Hello everyone. This week the newsletter is all about the Tribeca Festival. I spent last week watching some awesome films and today I will be sharing my thoughts on 5 of them. Enjoy!
TRIBECA FESTIVAL
The Tribeca Festival 2021 has been all about recognizing new filmmakers and supporting established voices. But it is also curating innovative and interactive experiences, introducing new technology and ideas through panels, exhibitions, and live performances.
On its 20th anniversary, the Tribeca has opted to eliminate the word "film" from its name. Following a year in which film festivals have transformed into mostly virtual, Co-creators Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have said that this change is a “sign of the times”.
The festival this year still has many narrative films, documentaries, shorts films, TV features, and filmmaker Q&As available to watch in person or stream. But it has also enlarged its long-running sidebars devoted to gaming and virtual reality. The convergence between digital media, video games, and other forms of entertainment are inevitable and I applaud the direction that the Festival is going. I know that many people do not share this opinion. But the world is changing, really fast, and Tribeca is proving that it is aware of these changes.
Anyway, I have been enjoying watching great films that Tribeca is showing from the comfort of my home this whole week. And here are 5 that caught my eye. And since I will spend this weekend watching even more films, next week I will share another 5 movies with you guys.
CATCH THE FAIR ONE
A former boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister. CATCH THE FAIR ONE is a taut thriller and second feature for Tribeca “Best New Narrative Director” winner, Josef Kubota Wladyka, and a star-making debut for a professional boxer, Kali Reis.
CATCH THE FAIR ONE is a gripping thriller with well-developed characters. Kayleigh's life after boxing and her resolve to find her sister are established slowly in the script. But don't worry, once the action starts, the movie will keep you entertained. I really liked how gritty and intense the film is. With a great lead performance and a simple approach to narrative, the film succeeds as an interesting revenge thriller.
My only gripe with the film is that there is no genuine conclusion at the ending. To avoid spoilers, this will most likely be very vague and may not make much sense. But some narrative threads are left hanging after the film ends. And I think that some viewers will be disappointed as a result of this.
SHAPELESS
Ivy is a New Orleans lounge singer trying to make a name for herself. When alone, though, she suffers from a terrifying eating disorder. And the more she hides her struggles, the stronger her inner demons become.
SHAPELESS is based on the producer, star, and co-screenwriter Kelly Murtagh’s struggles with an eating disorder. I think that her intention with this film is to teach people the value of speaking out, being vulnerable, asking for help. And most essential, never being ashamed of attempting to improve yourself.
The film embraces some elements of the horror genre and is made creepier by the use of twisted visuals. Ivy must face her addiction - or risk becoming a monster. The cinematography is amazing and the composition and framing of the shots make you feel very unsettled.
SHAPELESS is an excellent opportunity to talk about mental health. I hope that by watching Ivy’s story, others that are suffering in silence may be inspired to have their life-saving conversations about eating disorders.
ULTRASOUND
So, this is a weird film. But weird in the best possible way. The narrative of the story is based on the intersection of three events. Glen (Vincent Kartheiser) has automobile difficulties late at night while traveling home in a severe downpour. Near where his car becomes stopped, he notices home and knocks. He is met by Arthur (Bob Stephenson), a strangely pleasant middle-aged guy, and his younger wife, Cyndi (Chelsea Lopez). The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie (Rainey Qualley), is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon (Breeda Wool) begins questioning her role in a bizarre experiment, fearing that she’s doing more harm than good.
ULTRASOUND was written by Conor Stechschulte (adapted from his graphic novel GENEROUS BOSOM), is meant to perplex, and it does so throughout the film. I liked its dreamlike unreliability. At some parts, I literally had no idea what was going on and could not predict what was going to happen next. And this unpredictability paired with the director Rob Schroeder's surreal visual aesthetic made ULTRASOUND a very interesting film, in my opinion.
THE KIDS
In the early 1990s, before New York City’s mass gentrification, a group of disparate youth ventured outside their broken homes into the city’s brutal streets. United by skateboarding, they cultivated a family and built a unique lifestyle that ultimately inspired Larry Clark’s 1995 groundbreaking film, KIDS. The crew became overnight commodities, thrust into the mainstream spotlight. Left adrift under the bright lights, some discovered transcendent lives and careers -- while others, abandoned and unequipped to handle fame, suffered fatal consequences.
Director Eddie Martin’s new documentary about Larry Clark’s seminal 1995 indie film KIDS was eye-opening to me. I honestly had no idea how that film came to happen. But according to the people that were the subjects in the film, what happened was: A creepy older man (Clark) invaded the lives of underprivileged teenaged skaters in New York, drained off their experiences for his story, paid them peanuts but earned a fortune. And then fled out and into the realm of independent filmmaking while most of his cast lived in poverty.
Clark and Harmony Korine, the screenwriter for KIDS, declined to sit for interviews. So we never get to hear their side of the story. Notable performers like Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson are also absent. But if the stories told in this film are all true, It may be time to stop romanticizing Larry Clark and Harmony Korine's work.
SEE FOR ME
Sophie, a young blind woman, cat-sitting at a mansion, finds herself under invasion by thieves seeking a hidden safe. Her only means of defense: a new app called SEE FOR ME. It connects her to a volunteer across the country who helps her survive by seeing on her behalf. Sophie is connected to Kelly, an army veteran who spends her days playing first-person shooter games. Sophie is forced to learn that if she’s going to survive the night, she’ll need all the help she can get. A blind teenage girl who ends up being not so powerless after all.
SEE FOR ME is an intriguing premise for a home invasion thriller with a few twists and turns. It has some classic tropes, but with a unique victim who isn't as innocent as she appears. Beyond the typical fare of the home invasion genre, the film also raises a moral dilemma about what is good and wrong.
Director Randall Okita makes exceptional use of the amazing house in which the film was shot, utilizing cool camera movements and amazing cinematography. The acting is excellent as well. Visually impaired actor Skyler Davenport stars as Sophie. And she is a complex and fascinating character. She isn't limited by her blindness, and she isn't hiding in a corner. I enjoyed Jessica Parker Kennedy’s performance as Kelly, the operator on the See For Me app, too.
SEE FOR ME breathes new life into a tired formula, and that alone is reason enough to give it a try.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on my heavy rotation this week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
1 - KennyHoopla & Travis Barker - smoke break//
2 - Olivia O’Brien with Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon - No More Friends
3 - K.Flay - Dating My Dad
4 - Meet Me @ The Altar - Feel A Thing
5 - TORRES - Hug From a Dinosaur