tribeca film festival 2013
"Möbius" moves at a steady pace with its powerful love story keeping its otherwise meandering spy narrative afloat. The film's spy narrative never really become comprehensible, but its delicate presentation of the romance grabs hold of the viewer and refuses to let go.
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.
Two days after winning the Best Narrative Film Award at the Tribeca Film Festival the Australian film "The Rocket" took home the Best Audience Award.
One major cliché of Middle Eastern culture is its treatment of women; the common perception of the Middle Eastern woman is of an oppressed being covered in veils and not allowed to speak in public. Haifaa Al-Mansour's feature film debut "Wadjda" portrays the story of a young girl who seeks to break all the stereotypes in order to attain her deepest desire.
High school movies have always dealt with teenage issues such as drugs, sexuality and loneliness but have rarely dealt with the teacher's issues and their struggles. In Craig Zisk's feature film debut "The English Teacher," Julianne Moore plays an English teacher whose life is disrupted when one of her old students returns to her town.
The Tribeca Film Festival comes to an end in just days and the competition winners have officially been announced. Leading the charge is Australian film "The Rocket" which garnered the Best Narrative Film Award and Best Actor Award for Sitthiphon Disamoe.
"Big Bad Wolves" is not an easy film but it is an exhilarating and ultimately fun experience that will not only frighten audiences but also make them laugh.
"Before Snowfall" is a riveting coming-of-age journey that informs as it rivets with strong balance that few other films achieve. The two lead performances carry the film wondrously in a tale of two lost souls filling the voids of their respective loneliness.
When one thinks of a festival film, there is always thought that the movies being showcased are dramatic, dark, original or sometimes quirky. Audiences never think of a sappy romantic comedy with generic plot lines or clichéd characters and dialogue. Unfortunately "A Case of You" starring Evan Rachel Wood and Justin Long, is exactly this type of film that one does not expect to see at such a prestigious film festival like Tribeca.
It is impossible not to praise the ambition and execution of the project, but it is hard to truly embrace the finished product when one feels cheated after wading through it. There is no rule or expectation that the viewer must be rewarded at the end of a film, but there is certainly a tremendous sense of frustration when he/she leaves the theater feeling that a perfectly good hour and a half has been misused on a director's cruel joke.
The transition from adolescence and adulthood is usually marked by the engagement in a career or employment opportunity. Oftentimes that transition is more difficult for some, especially those entering into the arts. For those individuals, the idea of rising to prominence as an artist is a perpetual dream that may never come to fruition. Scott Coffey's "Adult World" emphasizes the difficulties of striving for this dream and the maturity required to make it a reality.
Ultimately "Almost Christmas" is an engaging, entertaining film that will have viewers laughing throughout. Unfortunately, the film loses steam near the end and stitches together the unresolved plot strands in an erratic manner.
Ultimately, Wasilewski confronts each character in a raw matter but he does it so effectively that he transports the viewer to the characters' world. The film is one of the most moving, poignant and magnetic films at the Tribeca Film Festival thus far.
"Tricked" is filled with crazed moments that make this film border on farce, but its shocking plot twists make this one of the most engaging and entertaining escapes from the overall dark and somber tone of the festival.
"Prince Avalanche" offers a plethora of nuance and subtlety that truly creates a remarkable portrait of human redemption. Its slow pacing creates a meditative ambience early on, but tests the spectator's patience as it reaches its final act.
