Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: ELSE [Toronto Intl Film Festival 2024 - Toronto, Ontario]

The essence of a film like “Else” [Midnight Madness] is that it is about the melding of experience and survival. The perspective here is about a shift within life and how people respond. Anx (Matthew Sampeur) is relevant in his isolation because of who he connects with. Cass (Edith Proust) seems thrown into his life as a whirlwind of sorts who, even though she reflects an instability gives him a sense of calm. However a pandemic of sorts seems to prevail with people tending to slowly solidify into rock. It is an interesting metaphor on life and identify with a body horror element yet no gore so the effect is subtle yet very forward.

The pace is very methodical and antithetical in some ways to a midnight movie. “Else” is more of a tone poem wrapped in an enigma. The introduction that the director gave in an orange hazmat suite before the premiere respects this bit also requests a certain acceptance. Romance with an emphasis on loss seems to permeate a lot of films at TIFF this year balanced with a sense of longing. In many, the affliction and/or its effects are not fixiable but simply require acceptance. “Else” is torn between its two sides but its embracment of isolation is reflected in some of its more intimate scenes by the primal. It is not a movie for everyone but it is one of experience. B

By Tim Wassberg