James McAvoy brings new film 'Faith' to Toronto fest

TORONTO, Canada — Scottish actor James McAvoy reflected on spirituality ahead of the world premiere of his supernatural drama "Faith" on the second day of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Friday.

The film, written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams ("London to Brighton"), follows Gina (Erin Doherty), a single mother whose life intersects with Michael (McAvoy), an enigmatic man with whom she forms a connection when tragedy strikes.

The film is about meeting someone "at the most traumatic point in any mother or father's life," McAvoy told AFP.

"And at that moment, she's given an option, she's given a choice, partly by me coming into her life, but really by being proposed the option of carrying on or stopping. And what that demands is in the title. That demands faith."

The "Split" star said the movie examined how carrying on in the face of immense challenges offers a real test of a person's mettle, "It's a real ride this film, and very emotional."

Williams praised the Scotsman's chameleon-like ability in front of the camera.

"James has got a very, very interesting way about him... on screen. He can mean so many things, and he can basically play so many different types of roles," he told AFP. "You see him in a film like this, where he's really grounded and really focused performance, it was just a pleasure."

Day two of of North America's largest festival also featured the world premieres of "Girl Group," a musical comedy starring Rebel Wilson and Jennifer Coolidge.

Wilson, who also directed the film, said on the red carpet that while "it was so fun to get back out there," it was challenging to juggle multiple roles.

"I was so busy directing and writing and producing that I didn't get much of a chance to rehearse, so I was often doing the dancing on the fly," she told AFP. "But luckily we have that huge ensemble cast of young, talented women who take the majority of the dancing."

Rising star Chase Infiniti and British veteran Jason Isaacs were also on hand for the premiere of their new film "The Julia Set."

With 293 films in its lineup, the 51st edition of TIFF brings together hundreds of thousands of cinephiles in Toronto, as well as the creme de la creme of world cinema.

Friday's events also included an "Obsession" reunion with breakout star Inde Navarrette and writer-director Curry Barker, a year after the hit horror film premiered at last year's TIFF.

On a budget of just $750,000 (P47 million), the film went on to gross over $500 million (P31.3 billion) worldwide. TIFF concludes on September 20.

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