When director Rian Johnson introduced the new Knives Out film on the third day of TIFF 2025, he exclaimed: “we’re going back to church.”

He implied that Wake Up Dead Man, the latest installment in the Benoit Blanc mystery series, would echo the origins of the classic whodunit, particularly channeling the gothic essence of Edgar Allan Poe. Having now watched it, I must commend Johnson for successfully executing this vision: the film possesses a darker, more spiritual ambiance than its predecessors, while still retaining the characteristic Knives Out charm—full of twists and humor. The audience and I were taken aback several times by the numerous surprises. I’ll be sharing a complete review soon, but my initial impressions are available below.

During the same period, I also experienced a gripping German film exploring the darker aspects of influencer culture, a Saudi crime thriller with a disappointing twist, an uproarious dark comedy about the antics of children, and the best action film I’ve seen in a while. It was undeniably a whirlwind of an eclectic day. (Regrettably, most of these films don’t currently have scheduled releases for a broader audience, but I’ll keep you updated if that changes.)

And if you missed them, you can read my previous dispatches from this year’s TIFF as well, covering films like Exit 8 and No Other Choice.

In the third installment of Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) adventures, we encounter his darkest and most intricate case yet. Set around a murder within a small church community in New York, Blanc teams up with a young priest (Josh O’Connor) and the local sheriff (Mila Kunis) to untangle the mystery. Naturally, the case isn’t straightforward; Blanc repeatedly describes it as “impossible.” This complexity enables the film to build an extraordinary series of twists and turns, culminating in an emotionally powerful finale. Rest assured, despite the more serious tone at times, this might be the most humorous iteration of Knives Out to date.

_{In select theaters on November 26th, before streaming on Netflix on December 12th.}

An unyielding, bone-crunching action movie starring Xie Miao and Joe Taslim centers around two men on a mission to dismantle an underground child-trafficking ring. The fight scenes are as artful as they are brutal, filled with imagination and playfulness. Everything becomes part of the choreography, from dueling with bicycles like swords to using downed opponents as a makeshift human pyramid to climb. If you’re curious about the film’s intensity, picture a classic hallway fight packed with adversaries—then add a motorcycle. The final sequence, involving five men with diverging agendas, is chaotic, exhausting, and utterly captivating.

_{No word yet on a wider theatrical release.}

Luca (Maja Bons), an only child, is the central figure of her highly successful influencer family. Nearly every significant milestone in her life has unfolded in front of a camera; for instance, she learned about menstruation from her mother via a podcast. Despite her wealth, Luca feels isolated, and when her parents proceed with plans for another child—motivated primarily, it seems, by content opportunities—she begins to question her life’s path. The film initially creates an effectively suffocating atmosphere reflecting Luca’s experience. However, it falters in channeling that energy, as the narrative drifts toward a conclusion, squandering a subplot about Luca’s AI avatar.

_{No word yet on a wider theatrical release.}

It seems that everything would fall into place for schoolteacher Maria (Saoirse Ronan) if it weren’t for the troublesome child in her class. Eventually, the child is no longer there—without revealing how or why—and Maria’s life, along with the class environment, improves considerably. As the students flourish under an unstressed teacher, the unorthodox twist in Bad Apples remains lingering, transforming the film into a comical escapade as Maria tries to navigate the moral complexities of doing the right thing while striving for the greater good.

_{No word yet on a wider theatrical release.}

This movie starts out well, before blowing it with a twist that feels cheap and implausible. Nawal (Mila Alzahrani) is a receptionist for the police, but also a true crime addict, so when she’s asked to help out with a case of a murder girl, she becomes obsessed. The complications that arise from an unauthorized woman trying to solve a crime in Saudi Arabia add an interesting twist to the genre, and the mystery is enjoyable right up until the ending, which I won’t spoil, only to say that it undoes the goodwill the rest of the film creates.

_{No word yet on a wider theatrical release.}