Not everything can be a masterpiece at TIFF. And while my year was surprisingly light on really bad films, inevitably some movies will end up at the bottom of the heap.

These are the five worst movies I saw at TIFF 2017.

Breathe

There’s a lot of good in Andy Serkis’ directorial debut (especially an emotionally rich performance from Claire Foy) but ultimately Breathe suffers a bit from “Inspiring Oscar Bait Syndrome” that sacrifices any kind of conflict or stakes that would create a fully rounded dramatic experience.

The Children Act

While The Children Act isn't lacking in dramatic gravitas – especially thanks to the great Emma Thompson – it often comes off cold and inaccessible. Largely because it approaches its themes in such an obtuse way, it becomes hard to connect with the film and figure out what it’s really about.

Suburbicon

The bad buzz for Suburbicon is entirely justified. Clooney's film is mean-spirited, derivative of better films, and clumsy in almost all parts of its execution. It’s the kind of unequivocal failure that makes you wonder how it all went wrong – especially given the talent involved.

The Ritual

The Ritual has a promising first half, thanks to a great monster, an eerie setting, and a welcome pinch of horror genre self-awareness. But it also can’t escape similarities to the superior The Descent or a second half that peters out and never fully pays off on film's potential.

Valley of Shadows

There were over 30 walk outs in the screening I attended, and it's not hard to see why. A glacial pace, full of endless close-ups of a perpetually morose looking boy, makes patience an increasingly rare commodity while watching Valley of Shadows.