhleeze, cut the guy some slack! So he hits a misfire with this one, but that doesn’t mean he’s unfit to direct another movie. If he’s wise, he’d learn from all the filmmaking mistakes and do a better job next time. Let’s not cancel someone just for the rotten tomatoes score of his first movie!

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Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat

Follows the life of writer Flannery O’Connor while she was struggling to publish her first novel.

Cast: Laura Linney, Maya Hawke, Philip Ettinger

Ethan Hawke directed his own daughter Maya Hawke, whose resemblance to her mother Uma Thurman is uncanny. I usually love movies about writers, but oddly I’m still on the fence about this one. I do love Laura Linney though so I’d likely watch this for her. The reviews haven’t been stellar though they did praise Maya’s performance as the famous author, so this could be my intro to her work as so far I haven’t seen anything she’s done yet. She’s in the fourth season of Stranger Things, but I’ve stopped watching that show after season 2.

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Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s Hell of a Summer

The counselors of a summer camp are terrorized by a masked killer.

Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, Abby Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai

Speaking of Stranger Things, another show alum Finn Wolfhard made his own directorial debut with Billy Bryk who co-starred in When You Finish Saving the World. The movie is billed as a horror-comedy inspired by 1980s slasher films. I feel like this kind of premise has been done to death and feels very much tailored for Gen-Z, so not sure this one is for me.

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Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt

Set in the 1860s, the fiercely independent French Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen.

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Vicky Krieps, Danny Huston

Is there anything Viggo Mortensen can’t do?? The 64-year-old is an actor, painter, writer, poet, singer/songwriter, photographer, and apparently fluent in 6 languages! This isn’t his first rodeo in terms of directing, he directed Falling (2020), which he also wrote and starred in. He’s hired a fantastic actress as the lead, Vicky Krieps is just phenomenal in everything I’ve seen her so far (Bergman Island, Phantom Thread, Corsage) and she’s such a chameleon.

I’m intrigued to see these two stellar actors in a period Western, and so far the reviews have praised the performances and Viggo’s direction. RogerEbert.com‘s reviewer said “Not only does he display his deftest hand as a filmmaker, but he gives a strong performance here, and he surrounds himself with people who really understand the assignment.” Western isn’t my fave genre, but I’m looking forward to seeing this one!

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So, which of these actor-directed movie(s) are you looking forward to seeing most?

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