In getting tickets for certain shows last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto Stories was one of the ones that I missed out on, which is why I was so pleased to see it sitting on the shelf at the video store waiting for me. Okay, so it was waiting for anyone specifically, but I bet you that of anyone that looked twice at the cover, I was the only one that got really excited. Not only is this a Canadian film, but it’s an anthology collection, which can sometimes be a wonderful buffet of entertainment to capture the wandering mind. This collection is made of four segments: “Shoelaces” by Aaron Woodley, “The Brazilian” by Sook-Yin Lee, “Windows” by David "Sudz" Sutherland, and “Lost Boys” by David Weaver.

Basically, each of the four shorts offers a unique look at a particular area of the city and some of the interesting souls that dwell within. Interlocking the four pieces is a wandering little boy that shows up at Pearson with no papers, yet has a knack for slipping past the people that are trying to help him. But his story comes up in the final act, and in between there are three other tales that will make you laugh uncomfortably or burst your belly being in on the joke. But some of it is also a little heartbreaking, and that’s okay too. Toronto Stories has a good mix, much like the city it’s based on. Well structured and well paced, these four short films lead one into the other smoothly.

I think my favourite story is the one that begins the set, “Shoelaces,” which is about a pair of kids in Cabbagetown that strike out in the middle of the night to see if they can find a creature reported to be hiding in pipes down by the river. I love this kind of Goonies stuff, so simply on that level it’s a cool, little film. But the charm is in how Woodley subtly and not so subtly draws the relationship of the two kids, Jacob and Cayle (Ricardo Hoyos and Samantha Weinstein). And yeah, the kids are adorable together too, making you really believe that they’re the type of friends who’ve spent a lot of daylight together. A little scary, a little funny and a little bit romantic, “Shoelaces” is a great way to start the collection.

For pure acting, the final story “Lost Boys” is a great showcase for Gil Bellows. We see Bellows as the homeless Henry, challenging invisible opponents to games of chess in Union Station. When he encounters the lost boy from Pearson (played with a haunted kind of look by the young Toka Murphy), Henry becomes obsessed with saving him from the big, bad city and we are quietly shown the reasons why as we learn that Henry has a wife (the quietly devastating Lisa Ray) in a nice home somewhere in the city. Henry’s crusade is heart-wrenching to watch as he knows something’s wrong, and we know something’s wrong, but Henry can’t make anyone else believe. I don’t think Bellows has ever been better.

And though I really haven’t said anything about the other two films, that’s not really to infer that there’s nothing good about them; quite the opposite in fact. The bizarre static whimsy of Lee’s “The Brazilian” (which doesn’t mean what you think it means), will have you captivated with its two bizarrely drawn characters that should be ideally suited for each other, but somehow are not. Then in “Windows” we’re introduced to the next, great Canadian odd couple, ex-cons Alton (K.C. Collins) and Doug (Joris Jarsky). It’s a wonderful series that displays some marvellous creativity. Like Paris je t’aime but less sprawling, Toronto Stories captures the heart of a city and gives it right back to you.