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CANADA Newsline OCTOBER 02, 2026 | The Indian Eye 30

HELEN MIRREN

SHINES IN A TALENT FOR

MURDER AT TIFF

BY RENU MEHTA spirals into something far more dan-
gerous.
Toronto Although Highsmith is the cen-
A tre of the story, the plot is entire-
Talent for Murder, starring
Oscarwinner Helen Mirren,
ly fictional. “It’s a mystery, it’s a
premiered at the Toronto
International Film Festival in Sep- thriller, by no means is it a biopic,”
Mirren said at Roy Thomson Hall
tember, offering audiences a tense, during TIFF. “It was a real pag-
suspensful thriller built around eturner because it was always unex-
legendary crime writer Patricia pected. We put our heart and love
Highsmith. Mirren delivers a com- into the movie.”
manding performance, capturing The film thrives on the ten-
Highsmith’s sharp wit, prickly per- sion between its two leads. Mirren’s
sonality, and the enduring shadow Highsmith is magnetic, unpredict-
of her most famous creation, Tom able, and darkly funny, while Ehren-
Ripley. reich plays Ridgeway with a slippery
Set in 1995, the film imagines charm that keeps his true intentions
Highsmith living in neartotal isola- hidden. Their exchanges crackle with
tion in the Swiss Alps. Her days are sharp dialogue and shifting power
spent among her books, her cats, dynamics.
and a striking collection of antique The film thrives on the taut
weapons. Though her health is de- chemistry between its two leads.
clining, her mind remains fierce and Mirren’s Highsmith is magnetic, un-
mischievous. predictable, and darkly funny, while
Her solitude is interrupted by Ehrenreich’s Ridgeway carries just personality, that voice, that physical- had to operate on instinct. We had
Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehren- enough duplicity to keep viewers ity as closely as I could. It was a very one week of rehearsal a year before,
reich), a young publishing agent guessing. Their exchanges vibrate important part of the process.” which was incredibly valuable. It felt
sent from New York to persuade with tension and shifting power. Filming, she added, often felt like theatre - present, immediate, no
her to write one final Ripley novel. Mirren reflected on the chal- like performing live theatre and the turning back. You’re lucky if you get
Highsmith rejects the idea outright lenge of portraying a figure as production relied on long, uninter- a second take. It was an adventure, a
until she proposes a darker chal- complex as Highsmith. “Patricia rupted takes. “We did so many pag- wonderful adventure.”
lenge. If Ridgeway wants Ripley to Highsmith was a famous personali- es in one day, a 20page scene over A Talent for Murder was present-
return, he must help her devise the ty within a small intellectual group,” two days,” Mirren recalled. “It was ed as a Gala film during TIFF that
perfect murder, a game that quickly she said. “I wanted to recreate that intense relationship dialogue. You took place September 10 -20, 2026.

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