Popular reviews

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  Review by Jonathan White ★★★★

  TIFF 2024 Film #1
  Reason for pick ( Lise ) - Winnipeg and Korean

  What a lovely little yarn.

  While I see many here observe that the story of a mother obsessing on their daughter being comfortably and correctly paired with a mate as a well worn tale, I see this this as merely a framing element of this charming story.

  I see the story as being completely about the 'mother' Sara's transformative journey .... with a little help from magic. While many of the key plot points, including what many perceive as 'the twist' are telegraphed and predictable, the ending is not, and it's lovely.

  Charming, poignant, and funny. A wonderful way to start the fest.

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  Review by ginohin0 ★ 2

  TIFF 2024 #2

  The 🐻 was cute ☺️ 

  Wasn’t for me sadly, employs the Asian American cinema trifecta (food, family, racism) but doesn’t expand or deliver anything new. 

  Currently holding the record for the most number of attendants asking people to get off their phones 📱in my festival going life. Usually TIFF audiences are really good at not doing this 🤷‍♂️

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  Review by Justin ★★★★

  Such a sweet and charming movie that hits close to home in so many different ways, first and foremost being the way that the snow-whipped anonymity of the frosty urban setting could easily pass for Edmonton, or any other prairie Canadian city for that matter.

  Excellent lead performance by Kim Ho-jung (this and Didi might be starting to make this a top-notch year for amazing Asian moms on screen) and I got to ask Johnny Ma a question about Pablo Larraín(?!) so this made for a great start to this year's festival. :)

  What's the only thing that can make Korean karaoke rooms even better? Everyone's favourite hockey heartthrob Mark Scheifele apparently!

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  Review by Barry Hertz ★★★

  Turning out to be a stellar year for Winnipeg tourism

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  Review by Carlo ★★★★

  Edmonton International Film Festival is off to a great start with this movie. 

  An overbearing mother's love. A daughter's reluctance and a secret. A lonely father's rejection. A hot son looking for approval. A really funny nurse. There's kimchi. There's edibles. There's a vibrator. There's a dating app. There's a dick pic. There's a cat. There's a bear. There's a happy ending.

  I went into this movie blind and found it very endearing and lovely. Almost a light-hearted K-drama set in a Winnipeg winter

  Also...Winnipeg, I was unfamiliar with your game. Teehee

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  Review by Neal ★★★★

  Not a perfect film, but an absolutely stunning performance by Kim that carried this charming film through any of its flaws.

  Also, yes, I am DTF, please pass and my number

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  Review by w1nn1p3g ★★★★★ 2

  I understand people giving this a 7 or above but as someone from Winnipeg (like cmon ... My handle???) this is absolutely fantastic. It perfectly captures the Winnipeg I love. Being in Toronto these last few days has made me long for the comfortable loneliness that Winnipeg evokes. Being able to walk on a sidewalk in the daytime without nearly being bowled over by a horde of idiots is genuinely something I miss. The actual beats of the film are all so much fun though. All of the actors are amazing but especially the lead. Her turn as a traditional Asian mother was genuinely fantastic. Multiple points during this filmhad the whole room cracking up and all the comedy is so full of heart and is earnest in it's delivery.
  No clue how big of a release this will get but I assume it'll play in Winnipeg, go see it when it does. It's fantastic.

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  Review by Edward Boxler ★★★

  TIFF 2024 Movie 2: Centrepiece

  More rom-coms featuring older people please, especially if you make them this charming and perceptive.

  Kudos to Johnny Ma for figuring out how to make kimchi seem romantic and Winnipeg a complex character.

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  Review by Colby Robinson ★★★★

  I thought this film was lovely and poignant. A nice little character study with great understanding of relationships. There’s one small aspect of the film that doesn’t really work for me, and in the end it’s a story that I’ve somewhat seen before. Still was blown away with how much I enjoyed it. 8/10.

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  Review by Mark Hanson

  Canadian arts funding bodies just discovered A24

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  Review by Gerhard Pratt ★★★★

  Poignant, quirky and touching. A "coming of age" story with a difference, as new Canadians grow into their roles as parents. The children are already immersed and have mature lives in the new country, and it is the parents who need to learn acceptance and tolerance.

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  Review by Colin >:))) ★★★★½

  The phone lanyard was real as hell

  Also omg I asked a question at the Q&A 👉👈