Five Films to Watch For From TIFF 2026
The 51st Toronto Film Festival offers some gems of world cinema
September is a time that every cinephile should celebrate. It's the time when some of the most exciting film festivals in the world begin. The month gives us Venice, Telluride, and best of all, the Toronto International Film Festival. I was lucky enough to be a guest at TIFF for the second year running, and while the mood was not quite as celebratory as last year's 50th anniversary, King Street was still alive with festivities.
Some of the highlights at this year's TIFF include a long-awaited restoration of Ken Russell's controversial masterpiece The Devils and the opening of a brand new Criterion store at the Cinema Cellar. Along with the Vinegar Syndrome store, this inclusion makes Toronto the epicenter for physical media collection.
But, as with every year, the real stars of TIFF are the films, and we were given a vast array of highly anticipated new releases along with interesting curiosities from all over the world. Also, after the runaway success of last year's Obsession, the Midnight Madness selections were a hot draw this year. I got turned away from two sold-out screenings, so apologies in advance for my lack of coverage there. Like last year, I will be covering five of the films I saw at TIFF to watch out for in the months ahead. I tend to avoid the most hotly anticipated releases, so this list is mostly made up of the more obscure titles in the fest.
With the exception of one film, none of these titles have release dates in the U.S. yet, so look for them sometime next year (or maybe longer). Before I begin, I would like to give a shout-out to the volunteer staff at TIFF who work nonstop, keeping things running as smoothly as possible and who often take the brunt of the abuse when chaos inevitably strikes. There wouldn't be a TIFF without you folks.
And now I present to you my Five Films to Watch For from TIFF 2026.
1. Tender Loving Care
If ever there was a filmmaker who deserved every accolade and bit of praise heaped upon him, it would be Mike Leigh, and this film, his self-proclaimed finale, proves that he is the master of telling deeply humanistic tragi-comic domestic tales. This is the story of Amy (Kate O'Flynn), a recently single social worker who moves in with her best friend Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson).
As she begins to search for what she wants in life, her relationship with her parents (Marion Bailey and Paul Jesson) changes when her father begins to show the first signs of dementia. The film is a deeply felt journey filled with truly lived-in characters carried by four incredible performances. It's everything you expect from Leigh, and nobody does it better. I hope he has a few more stories left in him, but if this really is his final film, it makes an amazing capper to an amazing career. Tender Loving Care comes to U.S. theaters on Dec. 4, 2026.
2. Trash Mountain
Kris Rey's simple, yet effective comedy/drama perfectly captures that push/pull dynamic of the things that keep us away from family, and the things that keep us tied to it. The story of a young gay man (co-writer Caleb Hearon) who travels from Chicago back to his hometown in rural Missouri to help his sister (Zooey Deschanel) search through the piles of trash to find their recently deceased hoarder father's social security card is a funny and heartfelt journey into everything that makes a family uniquely dysfunctional. Inspired by Hearon's complicated thoughts around his own father's death, the film is both personal and universal, carried by some whip-smart writing and terrific performances from both its lead and supporting actors. It shows us a relationship between siblings who not only love each other but deeply like each other as well. The kind of tender, personal story that independent film is made for.
3. Stuffed
Sometimes I don't know what I want in a film until I see it right in front of me, and this Gothic horror/romance/musical is exactly what I needed! Theo Rhys' story of a taxidermist (Jodie Comer) who strikes a morbid deal with a lonely, depressed young man (Harry Melling) with seemingly nothing to live for is a darkly funny, yet surprisingly romantic tale that combines the best elements of Stephen Sondheim and heyday Tim Burton. Neither of the lead actors are professional singers, but the musical numbers are delivered with such passion and intensity that it becomes so easy to get enraptured. Also, despite the otherworldly nature of the story, the actors give us such sincere performances that ground us to this doomed romance. Sometimes, only at the precipice of death can we finally realize how wonderful life is, and this tale of love, life, death, and taxidermy shows us that truth in a uniquely emotional and hilarious way.
4. The Unknown
Arthur Harari's fantasy/thriller is a difficult one to recommend. It is a slow, methodical story that is equal parts disturbing and thought-provoking. It's a film that I haven't stopped thinking about since TIFF and it is easily one of the most fascinating films of the year. The story follows an anti-social photographer (Niels Schneider) as he becomes entranced by a mysterious woman (Léa Seydoux) at a party. His fascination for the woman takes a turn the next day when he finds that he has become her. Harari presents us with an intriguing mystery that asks hard questions related to identity, the loss of self, and what it truly means to inhabit a body. Inspired by the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, the film is ponderous, with a slow feeling of inevitability all around it. The two fantastic lead performances keep the story engaging and the sense of existential dread makes it more disturbing than a conventional horror film. If one can get on the film's wavelength, The Unknown is truly an experience like no other.
5. We Are Born Good
The feature film debut of Yeung Leung Chuen (L.C. for short), this film is a funny and empathetic little comedy/drama that shows humanity at its nastiest, but also its most sympathetic. The film follows a young woman (Chung Suet-Ying) who, after a terrible day, declares all-out war on a small restaurant after the owner (Yeung Wai-Lun) accidentally gives her the wrong order. That minor incident leads to total chaos as both people begin to try to ruin the other's life, all while their complicated personal lives unravel around them. The film is endlessly watchable, funny one moment, tragic the next. Each escalation will keep audiences engaged and the tender humanity involved lingers long after the story is over. The film is a celebration of the things that make us human: our messy, complex, occasionally hypocritical, but ultimately beautiful humanity. Exactly the kind of story that is needed in this age.
