As previously written by Sarah, Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder You can see everythingThe Elizabeth Holmes documentary has unexpectedly burst into the festival conversation, taking some of the wind out of Venice and asserting itself in the Telluride spotlight.
Awards season is taking shape after both festivals unveiled several highly anticipated contenders. Martin McDonaghs Wild Horse Nine looks like it’s been through months of hype and Prime time Starring Robert Pattinson definitely created chaos, but Andrew Scott’s performance Elsinore put him in the race for Oscar and the role of Julianne Moore in the film directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Debutstarring Paul Giamatti is now seen as controversial. I can’t wait to see Debut, because I REALLY liked Jesse’s last movie, Real pain for which Kieran Culkin received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Jesse seemed to be on something of an upswing. Debut will also be screening at TIFF, and Sarah and I will be thinking more about the film over the next few days.
Speaking of TIFF, while Venice and Telluride have received some standout films that will likely be in the Oscar race, one of the most talked about films opening in Toronto later this week is a Chris Rock film. Misty Green which will have its world premiere on Saturday night. Chris had previous success in Toronto with both G and G.Oud Hair And Top Five (an underrated comedy) and it comes to TIFF with some hype. Some Oscar experts are already saying the film’s star, Rosalind Eleazar, could be in the best actress race. As I wrote last week, Rosalind is not yet famous. Those of us who are watching Slow horses I know her, of course, but with Misty Green, she’s going to take this to a whole other level. And this is an important moment now that Chris is starting to promote his film. It’s not just that he wrote and directed the film and of course wants the film to succeed, but it can’t succeed without Rosalind, so his approach to promoting the film is to simultaneously promote his own work, but also support it and protect it… perhaps from his own notoriety. That’s what caught my eye when I read his new Variety cover story.
As the article notes, he still makes jokes, but I wonder if this is Chris Rock being kind? This is partly due to his diagnosis with nonverbal learning disorder in 2020, after which he says he now has “a level of focus and empathy that I just didn’t have back then.” But it’s also a good strategy. Because as we know, Chris is no stranger to controversy, both in his work as a comedian and in his work as a host. Remember that year when we spent months talking about The Slap?
In this interview he is asked about The Slap. And his answer is excellent – because he doesn’t make it about himself:
“You know, to answer your question a little bit, I wish nothing had happened. And also, I don’t want to say anything that would take the focus away from Rosalind and how good she is in this movie. It’s a crazy world. We’re passing by homeless people. There’s all sorts of crap going on there now. I’m having a bad day – that’s not the biggest thing – that’s not that important.”
This is a good answer because it is transparent. Anything he says WILL be taken away from the film and from Rosalind. And she deserves better. At one point in the interview he compares her performance in Misty Green to Wesley Snipes at New Jack City. And this is not just a conceited answer since he is the director of her play, because in the interview he also says that 80% of directing is casting. It’s a sign that he’ll be spending the next few weeks on this press tour, making sure that the focus is on her, on what she put into this character.
And if he ends up getting a nomination or nominations, great, that’s when he’ll finally return to the Oscars. But not as a master. However, you will notice that his answer to the question of whether he will host again is also smart and not about himself:
“When people answer these questions, they’re disrespectful to the people who got the gig. They have great hosts. Conan O’Brien is amazing. Nikki Glaser was great at the Golden Globes. I’m not going to say never, but my time may have passed, to be honest.”
This is what it looks like when Chris Rock is on the campaign trail. Is Misty Green long shot? Likely. But are they doing the right things to create and then maintain momentum? For now, yes. There are a lot of people here in Toronto who feel that way. Misty Green will perform very well at this festival. And it will be interesting to see how Chris Rock navigates the awards season path, if indeed there is a path that opens up for him and the film.
Here’s Chris in New York last week.
Chris Rock on the road in New York, September 3, 2026