The Fox // Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2026 Review

If you tell me Olivia Colman voices a fox, and Sam Neill voices a magpie, I don’t need to know anything else about your movie. Which is why I found myself sitting at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival wondering what The Fox was even about. A casual glance of the movie’s page filled in some blanks and explained what I was in for. However, this is one of those titles you have to experience for yourself. Whether you love it, hate it, or are completely indifferent towards it, you’ll find a couple of chuckles in the charm that makes it worth your time.

​Are You Feeling Foxy?

Dario Russo’s The Fox introduces us to a small town with big personalities. That’s one of the genre’s favorite flavors, and we instinctively lean in for this tale. Kori (Emily Browning) seems bored with her existence and her boyfriend Nick (Jai Courtney). However, she’s settled onto the conveyor belt of life and accepts his proposal because marriage seems to be imminent anyway. We soon discover there is more to Kori when it’s revealed she’s having an affair with Derek (Damon Herriman). She not only works with Derek, but he’s married to her best friend, Diana (Claudia Doumit).

This affair comes out because even the animals in this small town are privy to gossip. Nick doesn’t want to believe the evidence, but it’s hard to ignore it when even a fox pleading for its knows what’s up. She spills the beans about Kori and Derek getting it on so many times in public spaces that even he has to believe it.

Who Is Really Who In This Zoo?

​The clever fox (voiced by Colman) concocts a plan to help Nick get the obedient woman he thought he would be marrying. However, the sneaky creature leaves out some key details, and hilarity ensues. I could watch Colman’s fox talk this foxhunter into doing her bidding forever. Although, I also enjoy the whimsy Browning displays as a fox inhabiting a human form once this change happens. All the main cast members get a moment or two that inspires an honest chuckle. This includes Courtney, who I have never seen have this much fun before. We love actors with levels who are unafraid to be the (literal and figurative) butt of the joke.

Yet, it’s the late Sam Neill who truly steals The Fox. I wish he were alive to see how his magpie’s maniacal laugh and quest for chicken delighted the audience at this fest. At the risk of being too sentimental and a little parasocial, his voice feels like a warm hug from an old friend. His bird’s scenes are always a welcome interruption as he inserts himself into the drama while being physically above it all. This magpie’s allegiance belongs to whoever buys him his preferred bribe meal and he’s unafraid to have beef with the fox at the center of the story.

If this is the last time I get to enjoy Neill’s work in a theater…it feels fitting. After all, I have only ever seen him throw himself into his work with an almost pinpoint precision which is why it’s hard to picture anyone else in his roles. He elevated so many projects during his tenure on this floating rock. The Fox is another one that shines a lot brighter because he signed on.

Thoughts On Thoughts

I’m always here for films that allow women to wonder if there is more to life than marriage. I’m also very on board with filmmakers that question if men like women or this outdated ideal of what a woman should be. More importantly, it’s hard for me not to buy what Olivia Colman and the late Sam Neill are selling. It was also fun seeing Miranda Otto add another character who can’t give a fuck what society thinks of her to her impressive resume. There’s so much working in this film’s favor that it’s absurd.

The Fox has all of the key ingredients to make this darkly comedic folktale fly. It has charm, a stacked cast, and feels like the comfort food we need at the end of this brutal year. That being said, something tastes off, which makes me hesitant to come back to this bakery if I have options. It was a lovely time, and I can think of so many people who would love what I merely like here.