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Maestro Film Review

Written by Adam Manery

Posted in Videos
1 min read
Published December 18, 2023

Maestro Film Review

Read some reviews HERE

YouTube: @PointsOfReview

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About Me

Adam Manery

From the classroom to the couch - a former teacher dives headfirst into the world of film.Occasionally insightful, but frequently full of existential dread and dry humour.

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Points of Review

Film Reviews, Festival Coverage, and Interviews with Filmmakers

LA BOLA NEGRA (2026), directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, collectively known as Los Javis, has won the TIFF 2026 People’s Choice Award. The 155-minute film follows three queer men across three periods in Spain: Carlos in 1932, Sebastián in 1937, and Alberto in 2017.Inspired by Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play La Bola Negra, as well as Alberto Conejero’s La Piedra Oscura, the film connects these three stories through desire, repression, memory, inheritance, and the art that survives after people are gone.In this La Bola Negra review, I look at how Los Javis gradually bring its seemingly separate timelines together through cinematography, editing, music, sound, poetry, and recurring imagery. That includes the black ball at the centre of Carlos’s story, Lorca’s associations with snow, Sebastián and Rafael’s relationship during the Spanish Civil War, and Alberto’s much more contemporary world of Grindr, iPhones, and Candy Crush.I also dig into the film’s relationship with Federico García Lorca, including his unfinished work, his poetry, the influence he had on Leonard Cohen, and the larger idea of artists inheriting and reinterpreting work that previous generations were never able to finish.Visually, La Bola Negra is extraordinary. Its blocking, natural light, production design, use of windows and doorways, transitions through light and shadow, and precise compositions make this one of the most visually impressive films I’ve seen recently. But that beauty is consistently tied to the film’s larger ideas about silence, queer history, memory, physical intimacy, and the preservation of lives that might otherwise disappear.At 155 minutes, La Bola Negra is certainly ambitious, but I never found myself drifting. It was my favourite film at TIFF 2026 and, at least for now, might be my favourite film of the year.🎥 More from Points of Review
🌐 Website: https://pointsofreviews.com/
🍿 26 Movies to Watch at TIFF 2026: https://pointsofreviews.com/tiff-2026-top-films-to-watch/
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@PointsofReview?sub_confirmation=1Chapters:
00:00 La Bola Negra Review & TIFF 2026
00:45 What Is La Bola Negra About?
01:57 Federico García Lorca, Leonard Cohen & Inheritance
03:01 La Bola Negra’s Cinematography & Visual Style
04:02 How the Three Timelines Connect
06:04 Carlos (1932) & Lorca’s Unfinished La Bola Negra
07:18 Sebastián, Rafael & the Spanish Civil War
08:48 Alberto (2017) & Queer Memory
10:07 Silence, Repression & Unfinished Lives
10:52 Art, Memory & Preservation
11:39 Is La Bola Negra Worth Watching?#LaBolaNegra #TIFF2026 #LosJavis

La Bola Negra Might Be My Favourite Film of 2026

*Everytime*, written and directed by Sandra Wollner, comes to TIFF 2026 after winning the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes. In this review and analysis, I look at the film’s portrait of grief and memory, Gregory Oke’s cinematography after *Aftersun*, and the surreal third act that completely changed my response to the film.Starring Birgit Minichmayr, Lotte Shirin Keiling, Tristan López and Carla Hüttermann, *Everytime* follows a mother, younger daughter and teenage boy brought together by tragedy before travelling to Tenerife for a family holiday that never happened.🎥 Points of Review
🌐 Website: https://pointsofreviews.com/
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@PointsofReview?sub_confirmation=1Film Discussed:Everytime (Sandra Wollner): After a tragedy, a mother, younger daughter and teenage boy travel to Tenerife as grief, memory and reality begin to overlap.
https://www.tiff.net/films/everytimeOfficial Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4FsfG-TzEwTopics Discussed:Gregory Oke’s cinematography and the parallels with Aftersun
Memory, grief and absence
Long-lens cinematography
Sound, photographs and digital memory
Water, sunlight and recurring visual motifs
The transition from realism into surrealism
Why the third act completely changed the film for me#Everytime #TIFF2026 #FilmReview

EVERYTIME Movie Review

TIFF 2026 runs September 10–20, with 293 titles at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. Here are 10 Canadian films you should add to your watchlist.The list ranges from Quebec thrillers and Indigenous hockey to political dramas and international co-productions.🎥 Points of Review
🌐 Full Article: https://pointsofreviews.com/top-10-canadian-films-to-watch-at-tiff-2026
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@PointsofReview?sub_confirmation=1Films Discussed:A Long Winter (Andrew Haigh): A young man and his family confront grief after his mother disappears during a blizzard.
https://tiff.net/films/a-long-winterClosing Night (Cody Fern): An acclaimed actor’s estranged sister returns as she prepares for a major Broadway performance.
https://tiff.net/films/closing-nightHow We Stand (Marie Clements): Three Indigenous sisters separated by government policy and tragedy are drawn back together years later.
https://tiff.net/films/how-we-standL'AUTRE (Alexandre Franchi): A cancer patient begins to suspect his hospital roommate is connected to a much larger threat.
https://tiff.net/films/lautreLadies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney (Matthew Rankin): Archival footage, political advertising and Canadian television become an unconventional portrait of Brian Mulroney’s rise.
https://tiff.net/films/ladies-and-gentlemen-brian-mulroneyNobody’s Violence (Denis Côté): A woman involved in assisted-death pacts begins questioning the life she has built.
https://tiff.net/films/nobodys-violenceSmudge the Blades (Cody Lightning): A Zamboni driver takes over a northern Alberta Indigenous U18 hockey team in its final season.
https://tiff.net/films/smudge-the-bladesThe Betrayers (David Bezmozgis): A former Soviet dissident encounters the man whose betrayal sent him to prison decades earlier.
https://tiff.net/films/the-betrayersThe Stunt Driver (Michael Dowse): Canadian daredevil Ken Carter spends years trying to launch a rocket-powered car across the St. Lawrence River.
https://tiff.net/films/the-stunt-driverToy Gun Bandit (Rémi St-Michel): A Quebec teenager’s toy-gun prank pulls him toward increasingly serious crime.
https://tiff.net/films/toy-gun-banditChapters:
00:00 Canadian Films at TIFF
00:11 10. The Stunt Driver
01:42 9. Closing Night
02:59 8. L'AUTRE
04:30 7. Toy Gun Bandit
06:25 6. How We Stand
07:53 5. The Betrayers
09:19 4. Smudge the Blades
11:03 3. Nobody’s Violence
12:36 2. Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney
14:06 1. A Long Winter
15:33 More TIFF Coverage#TIFF2026 #CanadianFilm #FilmRecommendations

TIFF 2026: 10 Most Anticipated Canadian Films

$TIFF 2026 runs September 10–20, with 293 titles at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. Here are 26 films you should add to your watchlist.The list balances major premieres with Canadian films, international pictures, and lower-profile picks that may not be on your radar.🎥 Points of Review 🌐 Full Article: https://pointsofreviews.com/tiff-2026-top-films-to-watch/ 🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@PointsofReview?sub_confirmation=1Films Discussed:A Long Winter (Andrew Haigh): A mountain family faces grief after their mother disappears. https://tiff.net/films/a-long-winterA Talent for Murder (Anton Corbijn): Patricia Highsmith faces an agent seeking one final Ripley novel. https://tiff.net/films/a-talent-for-murderAll of a Sudden (Ryusuke Hamaguchi): A care worker and terminally ill theatre director form an unexpected friendship. https://tiff.net/films/all-of-a-suddenBucking Fastard (Werner Herzog): Two inseparable sisters search for a place where true love can exist. https://tiff.net/films/bucking-fastardBunker (Florian Zeller): A marriage fractures after an architect takes a morally questionable job. https://tiff.net/films/bunkerClub Kid (Jordan Firstman): A New York party promoter suddenly discovers he has a 10-year-old son. https://tiff.net/films/club-kidCoward (Lukas Dhont): Two young soldiers form an intimate bond during the First World War. https://tiff.net/films/cowardEverytime (Sandra Wollner): A family trip blurs memory, guilt and forgiveness after a girl’s death. https://tiff.net/films/everytimeFjord (Cristian Mungiu): A child’s bruises ignite a conflict over parenting, culture and intervention. https://tiff.net/films/fjordGentle Monster (Marie Kreutzer): A woman questions everything after her husband is arrested. https://tiff.net/films/gentle-monsterHa-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (Josef Kubota Wladyka): A grieving ballroom dancer is pulled back toward dance and connection. https://tiff.net/films/ha-chan-shake-your-bootyHow We Stand (Marie Clements): Three Indigenous sisters separated by tragedy are drawn back together. https://tiff.net/films/how-we-standLa Bola Negra (Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi): Three men across eras connect queer desire and inheritance through Lorca. https://tiff.net/films/la-bola-negraLadies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney (Matthew Rankin): Archival footage becomes an unconventional portrait of Brian Mulroney. https://tiff.net/films/ladies-and-gentlemen-brian-mulroneyMinotaur (Andrey Zvyagintsev): A Russian businessman’s morality unravels amid military mobilization. https://tiff.net/films/minotaurNobody’s Violence (Denis Côté): A woman involved in death pacts begins questioning the life she chose. https://tiff.net/films/nobodys-violenceOnce Upon a Time in Harlem (William Greaves & David Greaves): Unseen 1972 footage captures figures of the Harlem Renaissance. https://tiff.net/films/once-upon-a-time-in-harlemPossible Love (Lee Chang-dong): Two married couples collide as class, desire and hidden tensions surface. https://tiff.net/films/possible-loveRiver (Joshua Giuliano): Three siblings are stranded on a remote river while something hunts them. https://tiff.net/films/riverSmudge the Blades (Cody Lightning): A Zamboni driver takes over an Indigenous U18 hockey team. https://tiff.net/films/smudge-the-bladesTangles (Leah Nelson): A daughter returns home as her mother’s Alzheimer’s progresses. https://tiff.net/films/tanglesThe Debut (Jesse Eisenberg): A housewife lands a community-theatre role and becomes consumed by it. https://tiff.net/films/the-debutThe Diary of a Chambermaid (Radu Jude): A Romanian housekeeper lives a modern echo of Mirbeau’s class tensions. https://tiff.net/films/the-diary-of-a-chambermaidThe Man I Love (Ira Sachs): A New York artist navigates love and mortality during the AIDS crisis. https://tiff.net/films/the-man-i-loveThe Unknown (Arthur Harari): A photographer follows a woman and wakes hours later inside her body. https://tiff.net/films/the-unknownYour Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Bassam Tariq): A devout Muslim hitman tries to protect his family after his wife dies. https://tiff.net/films/your-mother-your-mother-your-motherChapters: 00:00 TIFF 2026 00:45 26. Fjord 01:59 25. Bucking Fastard 02:58 24. How We Stand 04:11 23. River 05:20 22. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! 06:30 21. Smudge the Blades 07:47 20. Club Kid 08:56 19. Tangles 10:20 18. Once Upon a Time in Harlem 11:51 17. Everytime 13:10 16. Possible Love 14:18 15. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother 15:44 14. Bunker 16:57 13. A Talent for Murder 18:05 12. Gentle Monster 19:41 11. The Unknown 21:11 10. Nobody’s Violence 22:28 9. The Man I Love 23:51 8. The Diary of a Chambermaid 25:11 7. Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney 26:43 6. La Bola Negra 28:50 5. The Debut 30:18 4. All of a Sudden 32:01 3. Minotaur 33:33 2. Coward 35:06 1. A Long Winter 37:28 TIFF 26: Canadian Films & Hidden Gems#TIFF2026 #FilmFestival #FilmRecommendations$

26 Movies to Watch at TIFF 2026

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