The Liberation

For Rita, a workaday life as an assistant bank manager, wife, and mother of two approaching empty-nest status has just collided with the re-emergence of a very painful chapter of her family history. She finds various ways, all frustratingly temporary, to cope with her anxieties — that is, until a mysterious new client, Ricki, walks into Rita’s bank.

In addition to making a large deposit, Ricki tenders a more interesting offer: to join a group of women that night in a sunset ritual and perhaps find the gateway to newfound purpose. Much to her family’s dismay, Rita immerses herself into an organization with many skeletons in its proverbial closet and eventually leaves to help Ricki establish a rural all-woman commune.

Carrie Coon (His Three Daughters, TIFF ’23) gives an incredibly powerful performance as Rita, who is based on filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s own grandmother. As Ricki, Lily James (Swiped, TIFF ’25) embodies cunning and charm. Ricki's remarkable ability to quickly read the insecurities of potential recruits allows her to exploit their vulnerabilities with unsettling precision. Bella Ramsey (Catherine Called Birdy, TIFF ’22) and Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday, TIFF ’21) play Rita’s daughters, who search for their mother and find themselves dangerously entangled in the rituals and delusions of the cult.  The Liberation is a devastating look at how easily seemingly ordinary people can succumb to physical and psychological manipulation when running from grief and anxiety.

ROBYN CITIZEN