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Goodbye, Toronto

We just got back to Mississauga from Toronto for the last time this trip. The film festival and this trip are winding down. Fortunately, things went smoothly today and the films were good, so everything is ending on a positive note. First up was Reservation Road, a drama about two families involved in a hit-and-run accident — one is the victim’s family, the other is the perpetrators. As the story goes on, their lives become more intermingled even as the truth remains just out of grasp. It was a wonderful foil to last night’s Until the Devil Knows You’re Dead — it explored the same dark side of human nature but with characters that were much more human and much more approachable and believable. And it didn’t leave you feeling dirty for having watched it, also a relief. It was one of the better films of the festival, and I would rate it 4.0/5.

We then had a six-hour break until our next film, and extra train tickets due to yesterday’s fiasco, so we returned to the hotel where Dan did laundry, I cooked lunch for myself, and then Scott and I went on a bike trip along the same route as the first bike trip. This time, however, a strong headwind and high temperatures made the trip somewhat less pleasant.

We returned, showered, and headed out for our final film, La Citadelle Assiege. This was the one film I most wanted to see and it didn’t disappoint — it was a story about a termite fortress and the battles it had with the nomadic ant colonies on the humid plains. I’m sure some kids will end up with nightmares of being eaten by ants or termites, but the story was well executed, if a little underdeveloped at times, and the footage was fascinating and fantastic. Not quite on par with Winged Migration, but definitely worth seeing — hopefully it will be released in the US. I give it a 4.0/5.

After the final movie we made it down to the historic Distillery District where we ate some pretty good food at a nice pubhouse, then we returned to our Hotel for our final night in Canada. Tomorrow we drive home via the mighty Niagara Falls; I still need to get some souvenirs for friends so they will likely come from there. It will also be nice to get a closer, longer look that I did on the way up.

Goodbye, Toronto, and thanks for all the good times.

Overall, the best films of the festival for me was Mongol, hands down. The best part of the trip was the CN Tower, hands down. Now, back to America!

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