Erin Doherty and James McAvoy Lead 2026’s Most Confusing Supernatural Drama | TIFF Review

Published Sep 28, 2026, 3:53 PM EDT

Tania Hussain is an Executive Editor at Collider responsible for creative, editorial, and managerial duties. In addition to leading content ideation and development, she works to generate innovative and compelling ideas for feature articles and reviews with her editorial team across Features, Lists, Reviews, and Interviews. She also serves as the primary editor overseeing Collider’s Signature Series profiles, spotlighting some of the most influential voices in film and television. Tania has helped cover and ideate content for major events for Collider, including the Toronto International Film Festival. She has also conducted more than 100 interviews since her start in the business more than 15 years ago. Some favorites include Joel McHale, Charlie Cox, Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Kate Winslet, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Richter, Jordan Schlansky, Jamie Dornan, Yeardley Smith, Rafe Spall, Esther Smith, and a reasonable toss-up between Cookie Monster and Kermit the Frog. She has covered set visits, in-person junkets, and red carpets for several films and TV shows, including most recently, The Sheep Detectives, Masterchef, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Of all the films premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Paul Andrew Williams’ Faith might be one of the strangest. What begins as a raw, intimate portrait of a working-class mother in northern England takes a sharp turn into a supernatural drama steeped in religious symbolism and unsettling imagery. That bold shift leaves the film’s first half fighting its increasingly bizarre conclusion, which creates more questions. While James McAvoy navigates that tonal change very well, the best part of this 109-minute kitchen sink drama is Erin Doherty’s astounding performance, which holds Faith together even when the script around her feels a bit bumpy.

What Is ‘Faith’ About?

Image via: mpi099/MediaPunch/INSTARimages

Doherty’s Gina is a single mom, raising her 9-year-old son, Jamie (Smylie Bradwell), in West Yorkshire. She works on the production line at a sweets factory and returns home to a demanding life, but never an unhappy one; Gina is a devoted mother even if they don’t have much money. But Williams never reduces them to their circumstances. Instead, the mother-and-son dynamic is warm and playful, the portrait of a comfortable family life. But things take a turn when Gina meets a mysterious man named Michael (McAvoy) at the local pub. He’s polite and charming, and she’s very attracted to him even if he’s not coming on to her. But something is off about him, and Gina recognizes it immediately: He doesn’t drink, reveals nothing about himself, and gently rejects her invite to come inside after walking her home.

Michael’s kindness is comforting, but it’s slightly unnatural. Gina later learns that he volunteers at a local food bank, never eats anything, and sometimes knows things about her that she hasn’t told him. Even so, the two enjoy spending time together, with Michael slowly becoming part of Gina and Jamie’s lives. Their growing connection creates a few possibilities: Michael is a romantic partner, a much-needed friend, or someone she shouldn’t trust at all. The camera even occasionally pushes him toward that final option, as one scene finds Gina entering her home while a figure watches from the shadows behind her. But when the camera moves closer, only then do we realize it’s Michael, quietly observing her from a distance.

It’s odd, but it aligns with the remainder of the film’s tone, particularly after an unthinkable tragedy throws Gina’s life into disarray. Michael becomes one of the few people she doesn’t push away even when consumed by grief and guilt. Soon, the mysterious stranger offers her a chance to reclaim what she has lost, but only if she is willing to put her faith in him.

Erin Doherty Gives a Performance Worthy of Awards Attention

Image via Netflix

While there is a lot of mystery regarding who Michael is, McAvoy plays him straight and gives the character enough warmth to make Gina’s trust believable. He is perfectly suited to the character’s gentle but unsettling presence, as we see him act kindly and sweetly one moment, and then quietly ominous the next. But McAvoy never pushes Michael too far in either direction, and lets the performance breathe between the scenes, especially with Doherty. As the script finally reveals what has brought him into Gina’s life after tragedy strikes, he maintains a sincerity behind Michael’s connection to her.

But as it should be talked about for FYC season, Doherty’s performance is what owns Faith. The actress first introduces Gina as a vibrant young woman who loves her son fiercely without losing sight of herself. She has a routine, loves dressing up, seeing friends, and wanting to feel desired. Yet Doherty never turns Gina into an idealized parent who always says or does the right thing. It’s that layered honesty that makes what happens to her even more devastating. After tragedy strikes, Gina is hollowed out from within, and it’s a performance that Doherty gets so lost in that you can’t recognize her. Her grief is not quiet nor graceful. Instead, she is furious, cruel, and self-destructive, and the actor communicates that pain through more than just some outbursts. It’s seen in her posture; her movements become heavier, and every conversation looks physically exhausting for her.

With an astonishing transformation that never feels like she’s overdoing it, Doherty keeps Gina painfully human, even when her character becomes emotionally and psychologically difficult. But for all that she brings to Faith, one of the most unfortunate parts is how her performance is far better than the movie surrounding it. The actress, best known for her award-winning role in Netflix’s Adolescence and Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, offers a strong emotional clarity and force that Williams’ script can’t quite sustain on its own.

‘Faith’s Writing Loses Its Way in the Final Act

Image via TIFF 2026

Williams’ script is interesting when Michael remains an unanswered question for the audience. When the writing blends romance, family drama, and sprinkles of thriller without revealing where it’s really heading, things feel OK — for the most part. But once the truth about him emerges, Faith abandons much of its grounded storytelling for a finale packed with religious symbolism and a bit of strange imagery — and it certainly gets strange. Sure, the ideas around these shots align with themes of guilt, salvation, and the desperation grief inspires, but it’s very abrupt and never gives any of that shock-and-awe room to come together.

The decision to shroud important conversations between Gina and Michael via whispers is especially frustrating, too. No doubt, it deepens the initial mystery, but once Michael’s identity and intentions are clear, those unheard exchanges feel like an easy way for Williams to avoid providing necessary answers or even background context. Faith offers enough through its gripping setup and Doherty’s exceptional work to remain watchable, but it’s got a rather confused conclusion that is more likely to be remembered for its bizarre imagery than the emotional catharsis it never quite earns.

Cast

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  Michael

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  Erin Doherty

  Gina

Pros & Cons

• Erin Doherty delivers an astounding, awards-worthy performance.
• James McAvoy keeps Michael compellingly kind and suspicious.
• The grounded first half builds an absorbing sense of mystery.

• The finale clashes with the film's intimate opening.
• Its religious symbolism becomes increasingly muddled and bizarre.