Halfway through the festival, and thanks to sleep deprivation and  movies from morning to well past midnight life is a blur. A number of major films have emerged, generating debate and attention in equal measure. Some managed to have met or even supersede expectations while others fell short of the mark.

With many more days you have plenty of time to catch some of these on the list, or make your own discoveries of titles not yet mentioned.

Here are what audiences are finding the best and worst of TIFF 2019 so far.

Best

Parasite

It’s no surprise that the Cannes-winning film from Korea sated Toronto's film-hungry crowds, and surely there are new fans that have joined the #Bonghive crowd to celebrate this extraordinary achievement.

PARASITE. Only two words: #BONGHIVE. Seriously, holy crap. #TIFF19

— Robert Daniels @ TIFF (@812filmreviews) September 5, 2019

Jojo Rabbit

There are champions and detractors alike talking about Taika Waititi's latest film, but there's quite simply nothing like it playing at this fest, its wonderful wit, charm and intelligence shared by film and filmmaker alike.

JOJO RABBIT is perfect. It's charming and hilarious and sweet but never shies away from being dark, tragic and scary. We are privileged to share time with Taika Waititi. It's exactly what we need right now. #TIFF19

— Smashy Slashy 🔪 @ tiff (@smashtraves) September 9, 2019

Joker

My take may not match your own, and some make avoid this Venice-winning psychological thriller for their own reasons, but beyond the hype and other nonsense there's a rich and complex film worthy of discussion, beautifully crafted with a killer lead performance.

I’ve put this off for hours and I still don’t know what to say. Joker is nihilistic with a stunning lead performance. I don’t know how it exists. It’s deeply unsettling; don’t know that I’ve seen ever seen a studio movie like it. For real, this is not for everyone #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/RqTQvUAGzb

— Scotty Wright @ TIFF (@scotty1123) September 11, 2019

Knives Out

We all hoped that Rian Johnson's whodunnit would rock, given the terrific cast and directorial pedigree, but the film upped even high expectations, grafting a tale of justice and hypocrisy atop a Clue-like bit of mystery fun.

KNIVES OUT: Come for the grand cast and the all-you-can-eat-the-rich buffet; stay for a classical whodunit worthy of John Dickson Carr in its hilarity and sheer ingenuity of construction. Goodness, what a delight. #TIFF2019

— Justin Chang (@JustinCChang) September 8, 2019

Dolomite Is My Name

Eddie Murphy's first visit to TIFF is a real treat, a loving tribute to Rudy Ray Moore and his band of friends and colleagues that helped bring his unique brand of Blacksploitational fun to the fore.

Absolutely not what I was expecting. Pleasantly surprised and still laughing. Wicked cast. Wesley 👏🏾Snipes 👏🏾 stole the show! Loved the messages of resiliency and making your own legend. Welcome back Eddie! #dolemite #TIFF19 @TIFF_NET @netflix pic.twitter.com/8fwBgOmezy

— Nneka Elliott (@NnekaElliott) September 8, 2019

Worst

The Goldfinch

One can guess that Warner convinced the fest to screen this dud in order to get a prime slot for their tale of Gotham City, but that doesn't account for just how terrible this overlong mess of a film is.

the tiff reviews are in and apparently the goldfinch is a flop omg pic.twitter.com/cX7oa6sKFc

— slavic androgynous bette davis (@buscemilia) September 7, 2019

Ford Vs. Ferrari

I may be in the minority in being crushed with disappointment by this film, but all the ingredients were there for me to positively adore the work. Instead, even the filmmakers and (fine) cast admitted they don't care about racing, and the car sequences and scene-chewing illustrate that throughout its overlong running time.

FORD VS. FERRARI should totally be in my wheelhouse, but film can't quite get itself together, a bunch of spare parts that never assemble into a fine machine. Performances are fine, but the racing is unoriginal and often incoherent, making for a dull ride. #tiff19

— Jason Gorber is already a wreck at #Tiff19 (@filmfest_ca) September 10, 2019

The Giant

I haven't caught this yet, but I heard many rumblings that this World Premiere thriller directed by first-time filmmaker David Raboy fizzled from the start.

Sadly The Giant was all visuals and no narrative

— Joe Lipsett (@bstolemyremote) September 11, 2019

The Laundromat

There will be loads of films forgotten about that most haven't heard of, so a middling film by Soderbergh starring Meryl Streep trumps the trivial and makes the misstep all the more of a shock.

THE LAUNDROMAT: Like The Informant mixed with The Big Short but not as good as either of them. Great cast but in a story that drags and doesn't have much to say. Incredibly weird decision to have Meryl Streep play a 2nd character who is latina and nearly a caricature #TIFF19

— Rafael Motamayor @ TIFF (@RafaelMotamayor) September 9, 2019

The Traitor

I hated this film when I saw it in Cannes, so given that a few amazing films didn't make it out of that fest, it still annoys this half-baked Mafia trial movie made it to our shores.