Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Demolition' opens at TIFF with Oscar-worthy buzz

TORONTO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The Toronto International Film Festival's premier of Demolition continues to fuel rumors of an impending Academy Award nomination for actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Jean-Marc Vallee's Demolition, in which Gyllenhaal plays an out-of-touch but successful investment banker, who suddenly loses his wife in a car accident, does not hit U.S. theaters until next summer. Although the flick summoned some buzz about Gyllenhaal's earning an Oscar for the film, its release date far passes 2016's awards season.

Still, Vallee's quirky film, which leads to Gyllenhaal's literal demolition of a modern home and its contents, has been criticized by both Variety and IndieWire as "manipulative" and overtly metaphorical. Written by Gryan Sipe, Demolition also stars actors Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper.

"This is the most rock 'n' roll film I've ever made," Vallee said before Demolition's screening, according to The Wrap. "I think we're gonna set the tone of this year's festival with the noise we're going to make tonight."

Speaking to RTE, Gyllenhaal said working on the project and destroying an entire property was "incredibly cathartic."

"You feel like a kid," he said, "It's a lot harder to create than to destroy."