With the Tribeca Film Festival coming to a close, a time for reflection is certainly in order and with it, a list of the Top 10 films seen at the festival. It must be noted that of the 89 films featured, this writer only saw a third and will be basing this list off of the films that were seen. The omission of some major choices may be the result of not seeing a particular film.
(For reviews of the Tribeca films, head to the review section.)
10. "Tricked" Directed by Paul Verhoeven
The film initiates as a documentary to setup the concept of the narrative. After portraying the difficulties of creating a crowd-sourced movie (the ideas were sent in by public and compiled into the final work), the viewer gets a chance to see where all the hard work wound up. The narrative itself is hilarious, but insightful in its portrayal of a family on the verge of falling apart. Read the Review HERE.
9. "Prince Avalanche" Directed by Joseph Gordon Green
The film showcases an honest and intimate portrait of two men who grow to love and learn from one another. The two performances from Emil Hirsh and Paul Rudd are some of the more nuanced at the festival and the film's methodic pace creates a reflective, meditative tone. Gordon Green directs the development with virtuosic simplicity. Read the Review HERE.
8. "Möbius" Directed by Eric Rochant
A suspense thriller/romance with subtle references to Hitchcock's "Notorious." Powerful performances from Jean Dujardin and Cécile De France fuse into one of the most powerful romances showcased at the festival. Rochant creates a great deal of ambiguity at the start with political conversations, but the human element slowly takes over and refuses to release its potent grip.
7. "Byzantium" Directed by Neil Jordan
The vampire movie is back! Jordan's exciting thriller builds a deep narrative that asks questions about immortality and its trapping nature. Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan create a compellingly layered mother-daughter relationship while Sean Bobbitt portrays some of the most daunting and unforgettable imagery of the entire festival. Read the review HERE.
6. "Ali Blue Eyes" Directed by Claudio Giovanessi
A tragic coming of age story that portrays an extreme view of the pain of the teenage years. Racial undertones litter the film and the character's journey goes from being admirable to outright disturbing. The film is shot in a raw handicam that emphasizes the chaotic emotional state of the adolescent while the desaturated colors suggest a decaying society that has no hope for its recovery and no future for the youth in prosper in.
5. "Bluebird" Directed by Lance Edmands
A tone poem if there ever was one. Set in a snowy town, the film showcases the power of nature and its ability to alter, destroy, and even rebuild the civilization. The film maintains a quiet pace throughout, but its quiet characters are constantly trying to burst out into life despite the limitations they must endure. Read the Review HERE.
4. "The Rocket" Directed by Kim Mordaunt
The story of the underdog rising to prominence is well-documented and reproduced, but Mordaunt's epic undertaking presents the rise of a child from cultural, familial, and even self rejection to the status of a hero able to dominate something as daunting as a rocket. The film balances its morose subject matter of poverty with comic touches and some frightening ones. The tender love story blossoming between its two protagonists also adds much needed warmth to its often harsh material. Read the Review HERE.
3. "What Richard Did" Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
A dark film that starts off with the celebration of life and ends with its mourning. Abrahamson and actor Jack Reynor manage to present the portrait of a "hero" who slowly sways from the path and finds himself alone, rejected, and filled with guilt. The film develops from an excited world filled with parties and socialization to one where silence and emptiness dominate. Read the Review HERE.
2. "Six Acts" Directed by Johnathan Gurfinkel
"Six Acts" does not shy away from its subject matter of sexual exploitation and expresses it in a complex manner that rejects any simplification. Gurfinkel knows that the topic is a controversial one and he treats it in an equally divisive manner with a heroine/anti-heroine who engages in demeaning sexual behavior for social self-improvement and/or even self-annihilation. The film is likely to anger many, but those who find it incomprehensible will likely be unable to stop discussing it or analyzing it. Read the Review HERE.
1."Before Snowfall" Directed by Hisham Zaman
Visual storytelling at its most profound starting with its claustrophobic first image to its paradoxical final scene. The story's central journey epitomizes the quest of an adolescent coerced into a task that he is not ready for and his own self-discovery and formation regarding the beliefs that have been imposed on him. The film weaves through cultural divides and even provides a harsh but subtle critique of arbitrary traditions. "Before Snowfall" also delves into the power of first love and its ability to bring out the best in humanity. Despite its tragic conclusion, the viewer cannot help but feel emotionally riveted by its characters and their wonderful experiences together in search of themselves. Read the Review HERE.
For an alternative perspective on the top ten films, click HERE.
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