TIFF’23: finestkind is a heartwarming film about family, felonies, and fish

The Fast and the Furious have told us this what now seems like thousands of times; it’s all about family. In the best case scenarios, family can get you through any measure of tough times or crisis. And that’s why we love them, they’re always supposed to be there for us. But family can be tough as well, and sometimes family is our struggle.

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finestkind is a new film from Brian Helgeland (the director of Legend) about a family in Massachusetts who work in the commercial fishing industry. Two half-brothers who grew up in separate economic conditions reconnect, and the younger (played by Toby Wallace from Babyteeth) wants to join the older’s (played by Ben Foster from Hell or High Water) boat for the summer. He’s got some time to kill before law school in the fall, and wants to reconnect with the brother he never knew that much about. But trouble is brewing on the turbulent seas, and the two brothers find themselves involved with a criminal organization that may tear the family apart.

While the film is centered around the brotherhood between these two characters, it’s got a great ensemble cast helping to support this family. Foster’s father is played by Tommy Lee Jones (from Men in Black and No Country for Old Men), who is doing what could be the most Tommy Lee Jones role he’s ever done in his career. He’s a great counterpoint especially to Foster, who performance feels like it exists entirely in Jones’ shadow but grows so much larger than it.

Toby Wallace as Charlie and Jenna Ortega as Mabel in Finestkind streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Nicole Rivelli/Paramount+

A genuine treat is the performance of Jenna Ortega (from Wednesday and Scream) as a romantic foil for Wallace’s character. She takes the deadpan power she’s known for and uses it tremendous effect. Ortega’s built up a great resume as a scream queen, but performances like this show there is much more variety to her. Seeing her career unfold over the next few decades will be a treat for any cinephiles.

But the biggest surprise here is the lead performance of Wallace. An Australian native with many performances in his home country, he is a genuine talent. From bravado to pathos, he has tremendous power and his performance is easily the best part of this film. His character is the lynchpin that holds this film together, as tension mounts with the narrative and bullets fly. Expect great character performances for this young star in the coming years.

For anyone out there who doesn’t love seeing fish, this might not be the film for you. It’s very proud of its setting and quite informative, making for a good experience to learn. What makes this film so fun is that it’s got a terrific story about the power of family hiding under the scallops. This film gets a 4/5.