Toronto-born filmmaker Jonathan Sagal has brought his controversial film Lipstikka to TIFF for its North American debut.
The movie shuttles between memories and location. Though set in present-day London, the film flashes back often to an event that takes place in the Middle East during the Palestinian uprisings of the 1990s, in which two Palestinian girls cross national and sexual boundaries with frightening results. They meet 15 years after an ill-fated excursion to Israel. The meeting leaves the viewer unsure of whose version of the past is true.
The film, funded mostly by the Israeli government, was almost shut down by the Israeli parliament.
Sagall, who is based in Tel Aviv, has crafted a human story about the horrifying results of war. The performances by the lead actresses, Clara Khoury and Nataly Attiya, are spellbinding.
The film’s final screening at TIFF is on Sept 18. For a complete schedule of TIFF films, click here.
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