BEST BETS for the week: (Titles in Bold denote opening this week)
CIELO
DISCLOSURE DAY
ROSE OF NEVADA
STEAL AWAY
SUZZANNA: WITCHCRAFT
THE ODYSSEY
FILM REVIEWS:
CIELO (Heaven) (UK/Bolivia 2025) ****
Directed by Alberto Sciamma
Written and directed by Alberto Sciamma, CIELO (Heaven), which translates to Heaven in English, is a Bolivian Indigenous folklore tale of how far one would go to achieve heaven.
The film begins with Santa, an 8-year-old girl (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda), murdering her father, followed by murdering her mother. Putting her mother’s corpse in a barrel, Santa tracks her way across a desert and plains to make her journey, led by the stars to what she perceives as heaven. Her encounters include a busload of female wrestlers, a priest, and a police chief, Gustavo (Fernando Arze Echalar), who investigates Santa for the murders as well as a priest.
Films about a long journey make good film fodder, the recent THE ODYSSEY being a prime example. In CEILO, Santa makes an arduous and long journey that includes a coming-of-age one as well.
Director Sciamma inserts plenty of metaphors in his film. The long-distance shots of the bus travelling long and winding roads indicate that the path to righteousness is not a straight one. He also shows that heaven is also a place on earth and that (ok, cliched here), heaven is where one finds heaven to be.
The characters Santa encounters on her journey are colourful, imperfect and funny ones. In fact, Santa’s character is also a fascinating one. She is shown as a baby, hungry and crying, sucking on a dead fish, then bringing the fish to life. When shown how to milk a dried-up cow, the cow suddenly produces unstoppable loads of milk. In one scene, Santa bites Gustavo’s hand to bleed, but it cures miraculously, causing him to think about and later care for Santa.
Among the characters is a compassionate priest who offers spiritual guidance. He tells Santa’s mother that with her child, they will never go hungry as they will forever have fish and milk. The priest also tells her that many is more important than the Word of God. Then there is the busload of female Indigenous wrestlers who protect and encourage her. One of them takes her under her wing, and Santa shows her gratitude by saving her life. Then there is the comical Gustavo, the hardened policeman who initially arrests her but gradually becomes convinced she possesses miraculous powers. He joins her journey in the hope of finding redemption for himself for not loving his wife. He at first believes in Santa and wants her to take her to heaven, but she refuses to take him. He is also instrumental in Santa’s survival, as are the other two characters,
CIELO is never boring as director Sciamma keeps his mystical tale intriguing and full of surprises, added with emotion. He blends together fantasy and reality, aided by his cinematographer Alex Metcalfe, who often saturates the scenes with bright and blinding light.
CIELO has won major awards at Portugal’s Fantasporto Film Festival, including the audience award and cinematography award.
CIELO opens at the TIFF Lightbox on July 24th.
Trailer:
THE DEBT COLLECTOR (Thailand 2026) ***
Directed by Surapong Ploensang
THE DEBT COLLECTOR centres on Num, once one of Bangkok's most feared debt collectors. For years he worked for criminal loan sharks, intimidating borrowers, beating those who failed to pay, and helping maintain a system built on fear. Although he convinced himself he was simply doing a job, the suffering he caused left deep psychological scars.
Eventually, Num is arrested and imprisoned. His time behind bars forces him to confront the consequences of his actions. Upon his release, he receives even more devastating news: he is suffering from a terminal illness and has little time left to live. Faced with his own mortality, he resolves to spend his remaining days quietly, hoping to escape the violent world that consumed his life.
The film begins with a fifth scene in which Nun is a debt collector. The next scene is him in jail, without the film showing how he was arrested. The film already stresses his need for redemption as there are quite a few scenes with a monk preaching karma. Apparently the preaching is working well on Nun.
While trying to rebuild a modest existence, Num witnesses another brutal collection carried out by the same criminal network that once employed him. Innocent families continue to be terrorized by illegal lenders charging impossible interest rates, and desperate borrowers remain trapped in cycles of violence and intimidation. The abuse reminds Num of the countless lives he helped destroy.
Unable to ignore what he has seen, he intervenes to protect one of the victims. His actions immediately place him in conflict with his former employers, who regard him as a traitor. What begins as a single act of compassion quickly escalates into a deadly confrontation with the organized crime syndicate that controls much of the city's underground lending business.
As Num investigates further, he discovers that the organization has become even more ruthless than before. Loan sharks exploit the poor, manipulate vulnerable families, and enforce payments through intimidation, torture, and murder. Every attempt to help the victims draws Num deeper into the criminal world he hoped never to revisit.
THE DEBT COLLECTOR differentiates itself from the typical action Martial arts flick by ambitiously blending the crime thriller, martial-arts action, and redemption drama. Director Surapong Ploensang still keeps the action as the film’s main focus. The reality of Thailand’s loan-shark industry is on display in the film. One assumes a certain authenticity. The film is a bit too long, running 2 hours and 15 minutes. It could have been cut shorter and made more efficient.
Nadech Kugimiya as Num delivers a credible performance, with him displaying both his lean good looks and his fighting skills. Kugimiya gives Num a weary dignity that makes the character believable as both a former criminal and a man desperate for redemption.
The fighting styles employed in the film’s fight choreography are primarily Muay Thai, which is Thailand's national martial art. As can be seen, Num relies on powerful elbow strikes at close range, knee strikes to the ribs, stomach, and head, with Roundhouse kicks aimed at the legs and body. But Num also uses Western boxing fundamentals like cross jabs and heavy punching. But weapons are also used, like knives and a gun, as observed in the first fight sequence at the beginning. Because many encounters occur in cramped apartments, alleys, and warehouses, characters frequently use everyday objects like chairs, metal pipes, and other assorted furniture. The sound effects of the fight sequences are impressive, allowing g the audience to feel the impact of the hits, thus affecting a grounded brutality that suits the reason for Nun’s desired redemption.
THE DEBT COLLECTOR is streaming already on Netflix beginning Thursday, July 23rd.
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THE GOLDEN SPURTLE (Australia/U.K. 2025) ***
Directed by Constantine Costi
What is a golden spurtle? Firstly. A spurtle is a traditional 15th-century Scottish kitchen tool, typically a smooth wooden rod or paddle, designed for stirring porridge and stews without clumping. Thanks to its low surface area and flat edges, it excels at folding batter, breaking up ground meat, and scraping pots without scratching non-stick surfaces. The golden spurt is the annual prize given to the person who makes the best porridge in the world.
The charming doc is a co-production between Australia and the U.K. The U.K. can be understood as the world contest takes place in Scotland. Australia? Well, one of the contestants hails from down under.
The Scottish village where the porridge contest is held, called Porridge Day, is Carrbridge. Carrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies on the River Dulnain, off the A9 road, five miles north of Aviemore and eight miles west of Grantown-on-Spey. It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands.
Although THE GOLDEN SPURTLE appears at first to be about a quirky cooking contest, it gradually becomes a film about tradition, aging, community, and finding meaning in simple rituals. Set in the Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge, it follows the annual World Porridge Making Championships, where contestants from around the world compete for the coveted Golden Spurtle trophy using only three ingredients: oatmeal, water, and salt.
The film features a few of the villagers involved with the porridge cooking contest. The central figure is Charlie Miller, the longtime organizer and guardian of the competition. After many years running the event, Charlie has decided this will be his final championship before retirement. His biggest concern is not the contest itself but ensuring someone will continue preserving the tradition after he steps down. Throughout the film, he reflects on the responsibility of maintaining a cultural institution that has brought worldwide attention to his village. At the end of the film, he is given a simple token, a baseball cap with the words Porridge Chieftain, but the act brings tears to his eyes. Ian Bishop, a beloved local competitor and former champion. Ian's health is declining, and he knows this may be his last realistic opportunity to reclaim the Golden Spurtle. For him, winning isn't merely about personal pride—it represents bringing the title back to Scotland and honoring years of dedication to the craft. His determination adds emotional weight to what could otherwise have been a lighthearted contest.
Other colourful international competitors include
Lisa Williams, the reigning champion, returns determined to defend her title.
Nick Barnard, a veteran competitor, continues his long pursuit of victory.
Toby Wilson, an Australian chef, attempts to challenge convention with creative techniques while respecting the competition's strict rules.
The latest leg of the film shows the contestants making their porridge, and the winner is revealed at the end, who has a few words to say to the camera as well as the ones who did not win.
THE GOLDEN SPURTLE is not a doc about who wins and how winning the cooking comets is everything, but a charming story of tradition, preserving local heritage in a rapidly changing world, and finding purpose after retirement, while demonstrating friendship and community, with the pride in the craftsmanship of simply making porridge.
And discovering joy in ordinary rituals. A charming, delightful, and entertaining doc all at the same time.
THE GOLDEN SPURTLE screens Sunday, July 26th at the TIFF Lightbox.
Trailer:
HER PRIVATE HELL (USA/Denmark2026) *
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
The film is set in an unnamed futuristic, neon-soaked metropolis.
A mysterious mist envelops the city, bringing with it a deadly supernatural—or possibly otherworldly—entity.
Elle (played by Sophie Thatcher), a troubled young woman, begins searching for her missing father. Her journey intersects with that of Private K (Charles Melton), an American GI who is on his own desperate mission to rescue his daughter from what is described as "Hell."
Their separate quests gradually become intertwined as they descend into an increasingly surreal and violent nightmare where the boundaries between reality, memory, and the supernatural blur.
The film also involves both a glamorous movie-star milieu, making the film easier to watch (the actors, both male and female, are glamorous), and a series of grisly murders in the city.
Family conflicts involving Elle and her stepmother Dominique (Havana Rose Liu). There is also some slapping going on. Symbolic rather than literal depictions of "Hell," with dreamlike imagery and Refn's signature stylized violence and neon visuals.
Although Her Private Hell is set in a futuristic, Tokyo-inspired metropolis, most of the film was shot in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Nicolas Winding Refn built large custom sets to create the city's distinctive neon-drenched look.
Refn's signature visual style can be observed in the neon-lit streets and alleyways,
mist-filled urban canyons, stylized penthouses and luxury hotels, underground clubs and industrial interiors.
Director Refn himself warned that his film HER PRIVATE HELL is hell to watch, and he is right. HER PRIVATE HELL is a stylish, boring, ill-disciplined disaster. On the surface, it looks good, reminding one of spy thrillers like Mario Bava’s DANGER: DIABOLIK or Joseph Losey’s MODESTY BLAISE. But Refn’s film makes so sense (like the infrared-eyed monster that appears from nowhere at the end) and even Refn’s fans (which includes me - I loved his PUSHER trilogy) will be unimpressed. It should be noted that the film has got mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, though it got a 12-minute standing ovation at Cannes where it premiered out of competition. The film does not do it for me!
If Refn made a disciplined, narratively strong spy film with this stylish look, the film might emerge as a cult hot classic. But not such luck here!
Trailer:
SACCHARINE (Australia 2026) **
Directed by Natalie Erika James
SACCHARINE is a 2026 Australian supernatural horror film written and directed by Natalie Erika James. It stars Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, and Robert Taylor. The film had its world premiere at the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January.
Weight loss and the obsession with looking better make good horror movie fodder. In the recent successful box-office and critical hit, the 2018 THE SUBSTANCE, directed by French director Coralie Fargeat, the protagonist played by Demi Moore does everything possible to get a more youthful body but with disastrous results. In the new horror flick, SACCARINE, Hana takes questionable pills to lose weight.
After succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving the eating of human ashes, lovelorn medical student Hana (Midori Francis finds herself terrorised by the ghost of the person she's eating. She discovers she is consuming the ash of an obese dead person. Yes, gross! She seeks the aid of her best friend. Josie (Danielle Macdonald) helps her.
Despite the relatively simple premise, the film is disjointed, and the main story of how Hana can overcome e the spirit of the monster taunting her is blurry. The odd ending does not help the film either. For the not-too-demanding horror fan, the film delivers its shocks and scares expectedly.
But SACCHARINE has, with its premise, plenty of potential still to make a good horror flick. Some sights can be genuinely disgusting - like an obese person or a person gorging down donuts and other creamy, soft pastries. The cursing up of bodies to remove tumours adds to the uneasiness of certain segments. Lead actress Midori Francis is pretty solid in her role, delivering a nuanced performance of a female caught up between losing weight and satisfying those around her, who she wants approval from. The script also calls for Hana to be gay. It all begins to sour when she is introduced to the pill from her formerly fat friend, Melissa (Annie Shapero), who claims that it is a perfect remedy to lose weight. Her desire to make out with fitness guru Alanya (Madeleine Madden) is another impetus.
Despite the film’s shortcomings, actress Midori Francis delivers an engrossing performance, and with its Australian setting and gay slant, SACCHARINE makes an overall ok watch.
Saccharine premiered in the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2026, followed by its European premiere at the Special Midnight section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 18 February. It later had its Australian premiere on 4 June 2026 at the 73rd Sydney Film Festival. SACCHARINE premieres in Canada for viewing on Shudder, the horror streaming service, on July 24th.
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A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD (Lebanon/Germany/USA/Saudi Arabia) **
Directed by Cyril Aris
Set in Beirut, it follows childhood sweethearts (from school) Nino (Hasan Akil) and Yasmina (Mounia Akl), who had lost sight of one another, reuniting in their 20s against the backdrop of political turmoil and social collapse in present-day Lebanon.
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD is a romantic comedy at heart but with high aspirations and set during the bombings in Lebanon as the citizens often scramble to make a living or make sense of all the bombings. Director Aris tries hard to be funny, as does his lead actor, but being funny is often a talent that delivers laughs to the audience when comedic timing and filming are tied together. But most of the humour here is not funny, with the lead actor screaming out loud most of the time, resulting in annoying actions and scenes that one knows were played for laughs but did not work.
The jokes are not much better, if any good at all. Take this example: when Nino, after a romantic rejection, says he is going outside to kill himself, his colleague tells him to shut the door behind him. Or the part during the financial crisis in Lebanon when Nino’s supplier tells him cash only. “Where do I get the cash? From my vault in Switzerland?” The least a romantic comedy could do is to be at least funny!
The film had its world premiere at the Giornate degli Autori sidebar section during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 31 August 2025, where it shared the section's People's Choice Award.. When a film wins the audience award, it is always a red flag. The film was selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Not surprising!
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD is ironically a sad though beautiful (cinematography and atmosphere created-wise) effort.
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD opens in Toronto at the TIFF Lightbox on Friday, July 24th.
Trailer:
SUZZANNA: WITCHCRAFT (Indonesia 2026) ***½
Directed by Andri Sofyansyah
SUZZANNA: WITCHCRAFT is an Indonesian folklore tale that takes place in a remote Indonesian village ruled by Bisman, a wealthy and ruthless village chief. Although respected publicly, Bisman secretly maintains his authority through intimidation and the use of forbidden black magic (santet).
The film is cheesy all the way from the way Suzzanna is trained in her magical powers - 40 days and 40 nights of meditation while confronted by awful-looking demons while also escaping henchmen on motorbikes in the jungle while she loses her slippers running away from them. But it is this cheesiness that makes the film all the more hilarious, intentionally or unintentionally one can never be sure.
Suzzanna is the beautiful daughter of Satriyo, an honest villager who refuses to support Bisman's growing tyranny. Bisman becomes obsessed with Suzzanna and wants her as his wife, believing that possessing her will strengthen both his social standing and his mystical powers. Suzzanna has a beauty spot, or is it a mole; again, one cannot be sure. Suzzanna rejects him, having no interest in the cruel ruler.
Humiliated by her refusal, Bisman decides to eliminate the greatest obstacle—her father. Rather than confronting him openly, he commissions a powerful practitioner of black magic to place a deadly curse on Satriyo. Soon afterward, Satriyo becomes mysteriously ill, suffering terrifying hallucinations before dying under circumstances the villagers cannot explain. Although everyone suspects supernatural forces, nobody dares accuse Bisman.
Devastated by grief, Suzzanna abandons her former peaceful life. Convinced that ordinary justice is impossible, she searches for someone capable of teaching her the forbidden arts. She eventually encounters Nyi Gayatri, an elderly mystic who understands the ancient practices of santet.
Initially, Nyi Gayatri refuses to help, warning that revenge through black magic always corrupts the person seeking it. Suzzanna ignores the warning and undergoes increasingly dangerous rituals involving graveyards, blood sacrifices, and communion with malevolent spirits. Each ritual grants her greater supernatural abilities while slowly changing her emotionally and spiritually.
This is a story where the fine line between good and evil is blurred. Can witchcraft be used for the good of the village? What are the consequences?
Visually, the film is polished. Practical makeup effects are generally more effective than the digital effects, which are occasionally. The carefully crafted atmosphere of the secluded Indonesian village and its surroundings, which include a river and waterfall, are effectively used to enhance the horrific fairy tale, and one that is set in the unfamiliar land of Indonesia. The creature designs and witchcraft rituals are imaginative and reinforce the film's connection to Indonesian occult traditions.
The lead performance is compelling, capturing both vulnerability and menace as the character undergoes an increasingly disturbing transformation. Is Suzzanna the victim or the protagonist? Clearly the film depicts her as both. And director Andri Sofyansyah has the audience rooting for her. The romantic interest adds to the story's intrigue, heightening the ambiguity.
Because SUZZANNA: WITCHCRAFT is another popular Indonesian horror, the films been released in many countries in Asia, but not yet in Toronto. The film opens for streaming on Netflix Thursday, July 24th.
Trailer:
THE TRUTHERS (Los creyentes)(Spain 2026) ***
Directed by Roger Gual
Ruth, a 30-year-old woman who has been estranged from her family for years, returns to her childhood home after learning that her mother has died under mysterious circumstances. Although the death has been ruled natural or accidental, Ruth senses that something about the situation is deeply unsettling.
Back in the isolated family house, she reunites with her father, Martín, a retired man who has become bitter, paranoid, and socially withdrawn. He spends his days obsessively researching an elaborate conspiracy that he believes is controlling society. He covers the house with newspaper clippings, maps, coded notes, and surveillance equipment, convinced that powerful unseen forces are watching him. His increasingly aggressive behaviour makes it difficult for Ruth to distinguish genuine fear from mental illness.
A truther believes in some conspiracy theory, usually a belief against a government case.
Why is the film called The Truthers in plural? The title is clever and demands some thought.
The title The Truthers operates on several levels, and that ambiguity appears to be central to the film.
The English word "truther" has become associated with people who believe that governments, corporations, or other powerful groups are concealing the "real truth" behind major events. In popular usage, it often refers to conspiracy theorists. Since Ruth's father, Martín, is consumed by elaborate conspiracy theories, he is literally a “truther." However, the title is plural—The Truthers, not The Truther. This suggests that the film is about more than one person searching for the truth. The plural can be interpreted in several ways: Martín believes he alone knows the hidden truth behind his wife's death and a wider conspiracy. Ruth is also a "truther" in her own way, trying to uncover the truth about her mother's death and whether her father is a murderer.
THE TRUTHERS works well as a psychological suspense thriller in which the audience is taken for a solid ride. There is a lot of audience anticipation as director Gual plays with the audience's curiosity. Ruth receives a phone call from her mother before her death while working in Berlin as a DJ, wanting to speak with her. She says it is urgent. Ruth never picks up the call or calls her back till her father tells her of her mother’s death by falling in the shower. Ruth is suspicious, as the message left on the phone tells Ruth that she is worried, as her father is acting stern and she is scared. Then, her father overhears the mother’s voice when Ruth plays the message.
The film eventually develops into a psychological cat-and-mouse game. Ruth searches the house for evidence while trying to determine whether Martín is a dangerous killer, a mentally ill man who has lost touch with reality, or someone who genuinely knows something others refuse to acknowledge. Every discovery deepens the mystery instead of resolving it, forcing Ruth to question both her father's stories and her own assumptions
THE TRUTHERS works well as a psychological suspense thriller in which the audience is taken for a solid ride. It opens for streaming on Netflix July 24th.
Trailer:
WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS (USA 2025) **
Directed by Matt Engelberft
WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS highlights the unbreakable bond of love between sisters, and how fate and faith can intervene at our darkest moment.
As her world crumbles around her, Clara (Joely Engelbert _ must do everything in her power to protect her younger sister, Ruby (Phoboe Engelbert, while not divulging the secret that will shatter them both.
The film begins with Clara, a high-school senior, writing in her journal as part of therapy. Her narration reveals that she is looking back on the most difficult period of her life. Flashbacks show that only months earlier she appeared to be a normal teenager balancing school, rehearsals with her band, and a romance with fellow musician Noah.
However, beneath the surface, her home life is falling apart. Clara's father died years before, and her mother has never recovered emotionally from the loss. Depression has consumed her, making it increasingly difficult for her to care for Clara and her much younger sister, Ruby.
Eventually, Clara's mother, seldom seen in the film, admits she needs psychiatric treatment and leaves to enter a treatment facility.
Almost overnight, Clara becomes the only adult in the household. She hides the truth from outsiders, believing that if authorities discover the girls are living alone, they will be separated through the foster-care system.
Her priority is protecting Ruby from fear and uncertainty.
The film is quite a boring watch, as its manipulative nature makes clear. There is nothing really wrong with each segment of the film, but there is little audience anticipation in the film, nothing that would entice the audience to want to watch more of the film.
There is sparse use of music, especially during dramatic scenes. But being a small production largely made by family and extended family, one can understand a bit of amateurism involved. But the music soundtrack heard is quite bad and often sounds like elevator music and inappropriate music at that. But at least the everyday sounds—household noises, school environments, traffic—help ground the story in realism. Silence is often used, and maybe an excuse, to underscore Clara's loneliness and emotional exhaustion.
WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS is truly a family affair. Written, directed, and produced by Matthew Engelbert, the film stars Joely Engelbert and Phoebe Engelbert as sisters Clara and Ruby, with both also contributing to the writing. Eli Engelbert served as producer and handled production sound and the soundtrack. Ariel Engelbert and Zoey Engelbert both appear in the film and assisted behind the camera, with Zoey also handling hair and makeup. Caroline Engelbert contributed an off-screen speaking role and supported the production through catering and wardrobe. Obviously, the family affair does not guarantee a good movie, as this movie proves. It does show a sincere effort at best. Shot entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS was filmed using full-scene takes without cutting within scenes. The film also features a brand-new original song written by Zoey Engelbert. Again, this does not guarantee a good song, which is true again in this case. The song is mediocre at best,
WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS had its World Premiere at the Santa Fe Film Festival, where Zoey Engelbert won Best Actress. The film has also screened at additional film festivals including the Richmond International Film Festival and Saints and Sinners Film Festival where it won Best Feature. The film has a runtime of 1:36:57 and will not be rated by the MPAA. Buffalo 8 will release the film on digital platforms on July 24, 2026.
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