American Fiction is just so damn good. It’s probably one the biggest surprises out of TIFF ‘23 for me and deserves so much love come December. Cord Jefferson’s writing and directorial debut is as good as it can get as he delivers not only what would become the People’s Choice Award (EDITOR’S NOTE: It ended up winning!!!), but also one of the best films of the year. Jeffery Wright delivers one of the best performances of his career and makes a good case to nab a Best Actor nomination.

Cord Jefferson, probably best known for his work on Succession, makes a seamless transition to the silver screen in his film writing and directorial debut. His writing is extremely funny, poignant, emotional, and extremely relevant in the grand scheme of things. It’s part satire, part social commentary and Jefferson blends both of them with ease. His work on the film is pretty much the best case scenario for someone’s first feature film. This is a very strong start to his career and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him grab nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The cast assembled is one of my favourite ensembles of the year. Jeffrey Wright, who stars as Theolonius “Monk”, gives one of, if not his best, performances in his long and storied career. I could easily see him sneaking into the Best Actor race, especially if the studios give actors the fair pay and compensation they deserve so Wright can go on an FYC run in time for the Oscars. Sterling K. Brown once again plays a scene stealing character as he plays one of the film’s most layered and emotionally complex characters. Tracy Ellie Ross, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae, along with the rest of the ensemble, kill it.

Laura Karpman’s score for American Fiction is absolutely fantastic and easily my favourite work of hers. It’s very jazzy, and I often found myself comparing it to Justin Hurwitz’s work on La La Land and Babylon. She manages to make it very diverse for a jazz-centric score too. It might even be my favourite score of 2023 behind Pemberton’s work on Across the Spider-Verse. It blends perfectly with this movie and I hope it gets the love it deserves.

My only nitpick about this movie, and I seriously mean my ONLY nitpick, is the ending. Without spoilers, I’m still torn on its told and how it serves the film and audience as a whole. I like some aspects of it, but I’m unsure about some other ones. I was hoping that Jefferson would deliver a more complete ending but regardless, I appreciate his willingness to make such bold moves.

American Fiction is one of the best debuts for a filmmaker in recent memory and it’s easily going to become a major contender in numerous categories this upcoming award season.