TIFF 2022 – Day Eight: The Colour of Ink
by Thom Ernst – Film Correspondent
(September 15, 2022 – Toronto, ON) Draw a line from director Brian D. Johnson’s previous project, Al Purdy Was Here, to his current film, The Colour of Ink, you’re likely to find similarities. An initial broad sweep reveals that both films speak the language of poets. But if Johnson’s film about Al Purdy was about the poet, then The Colour of Ink is about the poem. Johnson has learned a thing or two from his time with Purdy, specifically about the connection between the artist and the ink. Johnson reveals the layers of beauty in the drawn line, not just in how the lines take shape but in their texture and colour. One of Johnson’s gifts to the film is his subjects, writers, artists, and illustrators. These are people not just passionate but curious, and their curiosity dispels whatever apprehensions you might have about seeing a film about the colour of ink. The Colour of Ink screens at 9 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Bones of Crows is described as an epic tale that crosses generations. Directed by Marie Clements, Bones of Crows is the story of Aline Spears (Grace Dove), whose content life living with her family is disrupted, as were so many Indigenous peoples when she is forcibly removed and placed into a residential school. The disruption is magnified by the cruelty she and others face at the hands of government and church officials. Since the film spans decades, Aline’s story reaches beyond her stay at the school and into a military career. The film features a strong cast of Indigenous actors, including Glen Gould, Gerald Auger, Tahmoh Penikett, Cara Gee and Gail Maurice, with a cameo by filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin Bones of Crows screens at 11:00 am at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Also Screening Today:
Director Lina Rodriguez’s So Much Tenderness screens at 3:30 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox, and Director Lindsay MacKay’s The Swearing Jar screens at 4:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Looking Ahead to Friday, September 16
Director Clement Virgo’s Brother screens at 6 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Director Don Shebib’s police procedural, Nightalk, screens at 6 pm at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Thom Ernst is a Toronto based film critic and writer and an active member of the (TFCA) Toronto Film Critics’ Association. His work has appeared in various publications including Playback Magazine, The Toronto Star, and The National Post. He is known to CBC Radio listeners for his lively contributions to Fresh Air, Metro Morning, and CBC Syndication as well as appearing on-air for CTV News Channel and The Agenda with Steve Paikin. He was host, interviewer and producer of televisions’ longest running movie program Saturday Night at the Movies. Currently he can be heard interviewing Canadian filmmakers on the Kingston Canadian Film Festival podcast, Rewind, Fast-Forward.
