| Photo: Sean O’Neil / LANCE
The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) returned last week with over 200 feature films. Since Thursday, I have spent almost every day downtown hopping between the Capitol Theatre, Armouries, and St. Clair College Centre for the Arts.
Still with plenty of films to go, I wanted to share my thoughts on a few I watched last weekend:
Bedford Park (dir. Stephanie Ahn): ✰✰✰
A still from Stephanie Ahn’s Bedford Park. | Sony Pictures Classics
Bedford Park follows Audrey (Choi Hee-seo) and Eli (Son Suk-ku), two star-crossed lovers struggling to reconcile their emotions for each other while bonding over their parental traumas.
It’s a solid piece with one large flaw before the film even begins. As the opening credits started rolling, I was not expecting to see that the Hyundai Motor Company produced this film.
This of course isn’t anything new: for years, brands have begun to produce films in hopes of gaining positive traction off a piece. A brand producing a film isn’t inherently bad and can often lead to a mutually beneficial artistic relationship. However, this is a film that has some subtle quirks that make the intentions of the producer questionable.
From the meet cute of the film centring around a car accident; Audrey and Eli’s bond growing as they commute together in her car; to the climatic, most intimate moment of the film occurring behind the rain-covered windshield of a Hyundai SUV (with the logo noticeable at the edge of frame), it would appear there are some not-so-subtle inclusions of personal automobiles in this film.
Product placement aside, the film also takes a very direct stance on public transit. I’m paraphrasing, but there is an instance in the film that goes something like this:
“Did you drive here?”
“No, my car is still in the shop. I had to take the bus.”
“Ew. I’m so sorry for you. That’s awful.”
Bedford Park tells a compelling story about generational trauma, abuse, and the decisions we make. With some strong performances, I think it makes for a decent watch — just don’t be surprised if you find yourself stopping at a Hyundai dealership shortly after your screening.
Paper Tiger (dir. James Gray): ✰✰
A still from the trailer of James Gray’s Paper Tiger. | Neon
The Opening Night film of WIFF this year was Paper Tigers (2026).
The piece is heavily carried by performances from Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson. Even with the immense star power, however, it failed in all other remarks.
After a business venture goes wrong, brothers Irwin and Gary play cat and mouse with the Russian mafia as things go awry. Despite a compelling setup, Irwin and Gary’s greatest enemy isn’t the mafia: it’s entropy.
The film remains stagnant from start to end, offering little to no character development and a narrative that correlates rather than causes. The characters rarely influence their own destinies; they feel neither as if they are in pursuit of a goal, nor that the world of the film is changing them.
Hallow and disjointed, this star-studded film is at times beautiful and at others had me panicked at the edge of my seat.
Despite a complex and thought-provoking world, the film only seeks to tell the audience one thing: what a paper tiger is.
Fjord (dir. Cristian Mungiu): ✰✰✰✰✰
A still from Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. | Elevation Pictures
Fjord was the winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film follows the Gheorghius family’s patriarch (Sebastian Stan) and matriarch (Renate Reinsve) — a religious Romanian couple that settle in a small village in Norway — as they struggle to acclimate to a progressive culture.
The film, despite being almost two and a half hours long and primarily in a language I cannot speak (Norwegian), was riveting.
Fjord constructs a complex argument about values and perception, presenting both sides in a compelling and reasonable manner. The film is shot beautifully, relying on long takes and the wide vistas of Norway to share imagery that is vast and striking. The performances from the entire cast are stellar.
I went into this film blind, and I recommend the same for you. It is screening again on Nov. 7 and 8, and will be released in theatres shortly after WIFF. I highly recommend that you see it in a theatre.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (dir. Noah Segan): ✰✰✰
A still from the trailer of Noah Segan’s The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
| Sony Pictures Classics
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York follows Harry Lehman (John Turturro), a pickpocket who, after stealing from a dangerous family, must go on a risky journey to recover their items.
The film was fun but lacked emotional weight. Under the hood, there is the making of a compelling film: a great lead actor, an energetic tone, and some solid, interesting themes. These are unravelled by a script that is insistent on force-feeding you exposition and cameos, making you feel as if you are watching a Marvel movie instead of a festival film.
Pickpocket attempts to be critical of modern society, anchoring itself in its older leading character to say something about the ways in which we conduct ourselves and treat others, and yet this concept is overshadowed by needlessly expository and silly dialogue that would rather make you laugh than think critically about the film.
Honourable Mentions
There were a few other films I watched that I had less critical thoughts on, but here are my ratings below:
The Parking Spot (dir. Louis Godbout): ✰✰✰✰
Back in Black (dir. Ron Murphy): ✰✰✰✰
Tangles (dir. Leah Nelson): ✰✰✰✰✰
Other Activities
I have been having loads of fun in downtown Windsor this week.
From screenings of local shorts, attending industry panels, and simply enjoying spending time with friends and family downtown, WIFF has been a blast so far.
The festival itself is excellent; most tickets cost just $5.00 for students, and you can watch so many different pieces in a day.
And there are still plenty of films left to see! Some on my list for the rest of the week are La Bola Negra (Calvo & Ambrossi, 2026), Josephine (Araujo, 2026), The Debut (Eisenberg, 2026), and Minotaur (Zvyagintsev, 2026).
Be sure to visit WIFF before it leaves on Nov. 8.
See you at the movies!