The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 to celebrate cinema following the attacks on the World Trade Center. This year, 103 feature-length films and numerous short films were shown at Tribeca. Thanks to a virtual option, I was able to cover the festival remotely. Here are a few of my favorite watches from the festival.
Documentary features
“Hacking Hate,” by filmmaker Simon Klose, follows Swedish journalist My Vingren as she goes undercover to research far-right extremism online. Her work leads her to Anika Collier Navaroli, the former Twitter employee who raised concerns about some of the rhetoric prior to Jan. 6, 2021, eventually leading to the suspension of former President Trump. The documentary explores the role of social media in the rise of extremist language and asks important questions about how free speech should be approached in digital spaces.
Less slick but equally fascinating, Nesa Azimi’s “Driver” takes a look at women in long-haul trucking. It focuses on Desiree Woods, a woman who lost everything and turned to trucking to support her family. The documentary focuses on the unique challenges of women in this industry. Still, it is a broader look at the changing landscape of what was once a viable option for people to make a living that has slowly become another trap for desperate people.
In Francis Whatley’s “Rebel Country,” he turns his eye on musicians on the outskirts of traditional, commercial country music. Looking at the history of country music, with its roots in both African and Latin music, Whatley shows how the genre has been co-opted over the years by political idealogues into something that it is not, resulting in a gatekeeping of a style of music that is surprisingly broad. Using the language of Outlaw Country, Whatley looks at what it means to be black, female, queer, or Mexican in today’s country.
Autobiographical stand-up came into fashion with Richard Pryor, and in “Group Therapy,” filmmaker Neil Berkeley gathers six popular stand-up comedians along with Neil Patrick Harris to discuss how they use their personal stories in their sets. There are some deeply touching and heart-wrenching stories told while also maintaining a sense of humor throughout. It does feel at times like the audience is watching a group therapy session, and that is a powerful experience.
Narrative features
In Vinko Tomicic’s first solo-directed feature, “The Dog Thief,” we watch Martin (Franklin Aro) struggle to find himself. Set in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, Martin is an orphaned shoeshiner searching for a family. He steals tailor Novoa’s (Alfredo Castro) dog to get the reward money, but he forms a bond with Novoa, believing him to be his long-lost father. It is a touching coming-of-age story about a young man searching for a place to belong.
“Darkest Miriam,” by director Naomi Jaye, is an adaptation of the book “The Incident Report.” In it, Miriam (Britt Lower) is a librarian who is closed off to most of the world until she strikes up a relationship with Janko (Tom Mercier). There is a mystery element to this involving the opera Rigoletto, but ultimately, this is a film about allowing yourself to be close to people, even after you have experienced the pain of loss.
In “Bitterroot,” writer and director Vera Brunner-Sung explores the story of a Hmong family in Montana. Lue (Wa Yang) recently went through a divorce, and he has moved back home with his mother, Song (Qu Kue). He was also laid off from his job, so he works foraging for morels, growing in the aftermath of the summer fire season. The film gently leads us to the circumstances surrounding Lue’s divorce and explores the themes of remaining close to family while trying to forge your own path.
