9 Highlights from Toronto After Dark 2013
After nine nights (and a few afternoons) of watching 19 films and shorts, a festival tends to blur. While I only made it to 15 of the screenings, here are my highlights of Toronto After Dark 2013.
Most enthusiastic Q&A Presenter: Director Don Thacker for his $8000.00 film about a talking mold, excuse me “The Mold” Motivational Growth. And if you had any further questions, he was happy to talk to you at the pub.
Biggest Budget Film : Even if we hadn’t been told, the cost of the props destroyed in the first few minutes of Odd Thomas was probably equal to a large percentage of most of the other entries total budgets. It was still a fun film and one that felt at home at Toronto After Dark’s wide definition of genre.
Best Scares for the Lowest Budget: Bobcat Goldthwait’s Willow Creek raised tension with a 19 minute long take of the characters in a tent, with noises outside. Much creepier than it sounds.
Music: While there were many excellent film scores, the main song from The Battery “Anthem for the Already Defeated” by Toronto Indie band Rock Plaza Central won the hearts and ears of the festival. Not only did the lead from the band perform the song live at the post screening Q&A, it also made the After Dark Pub’s playlist.
Check out the Dance Scene from The Battery with Rock Plaza Central’s “Anthem for the Already Defeated” in the video above.
Most surprising film to pass the Bachdel Test: Bounty Killer while it’s 
the story of one man’s redemption, the leaders of the three factions are all women, who talk to each other about the world they live in and not just the guys they share it with.
Oddest Short (that I saw): The Lamp. Different people want different things out of on-line dating.
Eeriest Film: We Are What We Are – taking a nugget from the 2010 Mexican film of the same name, this film focuses on out growing family traditions. It’s a very quiet, contemplative film about cannibals.
Most Unexpected Feature: Eega – from Tollywood (not Bollywood) featuring a couple of India’s famed song and dance numbers, but also one main character being reincarnated as a vengeful (and multilingual) fly. Revenge comes in small, but powerful, packages. I’ll just let you imagine the fly doing dance moves.
Most Repeated Theme: Nature is out to get you, whether you’re camping (Silent Retreat, Solo, Willow Creek) or it’s just nature, life on The Last Days on Mars, the rainstorm in We Are What We Are; or creatures like, Big Ass Spider! Motivational Growth’s The Mold or a vengeful fly (Eega).
Clearly it’s safest to stay in the city and watch horror films!
