Sleeper Hit??

I'm about to make a prediction for the sleeper hit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2010!! Not the sleeper hit that will win over audiences worldwide, and gain critical acclaim as it sweeps up awards left, right and centre (I'm thinking Juno, here). No, I'm talking about a personal "hidden gem" sleeper hit...one that I pick based on the TIFF programmer's description alone, which can sometimes be very misleading. Most of my film choices are based on some sort of known variable: director, writer, actor, country. I'm extremely loyal to my favourites, which doesn't leave much room for gambling.

But, last year, gamble I did, on a Spanish film called Cell 211. Kudos to Latin American cinema programmer, Diana Sanchez, for writing such a compelling film description that I just HAD to check it out. My boyfriend, his friend, and I all came out of that movie completely blown away. Such an original and interesting story, backed by amazing, believable acting (the lead actor is also pretty easy on the eyes...*wink wink*). Check out the trailer and see for yourself!!

http://youtu.be/LbfadZUFrX4

This year, it was toss-up between another Sanchez pick from Spain called Julia's Eyes, and Blame, an Australian film that is part of the Discovery program, which is always a bit of a risk since it's usually full of first time directors. Both films sound exciting, suspenseful, and very original. I want to see Julia's Eyes because I think it will be interesting to see how the director manipulates the audience's vision as the lead character slowly goes blind. Blame sounds compelling because I am a big fan of the slow reveal, and it sounds like there might be some unexpected twists and turns along the way.

In the end, I went with Blame as my pick for sleeper hit...mostly because I am too scared to see Julia's Eyes by myself and Myles can't make it to the screening. Maybe I will be able to muster up enough courage before then to wait in the rush line. Hopefully I can find someone to join me. Any takers?

I'll be sure to let you know if my predictions were right. Who knows? Maybe TIFF will have TWO sleeper hits for me this year!! *fingers crossed*