April 11, 2025

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 4/11

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want something european

there’s still tomorrow

Vincent Georgie: There is a transporting quality to Paola Cortellesi’s new film. Immediately taking us to an Italy of times past, this wonderful drama (with some light touches, I might add) is exactly the kind of film “they don’t make anymore”. If you want the feeling that you have seen something special, check this one out.

Synopsis: In postwar Rome, a working-class woman dreams of a better future for herself and her daughter while enduring abuse at the hands of her husband. When a mysterious letter arrives, she discovers the courage to change the circumstances of her life.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

if you want unabashed horror

the monkey

Vincent Georgie: This is a great choice for a suspenseful, entertaining Friday night watch. It never bores and certainly earns the chills that it provides. A fun one. Stylish, vintage, intelligent, graphic and completely entertaining, filmmaker Oz Perkins broke out last year with LONGLEGS. His latest film is bloody and bloody good. Vincent Georgie: This is a great choice for a suspenseful, entertaining Friday night watch. It never bores and certainly earns the chills that it provides. A fun one.

Synopsis: When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tears their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

if you want an epic drama

ju dou

Vincent Georgie: The incredible Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (think the East’s answer to David Lean) once again casts major Chinese star (who happens to be his wife), Gong Li as the titular character. Sweeping, beautifully produced and emotional, the film was nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar upon its release.

Synopsis: Ju Dou (Gong Li), the young bride of Yang Jin-shan (Wei Li), who is the tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business, is forced to endure her husband’s violent tendencies and condescending nature. Although Ju Dou finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband’s nephew, Tian-qing (Baotian Li), problems arise when Ju Dou gets pregnant. The couple then desperately tries to hide their passionate romance while convincing the merciless Jin-shan that the child is his.

DOUBLE FEATURE

musician’s on film

Vincent Georgie: Nominated for the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film in 2019, the first film is not only a most enjoyable film thanks to excellent archival footage and access, but gives you a real understanding of the man behind the myth. The film is a winner. The second film, from WIFF 2022, was a complete surprise: entertaining, meaningful, touching and, ultimately, made me a fan. Check out both of these wonderful music docs that rise above all the rest.

gordon lightfoot: if you could read my mind

The filmmakers examine the life, influence and artistic legacy of Canadian musician and icon Gordon Lightfoot.

Available on Apple TV, YouTube, and CBC Gem.

the return of tanya tucker: featuring brandi carlile

Decades after Tanya Tucker slipped from the spotlight, rising star Brandi Carlile writes an entire album for her hero based on Tucker’s extraordinary life, spurring one of the greatest comebacks in country music history.