Naomi Watts stars in Phillip Noyce’s nerve-rattling thriller about a mother racing desperately against time to save her child.

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Gala Presentations

Lakewood

Phillip Noyce

Amy Carr (Naomi Watts) is out for what should have been a restorative morning run when a friend calls with terrifying news: authorities are in pursuit of an active shooter, and her teenage son, Noah, may be caught in the middle. Deep within a network of forest paths surrounding her home, miles from town and nearly overwhelmed by panic, Amy refuses to succumb to hopelessness. With her smartphone as her sole means of intervention, she will draw upon every resource she can think of to ensure that her son survives the attack.

Helmed by veteran director Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Dead Calm) and written by Chris Sparling, Lakewood plunges us headlong into a desperate scenario unfolding in real time. The film echoes Sparling’s acclaimed screenplay for Buried, a selection at TIFF 2010, in the sense that most of it unfolds as a one-person show, with Amy navigating the situation remotely. Yet Noyce’s film also functions as a tribute to the power of a community working together in the face of calamity, as Amy enlists the assistance of an auto-body shop manager, a 911 operator, a rideshare driver, and one of her co-workers at the Marion County Division of Taxation to help her take matters into her own hands.

It is rare to encounter a thriller like Lakewood, at once high-concept and heartfelt, exhilarating and poignant. It is also a showcase for Watts, who masterfully conveys a captivating fusion of impromptu heroism and maternal devotion.

Content advisory: mature themes

Screenings

Sun Sep 12

Roy Thomson Hall

Premium
12:30pm
Sun Sep 12

TIFF Digital Cinema Pro

Press
4:00pm
Sun Sep 12

VISA Skyline Drive-In at Ontario Place

Regular
8:30pm
Mon Sep 13

Scotiabank 1

Press
1:00pm
Mon Sep 13

digital TIFF Bell Lightbox

Premium
7:00pm
Tue Sep 14

West Island Open Air Cinema at Ontario Place

Regular
9:00pm
Wed Sep 15

TIFF Digital Cinema Pro

Regular
7:00pm
Thu Sep 16

digital TIFF Bell Lightbox

Premium
3:00pm