Diamond Tongues (2015) Reviews

• Roncesvalles to Ossington

  clarkj-565-1613362015-08-08

  Saw this at TIFF last night. I was expecting perhaps cinema 4 or 5 on the third floor, but cinema 1 no less. The theatre was packed and all the cast and crew were there as well, they did not disappoint. The story revolves around Edith Welland and her search for work as a young actress. The film takes place in Toronto in the Queen/King West area. I found the film worked on many different layers. On the surface an essentially simple tale, but the way it was shot and the soundtrack was extremely effective. We see what it's like trying to find part time work in a totally connected but strangely disconnected world. Whereas previous generations could look forward to an entry job with training and stability, nowadays young people have to "kickstart" their future with unusual creativity and luck an almost impossible task. Despite repeated rejection, Edith has to keep a stiff upper lip, or rather a more contemporary McHappy face to all her associates. Edith is able to let down her hair with her close friend Nick and this forms the sort of anchor or reference point of the movie. The sound track was electric.

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• If you like films about detestable human beings, you'll love this one

  gf17012018-12-29

  Diamond Tongues is about Edith, a struggling actress who is one of the most despicable people (excluding murderers, rapists, and that ilk) that you will ever meet. She's a liar and a tease. She roots for her friends to fail, and sabotages them whenever she gets the chance. This is what you see for all but the last 7 or 8 minutes of the film, if you can last that long. I forced myself to. I watched it because of its 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes (11 reviews), so if you're a film critic rather than a regular human being, you'll probably love it. Otherwise, I hope I've saved at least one person from wasting time on Diamond Tongues; it would give meaning to the time I wasted enduring it.

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• It makes the viewer reflect by the end

  proud_luddite2018-10-10

  Edith (Leah Goldstein) is an actress struggling to find work and build a career in Toronto . Her insecurities and jealousies of her peers lead to behaviour that is occasionally funny and always nasty. The first half of this film is quite engaging as it is frank about the various forms of instability of anyone trying to find work in an artistic field. While one can understand Edith's feelings and motives in the beginning, it starts to wear off somewhat in the second half. She becomes very unlikeable and it's hard to follow the film's focus on someone we (the viewers) would rather avoid if we had to face her in real life. Even during the difficult phase, Goldstein is great and always believable. This helps the viewer ride through to the conclusion that starts to take a better twist. The ending makes us all question whatever it is that we are spending our time doing (career or otherwise): are we doing it because we enjoy it or because we think it will lead to some image of "success"? This twist elevated the movie back to the good level with which it began.

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