The Toe Tactic

The Toe Tactic

NR 2009 · 83 min · ★ 4.0 · Drama, Romance

Mona is nearly overwhelmed by grief and depression. After her father's death, she's cut herself off: leaving teaching - she now temps as an office assistant, ignoring her mother's calls, talking to herself in mirrors, and rejecting any offered intimacy. She's watched over by comic extraterrestrial beings whom we see as cartoon squiggles. They ensure that random acts bring her connections - with a neighbor boy, his mother, and his surreptitious piano teacher (the lad wants to surprise his mom). She also meets an elevator operator in the building where she temps for Ms. Hadaway, a widow with perfect diction. Can Mona take a few steps on the road to expressing emotion?

Directed by Emily Hubley · Written by Emily Hubley

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

1h 33m together

The Toe Tactic

One Self: Fish/Girl

Both from Emily Hubley.

More from Emily HubleySee all →

Emergence Of EuniceEmergence Of Eunice · 1980
Emergence Of Eunice
★ 10.01980
MovieAnimation
A wryly ironic, deadpan voice-over belies the anxieties, fears and obsessions in the everyday life of a misunderstood adolescent; whose most intimate relationship is with her diary. A spare graphic style, an animation variant on New Wave / Punk, is powerfully effective in conveying unarticulated emotions. Felt tip on paper, backlit.
Children of the SunChildren of the Sun · 1960
Children of the Sun
★ 9.01960
MovieAnimation
On the one hand, a healthy child who has enough to eat. On the other hand, a poor, undernourished kid. On the one hand, a quarter of the blue planet's children. On the other hand, the remaining three quarters.
Blake BallBlake Ball · 1988
Blake Ball
★ 9.01988
MovieAnimation
Using Baseball as a metaphor, this film explores the world of William Blake.
One Self: Fish/GirlOne Self: Fish/Girl · 1998
One Self: Fish/Girl
★ 9.01998
MovieAnimation
A young woman's diary depicts her layered, poetic, inner efforts to deal with the world and overcome self-doubt.
Time of the AngelsTime of the Angels · 1988
Time of the Angels
★ 8.01988
MovieAnimationFantasy
The history of the Americas is considered from an Indigenous perspective, featuring the poetry of the Aztec emperor Nezahualcotl, Jose Chocan, and Gabriela Mistral.
Witch MadnessWitch Madness · 2000
Witch Madness
★ 8.02000
MovieAnimationFantasy
Witch Madness depicts a neglected chapter of human history: Europe’s three centuries of fanatical witchhunts, which resulted in the genocide of perhaps as many as two million women. But ultimately, the film communicates a message of love and hope.
EnoughEnough · 1994
Enough
★ 8.01994
MovieAnimation
A person finds a magical fish, wishes for "it all" and learns a lesson about when enough is enough.
Delivery ManDelivery Man · 1982
Delivery Man
★ 8.01982
MovieAnimation
This animated psychedelic short portrays the stream-of-consciousness adventures of a young woman, including an encounter with her dead father, her mother's struggle with cancer, and open-heart surgery at the hands of the doctor who birthed her (the "Delivery Man" of the title).
Northern Ice, Golden SunNorthern Ice, Golden Sun · 2002
Northern Ice, Golden Sun
★ 8.02002
MovieAnimation
The 25th and final film completed by Hubley, is a lyrical visual poem to environmentalism and to the Inuits' attachment to the land, and their ability to adapt to the natural world.
ShadowplayShadowplay · 2002
Shadowplay
★ 8.02002
MovieAnimationHistory
A stop-motion film, written, animated, & directed by Dan Blank.
What's On Your Plate?What's On Your Plate? · 2009
What's On Your Plate?
★ 7.72009
MovieDocumentary
WHAT'S ON YOUR PLATE is a witty and provocative documentary about kids and food politics. Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old African-American city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. They formulate sophisticated and compassionate opinions about urban sustainability, and by doing so inspire hope and active engagement in others.
VesselVessel · 2014
Vessel
★ 7.52014
MovieDocumentary
A fearless sea captain, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, sails a ship through loopholes in international law, providing abortions on the high seas, and leaving in her wake a network of emboldened activists who trust women to handle abortion on their own terms.
Her Grandmother's GiftHer Grandmother's Gift · 1995
Her Grandmother's Gift
★ 7.01995
MovieAnimation
A grandmother discusses past and present attitudes toward menstruation.
Upside DownUpside Down · 1991
Upside Down
★ 7.01991
MovieAnimation
Inspired by the writings of the 13th century Indian poet Kabir, "Upside Down" shocks the audience from its torpor. Lost in a maze of contradictions, its characters search for a way out... Death is befriended and the eternal yearning for harmony, beauty and balance are realized in the final sequence.
Tall Time TalesTall Time Tales · 1998
Tall Time Tales
★ 6.51998
MovieAnimation
A film about the many faces of time as it flows from the future to the past, through cyclic, biological, curved and paradoxical time.
Everybody Rides the CarouselEverybody Rides the Carousel · 1976
Everybody Rides the Carousel
★ 6.41976
MovieAnimationDrama
"Everybody Rides the Carousel" invites the viewer along on eight "rides" through the different stages of life. Based on the work by Erik Erikson, one of the most influential psychoanalytic theorists of this century, the film explores the inner feelings and conflicted emotions experienced during each stage of personality development. With distinctive and poetic animation, John and Faith Hubley visualize the conflicts, joys, problems and delights we all experience on the carousel of life.

More Like This

BigBig · 1988
Big
★ 7.21988
MovieFantasyDrama
When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big, he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight, but he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups, including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.
Return to MeReturn to Me · 2000
Return to Me
★ 6.72000
MovieRomanceComedy
It took a lot of persuading to get Bob, a recently widowed architect, to go on a blind date at a quirky Irish-Italian eatery. Once there, he’s instantly smitten, not with his date, but with the sharp-witted waitress. Everything seems to be going great until an unbelievable truth is revealed, one that could easily break both of their hearts for good.
Paris Je T'aimeParis Je T'aime · 2006
Paris Je T'aime
★ 6.82006
MovieDramaRomance
Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to choose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.
Baise-moiBaise-moi · 2000
Baise-moi
★ 4.82000
MovieCrimeDrama
Nadine and Manu are two mad women, as tidy as can be, almost perfectionists. They have several things in common: extreme sex, drugs, beer and the trigger. They find the solution to their problems with guns and beware to those who dare to get in their way!
An Angel at My TableAn Angel at My Table · 1990
An Angel at My Table
★ 7.01990
MovieDramaHistory
Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.
MichaelMichael · 1996
Michael
★ 5.71996
MovieComedyDrama
Tabloid reporters are sent by their editor to investigate after the paper recieves a letter from a woman claiming an angel is living with her.
The Land of Steady HabitsThe Land of Steady Habits · 2018
The Land of Steady Habits
★ 5.62018
MovieDramaComedy
After leaving his wife and his job to find happiness, Anders begins a clumsy, heartbreaking quest to reassemble the pieces of his fractured life.
American SplendorAmerican Splendor · 2003
American Splendor
★ 7.12003
MovieComedyDrama
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
The Nativity StoryThe Nativity Story · 2006
The Nativity Story
★ 7.02006
MovieDrama
Mary and Joseph make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this retelling of the Nativity story. This meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in a quiet manger and Jesus is born.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter