By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Set in a small fishing village in Newfoundland, writer-director Melanie Oates crafts a sort of modern day “Scarlet Letter” in her new film Sweet Angel Baby. Michaela Kurimsky stars as Eliza, who is a staple at all of the local community gatherings and church socials.

Though her lack of a husband and kids gives her a reputation as the town “spinster,” Eliza is well liked by everyone in the close-knit community, even leading the fundraising efforts to raise money to save the century-old church from being sold to developers and torn down. But she has a few secrets.

First, Eliza is in a casual relationship with Toni (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), who is only tacitly accepted as the town lesbian. Second, Eliza takes erotic, fetishized photos of herself in nature wearing a ski mask, that she anonymously posts on Instagram under the username “lil wilding,” and has quite the online following. The photos catch the attention of Shawn (Peter Mooney), the bored dad in town who starts pursuing her.

The film aims to explore the fallout of Eliza’s identity being revealed as the temptress in the photos, as Oates unravels the social mores of this small town. It’s a slow-burn film that feels slightly stretched thin at 94 minutes. Oates is scratching at something deeper about repression and Catholic guilt, but doesn’t go as deep into the character as it could have. But, if her Eliza remains a bit of a cypher, Kurimsky pours a lot into the role, and Oates is able to establish enough of an intriguing tone, heightened by Christopher Mabley’s evocative cinematography of Newfoundland.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Monday, September 9th, 4:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox; Tuesday, September 10th, 2:10 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Friday, September 13th, 9:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre