My 10 Best Films at Tribeca 2022
Tribeca might be known for its high-profile screenings and premieres of films such as Jerry and Marge Go Large and Butterfly in the Sky and talks with acclaimed storytellers like Seth Meyers, W. Kamau Bell, and Taylor Swift. However, underneath the surface are independent films that subvert genre conventions and possible contenders for Awards Season, such as the Gotham, Independent Spirit, and Academy Awards like last year’s films The Novice, Ascension, Roadrunner, and Italian Studies. With fewer restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic — the festival returned with strong power featuring several sold-out screenings and high attendances.
It’s impossible to witness every movie at Tribeca with a virtual press credential, but I did my best to see some at the Tribeca at Home platform. Some secured distribution - theatrical or broadcast - while others still seek it. But here are the 10 best movies I saw at Tribeca this year and why they have a special place in my heart.
American Pain - Spotlight Documentary
Still from American Pain. Courtesy of HBOMax
American Pain follows the trials and tribulations of Jeff and Chris George, identical twins who are believed to be America’s most prolific opioid kingpins. They operate a chain of pain clinics in Florida where they garnered huge lines of patients waiting for pain pills and produced a net value worth more than 500 million U.S. dollars. Director Darren Foster employs undercover videos, talking head interviews with members of the Georges’ close circle, Jeff and Chris’s rivals and government officials, wire tappings that unveils the amoral qualities of institutions who enabled Chris and Jeff's criminal activities. He attests the audience a space to be disgusted at Jeff and Chris’s callous actions while sharing how they function in a neutral stance. American Pain is a profound canvas that displays an ongoing status of capitalism in the U.S.
Carol and Johnny - Viewpoints (Documentary)
Still from Carol and Johnny. Courtesy of Barnicle Brothers
Emmy Award-winning production company Barnicle Brothers (ESPN’s The Deal and Netflix’s This is a Robbery) showcases a real-life Bonnie and Clyde. Carol and Johnny are two bank robbers that committed 56 robberies and now live separately after being released from jail. Employing archival footage, interviews from friends and officers, and photos to recount the stories, Colin Barnicle follows them individually to understand the desires and goals of all parties involved. As it is uncommon to see a bank robber frequently, Colin does not judge the crimes they commit. Instead, he shows how two people bond together and emphasizes the story's romantic aspect. Carol and Johnny evoke love, tenderness, and tension in this true-crime and love tale.
Four Samosas - US Narrative Competition
Still from Four Samosas. Courtesy of Ravi Kapoor
Unlucky inspiring rapper Vinny (Venk Potula) is jealous when his ex-girlfriend Rina (Summer Bishil) is engaged to his arch-nemesis Sanjay (Deadpool’s conniving Karan Soni). To disrupt the wedding, Vinny and his friends steal Rina’s dowry jewels from her father’s safe at his supermarket. In this executive-produced heist comedy from Soni and Utkarsh Ambudkar, director Ravi Kapoor (Miss India America) executes a fullscreen aspect ratio that captures the distinctive nature and soulfulness of the characters. He also exhibits a comedic display of proving one’s worth. Four Samosas is a celebration of Indian American culture and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Little India, where the filmmakers shot the film.
Game Change Game - Movie Plus (Documentary)
Still from Game Change Game. Courtesy of Spike Jordan and Maxime Quolin
Sports and politics always go hand in hand, as demonstrated in this snapshot of the COVID-affected NBA seasons. Produced by the National Basketball Players Association, Spike Jordan and Maxime Quolin’s Game Change Game uses basketball as a microcosm to dive into COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the ongoing fight for equality. While the film may not necessarily surprise familiar audiences with the subject matter in terms of its widely covered events, it will bring in first-timers through caring yet spellbinding visuals to guide through a crucial but dark story. Featuring vast archival footage and candid interviews from several NBA players, NBPA members, media personalities, activists, and survivors of police brutality, Game Change Game exemplifies how people unite. It is a raw, bold, and enlightened document that honors the past, present, and future tactics for change.
God’s Time - US Narrative Competition
Still from God’s Time. Courtesy of Daniel Antebi
What do you get when you see Daniel Antebi (one of 2020 Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces) mix Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Good Time? You witness recovering addicts, fourth-wall-breaking Dev (Ben Groh), and serious-minded Luca (Dion Costelloe) going on a righteous mission. It is to prevent fellow AA member and mutual crush Regina (Liz Caribel Sierra in a Tribeca Special Jury Award-winning performance) from killing her ex-boyfriend in today’s NYC. The audience questions reality as the expedition goes through a hilarious, dark series of nonsense outlooks from outsiders to a possible validation supporting Dev's evidence of the planned murder plot. Antebi breaks genre conventions by being ahead of the viewer in its direction. He flips the table at its pivotal moment while staying true to the characters' minds. God's Time is an exhilarating, breathtaking film that challenges faith and goes through unexpected events and turns in each moment.
Katrina Babies - Documentary Competition
Still from Katrina Babies. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films
Edward Buckles Jr.'s Katrina Babies examines how Hurricane Katrina shaped Buckles and his peers in New Orleans. This seven-year journey garnered two Tribeca jury awards, the Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director, and the Human/Nature Prize. It incorporates an enriching mix of documentary styles and animation to weave through the trauma, joy, and culture in Crescent City's Black community. Executive produced by TIME Studios and filmmakers Coodie and Chike (jeen-yuhs), Buckles and his community reclaims their perspective on it after numerous outlets sensationalize these events. Some community members speak about it for the first time because no one asks them about it or how painful the storm was to the survivors. Katrina Babies is a lively portrait of a community that resists the status quo.
A Love Song - Tribeca’s Critics Week (Narrative)
Still from A Love Song. Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Dale Dickey commands the screen in a rare lead role after having many supporting roles as a character actor (Winter’s Bone, Hell or High Water). Dickey plays Faye, who is camping in nature while living in an RV on the Colorado campsite. She bumps into frequent passerbys, but does not form an intuitive connection until her childhood sweetheart Lito (Wes Studi) visits her. Shot on 16mm, writer-director Max Walker-Silverman places a livid, mundaneness of life as it slowly unfolds. He shows how togetherness happens naturally instead of it being forced. Faye and Lito’s reunion creates sparks of joy and a sense of wonder in being at a landscape.
My Love Affair with Marriage - International Narrative Competition
Still from My Love Affair with Marriage. Courtesy of Signe Baumane
Signe Baumane dives deep into her personal experiences in this semi-autobiographical animated musical. It follows Zelma’s (a brave Dagmara Dominczyk) coming-of-age journey on what it means to be a woman in a society that regulates how females act. Also starring Matthew Modine (an executive producer on the film), Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), and Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe), the film entwines the displeasing yet gratifying highlights in its observation of sex, love, and romance that completes one’s whole. The film’s songs and Zelma’s growth absorb an intricate balance of harmony, pleasure, and solace that does not define her from these instances. Instead, it is an ongoing evolution that makes Zelma resists the system and its perpetuated labels.
Sophia - Documentary Competition
Still from Sophia. Courtesy of Showtime Documentary Films
Many have heard of Sophia, who's been featured in many media appearances since her debut at 2016 SXSW. She is also the first robot to receive citizenship in any country (in her case, Saudi Arabia). However, they may not understand how and why her existence came to be through her inventor David Hanson. Hanson struggles with the professional and family lives he has while supporting as much as possible for Sofia. Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack) and Jon Kasbe (When Lambs Become Lions) interwoven vulnerability and joy in the characters' verite journey with vibrant energy and elegant tutelage. Those decisions create a space of capturing reality as is and not emphasizing the "science nonfiction" aspects of the story. Sophia is a riveting analysis that discovers connections and relations.
The Year Between - US Narrative Competition
Still from The Year Between. Courtesy of Alex Heller
Alex Heller, has a cult following on Instagram creating mental illness memes as @thementallytrillest; makes her feature directorial, screenwriting, and acting debut in this dramedy after making several shorts. Heller plays Clemence, an anti-heroic college student forced to return to the suburbs following her erratic behavior. Therefore, she reunites with her town's residents and parents (Succession's J. Smith Cameron and Steve Buscemi) and doubts her life's outlook when diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bringing what she knows, Alex uses her perspective as someone living with bipolar to observe the many laugh-out-loud moments and hysterical dramatic scenes in this delicately balanced glimpse. The Year Between is an emotional roller coaster that questions societal norms.