TORONTO – Who is this alcoholic drunk and sunk on the screen?

The public will discover a new facet of Nicole Kidman in "Destroyer", one of the two films of the actress at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In "Destroyer" (December 25th), the black thriller that was featured Monday night at the festival, Kidman plays Erin Bell, a fragile and boozy detective who failed to cover up a case she had hidden more than ten years ago.

Many have compared Kidman to Charlize Theron's "Monster" transformation. On Monday, director Karyn Kasuma ("Girlfight", "Jennifer Body") called Kidman "pivot of this whole affair".

"Kidman – a star who is already legitimately celebrated for his intense performances and his chameleon ability to live in almost every role – still manages to defy expectations here," said Sarah Kurchak of Consequence of Sound.

"There's a scene in DESTROYER where Nicole Kidman is walking down a street with a machine gun like Al Pacino in HEAT, and if that does not suit you, check your pulse," said Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm reporter. tweeted.

Yes, she wears a ragged brown wig in the film, but that was hardly the case in the first, after Kidman rejected the public's request to classify her gaze over the years. "It's a terrible question, I close the question," she told the audience.

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Meanwhile, Kidman is also in Toronto with "Boy Erased" (in theaters Nov. 2), a moving film about the effects of gay conversion therapy on an Arkansas teen named Jared (Lucas Hedges) . In the drama directed by Joel Edgerton, Jared comes from a devout family; his father (Russell Crowe) is a Baptist preacher and his mother (Kidman) initially supports the church's decision to send Jared to a conversion camp after his release.

Which movie could Kidman send to the Oscars?

"Kidman probably has a track easier to attract attention here than in his star vehicle" Destroyer ", a dark and gritty criminal drama that's harder (and finds her to play a less-likeable character), predicts Variety's Kristopher Tapley. "Her" Boy Erased "tour is reminiscent of her Oscar-nominated" Lion "work, and for a film that has never had a great deal of excitement, she is the source of all she can. "

Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com had a different take. "The best of both is Karyn Kusama's brutal" Destroyer ", which turns Kidman into a dead walking woman," he wrote. "With a heavy make-up, Kidman never looked more disheveled, she's a shell of being human, just waiting for her to do something stupid enough to actually die." Her eyes are bloodshot and shallow, and Kidman's work is transformative. "

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