by MATTHEW HAYS and SARAH ROWLAND

Clean

Olivier Assayas' latest film, which opens the festival, is far less formally innovative than his previous works, but no less interesting. Here, Maggie Cheung plays an addict whose husband dies of an overdose. The child's custody is handed over to his grandparents (Nick Nolte and Martha Henry), who disapprove of Cheung's lifestyle. Cheung then returns to Paris where she attempts to clean up her life and become a responsible parent. This film is bolstered by the strong performances of Nolte and especially Cheung. (MH)

9 Songs

Nothing packs a theatre with horny old movie critics faster than a little mid-day porn premiere. This could explain why the high-noon screening of Michael Winterbottom's sexually explicit, hour-long rock video attracted one of the longest line-ups at the Toronto film fest. But with so much brouhaha about the spurting cocks and muff dives, the beauty of this simple impressionistic film has been overshadowed. Through the flashbacks of one heartbroken character and nine performances - including the Von Bondies, the Dandy Warhols and Franz Ferdinand - the British director captures the essence of how a certain song can instantly transport you back to a single moment in a once happy relationship. Starting with the pheromonal stage of initial lust, he then moves on to the crushing defeat of fucking someone who has already checked out emotionally. And for the finale, the post break-up concert, where you've never felt more alone in a packed room. Good times. (SR)

Bad Education

Pedro Almodóvar's suspense thriller is all dicks and no chicks. But that's okay, because Gael García Bernal makes up for it by playing three different, yet equally effeminate roles: a double-crossing cross dresser, a seductive hustler and a baby-faced actor. At its core, this is a tragic love story between two young boys who attended a strict religious boarding school where guess what? The priest is a pedophile. Years later, when the former sweethearts meet up again as adults, identities are stolen, murders are buried and everyone is working their own con. The Spanish director masterfully keeps viewers in the dark right up to the end by weaving past and present storylines and layering unexpected twists of deceit and betrayal. (SR)

The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things

Poor Courtney Love. Someone stole her shtick and based a character on her public image. Maxim pin-up girl Asia Argento (daughter of Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento) wrote, directed and stars in this production about a woman who fights to regain custody of her son, only to subject him to meth lab explosions, ritual beatings and the ultimate form of abuse: bad punk rock music. The best part of the film is the incomparable Peter Fonda, who plays a small but memorable role as mommy dearest's psycho bible-thumping dad. Overall, Argento's American directorial debut is noteworthy, but perhaps she should have just cast Love, instead of ripping off her persona. (SR)

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma screens from Thursday, Oct. 14 until Sunday, Oct. 24. For fest info, visit www.fcmm.com

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