Toronto film festival turns gaze from war to love

A quirky teen-pregnancy yarn and a love story involving a life-sized sex doll have won over critics at the Toronto International Film Festival, stealing the spotlight from darker films on war and politics.

While films with themes wrought from the war in Iraq and global terrorism have drawn a generally positive response, lighter fare such as "Juno" and "Lars and the Real Girl" have also emerged from the pack.

"Lars," which starts 2007 Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling as a man obsessed with a sex doll, has been lauded for a clever script that turns an uncomfortable subject into a love story.

"Juno," directed by "Thank You For Smoking" director Jason Reitman, is about 16-year-old pregnant teen who decides to put her baby up for private adoption.

"They are both comedies, and they are both very, very broad, and yet very very sweet," said David Poland of MovieCityNews.com.

These smaller films have triumphed in the face of larger hype for Iraq-themed films such as Brian De Palma's "Redacted" and Paul Haggis's "In the Valley of Elah," as well as Gavin Hood's "Rendition," a tense look a the practice of detaining terrorism suspects in foreign prisons.

"We have plenty of Iraq and war and blood, but I think the truth is that a combination of films that were not as impactful as people were expecting has kind of made that a secondary issue in a weird way," Poland said.

The thematic bent recalls the flood of films beginning in the late 1970s critical of the Vietnam War, such as "The Deer Hunter" and "Coming Home."

But with the war in Iraq still going on, some say audiences may not be ready to step back and look objectively at its consequences, an argument that may become more apparent when these films hit the box office.

"It may be that they all cannibalize each other. It may be too much too soon, way too much," said Pete Hammond, film critic for Maxim magazine.

OSCAR RUN-UP

The festival, which will have screened 349 films from 55 countries by the time it wraps up on Saturday, is considered by many the kickoff to Oscar season, as it features the North American premieres of many films that will be considered for key awards.

Hammond said it's still too early to get a good sense of which films will be front-runners, but he said some performances have already been generating buzz.

He pointed to Cate Blanchett, though not for the heavily-hyped "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," in which she reprises her role as the 16th century English monarch.

While "Elizabeth" has thus far drawn a mixed reaction, Blanchett's turn as Bob Dylan" in "I'm Not There," has been praised.

"I think that's a slam dunk nomination for her as supporting (actress)," Hammond said.

Also garnering a positive response has been Casey Affleck's portrayal of Robert Ford alongside Brad Pitt in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," a film that has also been lauded by critics.

Critics have also warmed to the Sean Penn-directed "Into the Wild," and the Coen brothers' violent "No Country for Old Men," which was well received at the Cannes Film Festival.