10 Movies To Watch At The 2023 Tribeca film Festival

*The Adults; Elemental; Blood for Dust; Maggie Moore(s)*. Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.

The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival is set to begin this week, and that means it’s time to scan the lineup and pick out the titles that stand out among the rest. For this year’s festival, it seems that there’s something for everyone regardless of what you’re interested in, with horror movies, space-set films, thrillers, character studies, comedies, and big-name titles like Disney’s Elemental. With over 200 shorts and features playing at the festival, here are 10 titles that stood out to us.

Honorable Mentions

Elemental

Elemental, the latest animated feature from Pixar, puts us into a city where all of its residents resemble one of the four main characteristics — earth, fire, air, or water. In the case of the film’s protagonists, Wade (Mamoudou Athie) and Ember (Leah Lewis), opposites attract the two lovers, made up of fire and water. The film, regarded as Pixar’s first rom-com, has received early praise from audiences who saw it at its world premiere in Cannes and at advance screenings.

Shortcomings

Shortcomings, the directorial debut of comedian Randall Park (known for his role as Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), follows Ben (Justin H. Min), an aspiring filmmaker who manages a small movie theater in Berkeley. The film examines its characters on a personal level, especially digging into the relationships they hold and the problems within them. Our Chief Film Critic, Eze Baum, caught the film at its Sundance premiere, saying, “What makes Shortcomings great is that even though the characters can be rude, brash, and even assholes at times, they’re well layered and given depth to the point where they’re real enough to like by the time the credits roll.” Read our full review here.

10 Movies To Watch At Tribeca (Listed Alphabetically)

The Adults

From director Dustin Guy Defa (Person to Person) comes The Adults, starring Michael Cera, Sophia Lilis, and Hannah Gross as three siblings reconnecting when Eric (Cera) decides to turn a short visit home into an extended return and reunion. The film sees them regressing from adults back into their old routines, ultimately being forced to face their inner lives, trauma, and the relationships they hold.

“When Eric’s (Michael Cera) short trip back home turns into an extended stay, relationships with friends and family come to a head. The trip reunites him with his sisters, Rachel (Hannah Gross) and Maggie (Sophia Lillis), and unearths some old wounds as Maggie yearns to rekindle moments of their youth. At the same time, Eric falls back in with his old poker buddies, asserting his dominance as the best poker player in town. They gradually reveal their complicated inner lives, trauma, and relationships through theatrical performances and shared histories. The film's strength lies in the cast’s nuanced performances and writer-director Dustin Guy Defa’s use of raw emotion and close-ups to convey the siblings' complicated dynamic.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Bucky Fcking Dent*

With Bucky F*cking Dent, David Duchovny adapts his own novel into a feature. The film follows Ted, a man reconnecting with his father (Duchovny) after learning of his terminal cancer diagnosis. When Ted’s father’s health worsens after the Red Sox lose a baseball game, Ted decides to put his finger on the scale, manufacturing a winning streak for the Sox.

“Ask any Red Sox fan about Bucky Dent and the response is always the same: a sigh and shake of the head as we dejectedly mutter, “Bucky fucking Dent.” For those of us who live and die with the Olde Towne Teame, Bucky Dent is a very specific avatar of heartbreak: the quiet, unassuming kind of heartbreak that you silently dismiss until it’s right in front of you, knocking a 1-1 pitch over the Green Monster in left.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Cold Copy

Cold Copy finds Tracee Ellis Ross (Blackish) as Diane Heger, an esteemed news reporter that’s dealing with Mia (Bel Powley), gunning for her recognition. When Mia begins working on a story about Igor (Jacob Tremblay), Diane has to deal with the fallout of Mia manipulating Igor’s truth and the story itself.

“Eager to impress the esteemed-yet-cutthroat news reporter Diane Heger (Tracee Ellis Ross), ambitious journalism student Mia Scott (Bel Powley) desperately competes for her attention. With increasing pressure from Diane to outperform her peers, Mia finds a new angle for her latest story about an unsuspecting subject: precocious teen Igor Nowak (Jacob Tremblay). But her new approach involves manipulating his story — and the truth itself.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Eric LaRue

Eric LaRue, the directorial debut of actor Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), follows Janice (Judy Greer) and her husband (Alexander Skarsgård), the parents of a high school shooter who shot and killed three classmates. The film, based on Brett Neveu’s 2002 play, examines the different emotional outcomes that people experience when dealing with such a tragedy and the ways they do so.

“Michael Shannon directs an adaptation of Brett Neveu’s 2002 play about a mother coping with the fallout after her son murders three of his high school classmates. Janice (Judy Greer) is struggling; she moves through life as if in a haze, unable to let go of her anger and frustration. While her husband (Alexander Skarsgård) has found refuge at a new church, Janice finds it hard to seek solace in her faith despite her pastor’s pleas to heal her wounds by meeting with the mothers of her son’s victims. As Janice ponders what that meeting could achieve for her and her community, Eric LaRue asks audiences to witness the frayed emotional ripples that violent acts can engender.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

First Time Female Director

Chelsea Peretti makes her directorial debut in a very meta way with First Time Female Director. The film follows Sam (Peretti), a playwright working for a small local theater forced to step into the role of play director when the previous director was fired due to inappropriate behavior. Peretti, known for her role as Gina Linetti on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, serves as a multi-hyphenate on the project, writing and producing the film on top of directing.

“With First Time Female Director, Chelsea Peretti wears all the hats. Making her directorial debut, the comedian is also on hand as writer and producer, and she leads a hilarious, star-studded cast as Sam, a playwright working for a small local theater in Glendale. When the theater’s director is fired for inappropriate behavior, Sam is thrust into the leadership role, where she quickly discovers that being a director may be a lot more challenging than she originally thought. Wanting to stage her dream production, a rural drama set in the South, Sam finds a bevy of issues (including a recalcitrant cast) awaiting her and threatening her latest work.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Ariana DeBose in *I.S.S.* Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.

I.S.S.

Set in a near-distant future, I.S.S. follows Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), a bioengineer headed to the International Space Station to observe and advance research in her field. All seems fine until a nuclear war begins between the United States and Russia, and the astronauts on board are given the same command: take control of the ISS regardless of what it takes. The film is a look into the psychological effect that this can have on a person, unsure of what to do and unsure of if they have a home to return to.

“Ariana DeBose takes over Tribeca in a rollicking sci-fi space thriller. Orbiting the planet aboard the International Space Station, two crews of scientists conduct research towards the betterment of humanity. Soon, however, international tensions on Earth escalate in unpredictable ways. With little information relayed from command centers, the teams find themselves reeling as they receive the same orders: take control of the station at any cost.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

The Line

One of the more intriguing titles of the Tribeca lineup, The Line follows Tom (Alex Wolff of Hereditary), a fraternity brother at a fictional college with many strict traditions. Alex, attracted to the frat life by the high social status that comes with it, has his perspective put in place when he meets Annabelle (Halle Bailey of The Little Mermaid). Once the hazing traditions of new fraternity members are brought into the light, Tom finds himself faced with the tough decision of picking between two worlds and lives.

“Ethan Berger’s feature narrative debut is an engrossing contemplation of blind adherence to tradition through the lens of a fictional college fraternity. Tom (Alex Wolff), a passionate ‘brother’ of this fraternity, is charmed by the promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But as a classmate outside of his social circle named Annabelle (Halle Bailey) enters his life, his devotion begins to falter. Once the scheduled hazing of new fraternity members comes to a disturbing head, Tom is faced with the decision of a lifetime.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

The Listener

Set in one room over the course of a single night, The Listener follows Beth (Tessa Thompson), a volunteer phone operator who talks to those in crisis during the pandemic. The film, directed by Steve Buscemi, is a look into all aspects of mental health, isolation, and the difficult things we may be too scared to ask someone face-to-face.

“When evening sets in, Beth (Tessa Thompson) is one of many volunteers manning helplines to lend a kind ear to people in crisis. The Listener charts a night in Beth’s life listening to the problems of faceless people and trying her best to help them. Always difficult, often disturbing, and, on that rare occasion, transformative, Beth’s night provides a cross-section of American society through the prism of mental health.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Maggie Moore(s)

In a small town, over the course of a single week, two women named Maggie Moore have been killed. Funny coincidence, right? We learn the details of the case with police chief Jordan Sanders (Jon Hamm) as he works to find the connection between the two dead women and get to the bottom of what’s really going on. He’s helped by a coterie of characters, including some played by Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed, as well as Tina Fey.

“Maggie Moorie(s) is a wonderfully twisted dark comedy that takes the audience on an unexpected journey through a seemingly ordinary small desert town. In this quirky locale, a bizarre series of events unfold as two women who share the same name are murdered just days apart. Police chief Jordan Sanders (Jon Hamm) is determined to solve the mystery of the murders while simultaneously grappling with the challenges of his tumultuous personal life.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

Our Son

After 13 long years of marriage, Gabriel (Billy Porter) decides to file for a divorce from Nicky (Luke Evans) after having an affair behind his back, realizing how unhappy he is in his marriage. This leads the two to go back and forth, fighting about who gets primary custody of their eight-year-old son, Owen, while each has journies of self-discovery and adapting to the strange new lives they’re about to face.

“Nicky (Luke Evans), a book publisher devoted to his work, lives with his husband Gabriel (Billy Porter), a former actor and stay-at-home dad, and their eight year-old son, Owen. Gabriel loves Owen more than anything; Nicky loves Gabriel more than anything. Despite appearances, Gabriel has been dissatisfied with their marriage for some time and files for divorce, leading to a custody battle that forces both of them to confront the changing reality of their love for each other and for their son.” — Tribeca Film Festival.

What are you looking forward to at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival? Let us know!