TIFF 2024 Review: Do I Know You From Somewhere? – “a gem of a film.”

Courtesy of TIFF

A day one screening for me at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and of the four films I watched that day this was my favourite.  With her feature debut, director (and co-writer) Arianna Martinez crafts a unique take on a romantic drama.  Do I Know You From Somewhere? looks at the decisions we make, their consequences, and how they shape our lives.

Olive (Caroline Bell) and her partner, Benny (Ian Ottis Goff) are spending what on the surface seems like a very regular day at their beautiful lake house.  But little things start to go wrong.  A stuffed rabbit appears in Benny’s woodworking shop.  Olive loses a sign she got for Benny, and then can’t even seem to remember what was engraved on the gift.  Fridge magnets seem to appear and disappear with every glance at the appliance.  Then while out for a walk in the woods Benny suddenly disappears.  Olive finds him again, but he claims he’s seen someone that she has not.

The film weaves between this strange present day and the day that Olive and Benny met, at a wedding.  But there was a moment at the reception, a fleeting glance (at least in this reality) that could have been more.  It was a split second in time between Olive and Ada (Mallory Amireault) that if pursued could have resulted in a completely different life for everybody.  And that re-write in history is exactly what is happening now as Benny and Olive’s relationship starts being erased and Olive and Ada’s takes its place.

If all this sounds confusing, then that’s my poor choice of words, which fortunately is not the case for the film itself.  Martinez, co-writing with Gordon Mihan, keeps things mysterious but clear, even as the strange happenings for our couple start in the very first scene.  At a taught 79 minute run time, no second it wasted, and the hints of what is to come are immediately intriguing, slowly but steadily revealing to the audience this ‘multiverse’ reliant on the choices we make in a heartbeat.  I loved the puzzle that was laid out and the pace at which the pieces slowly came together.

Do I Know You From Somewhere? would work well as a stage play, with no special effects and only a couple real sets required.  It makes sense then that Caroline Bell was cast, herself a Canadian stage actor, and she puts on a wonderful performance as Olive in her first feature role.  Sometimes some of the acting around her can be a bit wooden, but it somehow works in context and really allows her to shine even further.

Arianna Martinez has crafted a gem of a film here, the type that is exciting to find amongst the heavy hitters of this festival.  It’s strange and surprising, and enjoyable watch that really asks you recognize the ripple effect the seemingly small moments can have in your life.  “Every decision you make leads to who you are,” the film notes, truly having you examine what can happen when you’re at a crossroads you perhaps never even knew existed in the first place.

Do I Know You From Somewhere had its world premiere September 6 at the Toronto International Film Festival.  For more information head to tiff.net