Welcome to CFTCA’s monthly digest for October 2025, a roundup of recent reviews, features, interviews, and more by CTFCA critics. This month’s digest centers on coverage of the 44th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, which ran from October 2-12. Read on for reviews of the films our critics watched.
Film Reviews
Pillion | Reviewed by Elizabeth Mulloy | Read the Full Review
“n the end, Pillion is a surprisingly tender and deeply human story wrapped in leather and desire. It’s a film that seduces you, then disarms you with its sincerity.”
Find more of Elizabeth’s work on The Celluloid Correspondent.
Blue Moon | Reviewed by Darren Zakus | Read the Full Review
“Blue Moon is heartbreaking exploration of a legendary Broadway songwriter that soars due to the fantastic performance of Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart that brings to life Robert Kaplow’s screenplay with a magnetic wit and charm, energizing a dialogue heavy script reflecting on life, unrequited love, art and music, making Richard Linklater’s latest one of the best films of the year!”
Find more of Darren’s work on Movie Scene Canada.
The Mastermind, A Welcome Distraction, & More | Capsule Reviews by Taylor Beaumont | Read the Reviews
“Those inclined towards Reichardt’s stripped-down, single-egg-and-two-strips-of-stale-bacon approach will find something to chew on here, but for the uninitiated and less-inclined, The Mastermind is serviceable but insubstantial and slight.”
Find more of Taylor’s work on For Reel.
Is This Thing On? | Reviewed by Rick Chung | Read the Full Review
“Cooper and Arnett have made a self-referentially earnest divorce drama using stand-up comedy as a therapeutic framing device for expressing the mutual emotional frustrations of a long-lasting marriage and co-parenting. It’s a sensational portrait of a male midlife crisis.”
Find more of Rick’s VIFF coverage on his website.
Sentimental Value, Resurrection, & More | By Marta Djordjevic | Read the Reviews
“What does ‘“’sentimental value’ really mean? Usually, it’s shorthand for a knick-knack you can’t bring yourself to toss. But in Joachim Trier’s hands, it becomes something far weightier: a house swollen with memory, and the emotional baggage we take into adulthood.”
Find more of Marta’s work on Rewind and Revive.
Deathstalker, Wrong Husband, & More | By Dakota Arsenault, Matthew Simpson, & Darren Zakus | Listen to the Podcast
On this episode of Contra Zoom, Matt and Darren joined Dakota for a discussion of numerous films they saw at the festival. Listen to hear which films they name as favorites.
Find more episodes of the Contra Zoom podcast here.
With Hasan in Gaza | Reviewed by Eric Zhu | Read the Full Review
“Through the dual acts of consecration and imagination, With Hasan in Gaza forces us to reckon with Palestine as an entity that exists beyond its occupational struggle.”
Find more of Eric’s work in the The Insert.