Author: Caitlin Abe Gokool

• Hamnet [TIFF 2025]

  

  It is a story we all know and a name we have all heard. Hamlet, the prince, or in its full title for the stage, The Tragedy of Hamlet. A story of revenge and redemption, of loss and family. William Shakespeare’s longest play, and one that author Maggie O’Farrell envisions having come as a result…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  September 15, 2025

• Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery [TIFF 2025]

  

  I first heard about it from my mom. A conversation about Coachella that turned into a conversation about a “little festival” she attended in the late 90’s. One that took place before I was born, though if she remembers correctly and attended the 1999 fair, one that I also attended while in the womb. A…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  September 13, 2025

• Poetic License [TIFF 2025]

  

  The eldest daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann has made her directorial debut at this years Toronto International Film Festival, and it is sure to be the first in a long line of films to come. Beginning her career acting in her father’s films alongside her mother and younger sister, Maude Apatow…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  September 12, 2025

• The Testament of Ann Lee [Venice 2025]

  

  When the film first premiered, reactions out of the theatre were polarized. Some hailed it as inventive and the film of the year, while others laughed at its attempts to take its titular character seriously amidst the choreography and original songs of the film. From Mona Fastvold, co-writer of the 2024 sensation The Brutalist, this…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  September 10, 2025

• Sirat [MIFF 2025]

  

  A film that seems so simple ends up being the one asking possibly the most existential questions yet. This is Sirat, the winner of the 2025 Cannes Grand Jury Prize, a film that follows a father Luis and his son Esteban as they travel through the desert of Morocco to a rave hoping to find…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  August 11, 2025

• Twinless [MIFF 2025]

  

  One of the funniest films of the year might also be the most gut-wrenching. This is Twinless, directed, written and starring James Sweeney, co-staring Dylan O’Brien. When an unlikely friendship between the two men form at a support group for twins, whose twin has died, Roman and Denis become a support for the other, as…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  August 8, 2025

• If I Had Legs I’d Kick You [MIFF 2025]

  

  Rose Byrne is already receiving awards buzz for her leading role as a spiralling mother in Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The film premiered at the 2025 Berlinale, where Byrne was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance, and opened the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. Byrne plays Linda, a…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  August 7, 2025

• Dreams [MIFF 2025]

  

  I think it would be hard to create a tone deaf film in 2025. With 24/7 access to outcries on social media about art, and an abundance of access to the reception to media depicting world issues, Dreams is a new film by Michel Franco that unfortunately falls into this category of lacking a sensitivity…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  August 6, 2025

• Oh, Hi!

  

  In this Misery-esque millennial rom-com-drama, Iris and Isaac go on their first couples vacation, at a cabin far out from the city. We follow them in the first few moments of the film, driving further and further from civilization, finally arriving at their romantic weekend getaway. When things go unexpected, Iris faces a crossroads about…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  July 24, 2025

• Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

  

  If there is one thing many young girls feel like, at one point, they could agree on, it is the title of this film. Setting high standards through her stories and reminding women what they are worth, even in a society that was often unfair to them, Jane Austen’s works grasp the lives of young…

  Caitlin Abe Gokool

  May 25, 2025