{"id":99072,"date":"2023-09-12T10:43:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=99072"},"modified":"2023-09-27T10:15:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T14:15:26","slug":"scrutiny-tiff23-ian-mckellen-leads-strong-cast-in-the-critic-a-dark-story-set-in-londons-theatre-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/09\/12\/scrutiny-tiff23-ian-mckellen-leads-strong-cast-in-the-critic-a-dark-story-set-in-londons-theatre-world\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | TIFF23: Ian McKellen Leads Strong Cast In The Critic, A Dark Story Set In London\u2019s Theatre World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ian
Ian McKellen in The Critic (Photo courtesy of TIFF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

London\u2019s theatre world is the setting for The Critic, a world premiere at TIFF23 that stars Ian McKellen as the titular newspaper scribe. It\u2019s a story that evokes the nostalgia of a time when print was king, and theatre reviews were typed up late at night and delivered by hand before the printing presses got going the next morning.<\/p>\n

In its story of blackmail and intrigue, however, the period has echoes that resonate to our own time<\/p>\n

The Story<\/h3>\n

As The Critic opens, David Brooke (Mark Strong) is taking over the London Chronicle after the death of his father. It\u2019s 1934 in London, and the newspaper\u2019s old guard includes Jimmy Erskine, the drama critics and an old reprobate played by Ian McKellen.<\/p>\n

Brooke talks about new directions, reinvigorating the faltering paper \u2014 in short, getting rid of just the kind of florid prose and bombast that Jimmy specializes in. It doesn\u2019t help his cause that Jimmy\u2019s an unrepentant gay man with what we\u2019ll call broad sexual tastes in a time when his very existence was illegal.<\/p>\n

It turns out that Brooke is in a bad marriage, and harbours a secret flame for an actress by the name of Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), someone who\u2019s been the subject of Jimmy\u2019s vitriol in print on many occasions. Jimmy sees a way to secure his professional future and squeeze Nina while he\u2019s at it. Nina, in turn, is in love with Stephen Wyley (Ben Barnes), a married painter.<\/p>\n

\"Ian
Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton in The Critic (Photo courtesy of TIFF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Jimmy initiates is a domino effect of unforeseen consequences that rapidly spin out of control. It’s part thriller, part drama, and at time, an excruciating character study of what people will do under pressure. In attempting to desperately keep hold of their passions in tumultuous times, Jimmy, Nina, Stephen and David all become vulnerable to their own secrets and desires, and the domino effect and inexorable fate that eventually envelops them all.<\/p>\n

The Critic unfolds against the rise of fascism in Europe and on British soil, giving it a tone that draws parallels to our own era. It\u2019s homophobia and intolerance that set the wheels in motion.<\/p>\n

The Cast & Creatives<\/h3>\n

It’s the performances that make the story so compelling.\u00a0Ian McKellen is perfection as Jimmy, an out-sized and unapologetic character who can\u2019t quite see or appreciate the real dangers he\u2019s flirting with. Jimmy\u2019s nickname is The Beast, and he revels in both his often vicious reviews and his hedonistic lifestyle. McKellen is larger than life, and entirely convincing, in the role of an anti-hero. While the plot clearly places Jimmy in a vulnerable position, it\u2019s also not afraid to reveal a distinctly unlikable side to his character.<\/p>\n