TIFF: ‘American Fiction’ Wins People’s Choice Award!

For once, the right movie won.

Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” a confident debut and remarkable feat of comedy, satire and racial politics, won the coveted TIFF People’s Choice Award.

Featuring a brilliant performance from Jeffrey Wright, and adapted from Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure,” this was an intellectually stimulating film about how well-meaning white people want black people portrayed in art.

“American Fiction” is filled with satirical sting, reminding me of Alexander Payne’s earlier films. It mixes drama and comedy to ignite a socio-cultural conversation that is much needed today. This is a thoughtful, and quite often very funny, look at identity. You can read my rave review.

Speaking of Payne, his “The Holdovers,” which was the favorite to win the award, finished in second place. This was the return of Paul Giamatti, in a lovely performance as a curmudgeon professor at a New England prep school who has to babysit a brain student during Christmas break.

“The Holdovers” was a back-to-the-basics approach for Payne, albeit done in a very mainstream, comfort-food type of fashion. It’s far from his best film, but an immensely likeable one.

Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” finished third in voting, which itself is some kind of small miracle as this was a plotless, trippy, no-holds-barred statement from the master. The film’s imagination and artistry is astonishing. Miyazaki conjured up these elaborate, nightmaresque, set-pieces that tossed plot aside in favor of sheer cinematic nirvana.

So, there you have it. Another TIFF is in the books. I’ll be publishing my top ten films of the fest later today.