katrinaolson.ca - KO Review of TOY (FTFF 2016)

Posted on Monday, May 30, 2016 at 05:00 AM

KO Review of TOY (Fairy Tales Film Festival 2016)

Review by Katrina Olson-Mottahed x CalgaryMovies.com

A KO Review by Emily Mody

Toy is a full-length narrative film directed by Patrick Chapman. Toy follows the story of a young, multimedia artist named Chloe (played by Briana Evigan) who lives in Los Angeles. We quickly learn that Chloe’s mother has recently committed suicide and now Chloe is struggling to adjust to her new life. After displaying a temper tantrum at her sister’s gallery where her art was being shown, Chloe begins working on a new project. Through this project she meets many different people including a middle-aged woman named Kat (played by Kerry Norton). After the initial meeting, Chloe and Kat continue to meet regarding the project. They form a deep and surprising connection that stems from individual feelings of loss.

Toy was all in all a pretty good watch. I would say that there was definitely enough interesting discussion to make it worth the viewer’s while. I just really struggled with Chloe’s character. I think that when the film starts you are supposed to think that Chloe is some kind of troubled young woman who was probably just spoiled and that’s where her annoying tendencies stem from. Later in the film, however, the story did reveal aspects of her character that made her more sympathetic but I still really struggled. I found her incredibly immature, so much so that it was difficult to watch. I think that seeing Chloe’s character as immature was probably the whole point but it just went a little too far for me. I did, however, really enjoy Kat. I think she was interesting and smart. Kat’s moments of weakness didn’t bother me the same way Chloe’s did, in fact, they made her seem more relatable.

If I could relate this film to another I would probably say that it reminds me a little bit of The Hours directed by Stephen Daldry. The Hours revolves around the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” and how that story affects three generations of women. These films are very similar in tone and subject matter. I have to say that I did enjoy The Hours more, only because I liked all of the characters. I think that for the most part though, if you enjoyed The Hours then you will probably enjoy Toy as well.

Toy is filled with mature content. If you are a sensitive viewer you probably shouldn’t watch this film. If you are still interested, however, you should be aware that Toy contains drug use, language, sexual content, issues of self harm and suicide, nudity, and sexual violence. Overall I did enjoy Toy. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes films about difficult and highly dramatic subject matter. I would also recommend Toy to anyone who does not mind films that ask difficult questions or contain controversial topics. I don’t think you can go into this film and come out of it the same person and for that I do applaud the director. Toy was highly thought provoking and I was glad to have had the opportunity to watch it.

Toy screened at the 2016 Fairy Tales Film Festival on Wednesday May 25, 2016 @ 9:00 PM at the Plaza Theatre.

Calgary Showtimes: 18th Fairy Tales Film Festival 2016 >