We are technically halfway through this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that doesn't wrap up until next Sunday, but already the majority of the "big" releases have played for audiences here.

While many international visitors call it quits early in the week, it remains a boon for locals to try and catch some of the best of fest in the coming days.

There are plenty of amazing films screened earlier in the year at previous festivals that shouldn't be missed, but here I'm concentrating on those that got their release most recently.

Here, in my opinion, are some of the best and worst movies to play at TIFF 2022.

The Best

The Fabelmans

Practically a shoo-in for People's Choice Award, this biggest get of this year's fest did not disappoint. Spielberg's deft touch, combined with a stunning performance by Michelle Williams and a crowd-cheering cameo by Judd Hirsch, easily establishes this as one of the great films of the year.

There’s nothing I would cut out of The Fabelmans. I found myself just letting the film take me wherever it wanted to go. The entire cast, down to the smallest role, turns in superb performances. Williams’ score moved me. Mr. Spielberg, thank you. That was an absolute joy. #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/5qnqFxwS6F

— kevin l. lee @ #TIFF22 (@Klee_FilmReview) September 11, 2022

Women Talking

After debuting at Telluride the week before, Sarah Polley's latest film is easily her best. A bleak story that easily could have been a mere technical exercise, she imbues so much intelligence and nuance into this dark yet uplifting tale, guiding the ensemble in ways that firmly establish her as a world-class filmmaker of the highest order.

Damn. Women Talking at #TIFF22 just broke me. Beautiful and gut wrenching and had to hide in the doorway to calm the weeping before re-emerging. Mask helps soak up the tears. Congrats @realsarahpolley and team ❤️❤️❤️

— LRS 🎬✨ (@lisarosesnow) September 8, 2022

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

About 20 minutes in I was somewhat trepidatious, enjoying myself but wondering whether we'd truly get something that matched the fun of the first film. And then, BAM! Rian Johnson's intricate puzzlebox of a film is such a wonderful delight, the cast clearly having a blast, providing rapturous joy to the premiere audiences here in town.

GLASS ONION gave me nostalgia for when I first saw KNIVES OUT at TIFF. Full of twists, turns, and outstanding ensemble performances that kept me riveted throughout. Rian Johnson is an amazing storyteller and a masterful puzzle maker. Agatha Christie would’ve loved him. #TIFF22

— Rendy Jones @ #TIFF22 (@rendy_jones) September 11, 2022

Bros

Another splashy studio selection, that takes nothing away from the calibre of writing and performance at play in this LGBTQ+ romcom that both breaks all the rules and firmly embraces all the narrative tropes one could want. It's very moving, very sexy, and above all, very hilarious.

Bros is brilliant with a script that is so smart & hilarious that it will require multiple viewings in order to catch all of the jokes. Nicholas Stoller’s best film since Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Billy Eichner needs to start writing the sequel right now. #BrosMovie #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/ZRhO09DTE8

— Scott Menzel @ TIFF (@ScottDMenzel) September 10, 2022

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh's lyrical, allegorical tale is set on a windswept island off the Irish coast, and it feels as ancient and well worn as the walls that line the paths the inhabitant tread between home, field and pub. Mixing a gentle comedic air with a bleak undertone, its tale of brotherhood torn asunder is both intrinsically Irish and unabashedly universal.

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN just became my favourite film of the year. The Irish landscape is obviously stunning, Martin McDonagh is in his element and Colin Farrell gives the of performance of a lifetime. I laughed so much, Irish people are the best. #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/OANZaiTsG9

— Alina ❁ is at #TIFF22 (@alinafaulds) September 13, 2022

Canadian films @ TIFF

Every year the festival gets to showcase some of the best this country has to offer to the world's screens, and with titles like Brother and the many films that have local connections, as well as titles from around the country, it's never a bad thing to celebrate a bit of Can-con here at the fest.

There are many! Viking, Falcon Lake, Bones of Crows, Swearing Jar, and Stellar are my faves...not just among Canadian films but all of the #TIFF22 ones I've seen so far. Also, lots of good shorts from Canada! https://t.co/unD1XiIH7u

— Alex Heeney @ TIFF22 #TIFFCO2 (@bwestcineaste) September 5, 2022

The Worst

The Son

After the stunning accomplishment that is The Father Florian Zeller returned to the festival with the much-anticipated follow up. Just about everything that made the former extraordinary is absent here, eschewing rich, cinematic vision for pallid, pedestrian capture of overwrought performances.

The final 15 minutes or so of The Son is so manipulative, sadistic and outright insensitive it went down SEVERAL stars

— Adriano TIFF Caporusso (@AdriCaporusso) September 13, 2022

Glass Onion's second public screening

It's no secret that TIFF has undergone enormous turnover in the last few years, and much of their institutional knowledge is absent. That was never more evident than the giant lineup of paid ticket holders denied entry to their screening through no fault of their own.

#TIFF22 oversold the second screening of #GlassOnion and 50 ticket holders couldn't get in. Is that how you run your business? scamming TIFF members? @cameron_tiff @TIFF_NET @rianjohnson @CTVNews @CBCToronto @globalnewsto

— ✨ S A S H A ✨ (@sasharebecca) September 13, 2022