The first full week of the 10-day-long Toronto International Film Festival is coming to a close, so here are five movies we have seen so far to help you pick your next festival watch going into the final weekend.

Fjord (dir. Cristian Mungiu)

Fjord tells the story of a religious Romanian family who has moved to Norway when the eldest daughter shows up at school with bruises on her back. What follows traces the process of the family through Norway’s courts and child protection system, presenting a moral dilemma without telling us who the film believes is in the right or wrong. Rather, it leaves us to sit with the family and their story, being persecuted not just for the way they raise their children, but also for how they choose to follow their religion, and leaves us wondering how we may act in the same situation, were we the family or the community.

I Am Mario (dir. Sharon Kleinberg)

After a one-night stand, taxi driver Mario finds out he has become pregnant as he is saving for his gender reassignment surgery. Facing his family and the normalized homophobia and transphobia in his community, he dreams of fatherhood while also grappling with his own issues surrounding masculinity. The film is a beautiful glimpse into the life of this man, which approaches the topic with a clear understanding of his journey and its discussion of what it means to choose to be a parent.

I Am Rocky (dir. Peter Farrelly)

I Am Rocky had its world premiere at the film festival, and the crowd was on fire. The film tells the real story of Sylvester Stallone, before he became Rocky, writing the script and trying to get it made, all with one demand: that he play Rocky. Fighting through every bump and roadblock on the way, the film does end up playing a bit too long and is a very cliché feel-good biopic. It will work for some, especially those who are fans of the Rocky franchise and light biopics in general, but for me it was just a bit too plain.

The World Before (dir. Yoon Dan-bi)

Set in a beautiful, small Korean island, The World Before follows two childhood friends who reunite one summer as they are both coming of age in their teenage years. Exploring love and longing through distant glances, bike rides through the countryside, and subtle performances from the two leads, the film is a wonderful example of the quieter moments in our adolescence that are so much more heightened when they are all we know and as we are living through them, discovering ourselves and our relationships with others for the first time.

A Long Winter (dir. Andrew Haigh)

A Long Winter tells the story of a family living in a remote village in the mountains. During a snowstorm, the mother goes missing, and it is up to her husband, Lester, and son, Mike, to find her. Along the way, Mike’s relationship with both of his parents is changed, as truths about their pasts are revealed and new characters are introduced. The film, much like Haigh’s other films, deals largely with queer awakening and longing in a world where it cannot be had, but A Long Winter left a bit too much to the subtext for me, making for a long film of watching men trek through the snow. The visual landscapes were beautiful, though.

The films above were screened at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Images courtesy of TIFF.