THE PAWNSHOP – ★★★☆

Polish documentary about a pawnshop that has seen better days, in an industrial town that also feels like it has as well. Much of the context wasn’t shared, but it seems like times are hard for many in the town, and this fly on the wall documentary has a share of funny and tender moments as well as ones that have you clenching in fear of what would be severe occupational health and safety risks. The characters are all heroes in some ways, and flawed in others. I liked the honest approach in introducing the various staff and customers.

DIAMOND HANDS: THE LEGEND OF WALLSTREETBETS – ★★★☆

Entertaining and well made documentary about the WallStreetBets sub-reddit, which attempted to squeeze large firms who had shorted GameStop stock. When an intelligent young man realised that Wall Street had bet against GameStop by 140%, he had a theory that if enough people bought GameStop stock, it would create a situation where the stock would skyrocket as those who’d bet against it had to buy out their losses. Having watched some of this occurring at the time, I felt it was a good representation of the nature of the people who were pushing for this, and the various memes associated. Congratulations to those who sold their GME at $400+, I sure wish I had right now.

ON THE COUNT OF THREE – ★★★★

A powerful Canadian comedy/drama about two best friends, both who decide they don’t want to live anymore and agree to mutual suicide. A pretty dark comedy that avoids following the expected path one might predict, and lends to giving a voice to try and understand how tragedies can occur. The second ‘comedy’ about suicide at MIFF this year, and we’re only two days in.

HIT THE ROAD – ★★

Maybe it’s been too long since I went to the movies, but this counts as the third film (or the fourth? I’ve lost count) at MIFF this year where I felt like any introduction to the setting around the story has been skipped. From what I could work out, it’s about an Iranian family taking their son on a road trip to a destination so he can be sneakily taken somewhere. Maybe they were trying to sneak him across a border? Possibly to skip bail? I don’t know. I was looking forward to this one, but would have likely left, if I’d snagged an aisle seat. Several unnecessarily long takes with little to watch but a person walking from point A to point B (or a motorbike being ridden from point A to point B), interjected with an annoying child that would nag/scream/yell incessantly. If there was one redemption, it was the performance by Pantea Panahiha, who played the mother.