TIFF Review: Patricia Rozema's 'Into The Forest' Starring Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood & Max Minghella

Patricia Rozema’s latest film “Into The Forest” begins in earnest with the end of the world. This is no fire-and-brimstone end of days, however. North America simply shuts down; wi-fi, phone signals, radio, electricity, all go kaput with no explanation provided whatsoever. Jean Hegland, the author of the 1996 novel on which the film is based, elided any exposition on the matter because the massive crisis is only there to serve as a crucible for a quieter, more intimate, and far richer sort of narrative. Instead of ogling skyscrapers that fall apart like Jenga towers, the film’s depiction of societal breakdown remains firmly planted in the realm of real human emotion, testing the resolve of two young women and unearthing awe-inspiring reserves of strength and tenderness in the process.

The pair in question are sisters Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood), both on the cusp of adulthood, thrust into an abrupt coming-of-age by the mysterious cataclysm. It throws their...