In "Emile," Ian McKellen plays a retired university professor who travels from England to his long-forsaken hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, to receive an honorary degree. The third in Bessai's trilogy of films linked to the theme of identity (the others are 1999's "Johnny" and 2001's "Lola," both of which premiered as this one did at the Toronto International Film Festival), Seville Pictures' "Emile" follows its title character as he returns to the country of his birth after a lengthy absence. Naturally, it doesn't take much time before all those repressed memories come flooding back, but rather than opting for the standard flashback treatment, Bessai seamlessly weaves the elder Emile in and out of the past as words or images trigger reminiscences, not necessarily sunny, of his childhood on the family farm.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.