As is often the case with film festivals, my favorites at the Tribeca Film Festival this year were documentaries. Side by Side, which explains how the industry has shifted from film to digital, played like a super-entertaining film lecture. I felt like I needed a pen and paper to jot down notes. High Tech, Low Life provided a window into life in China, so different than what I see on the nightly news. The narrative films often fell into niches. I didn't see any real crowd-pleasers, but rather films that should appeal primarily to certain demographic segments.
Struck by Lightning is one such film. Starring Chris Colfer from "Glee," the dark comedy centers on a high school newspaper editor who is struck by lightning in the movie's opening moments. The film then retraces his final weeks, when he was finally able to exercise some power in his isolated existence. The movie should offer real appeal to high schoolers, especially those who feel they don't belong. It has bits of Saved! (also directed by Brian Dannelly) and But I'm a Cheerleader in it, and convincingly maintains its darkly comedic tone throughout. But it didn't have that extra oomph of something--originality, audacity, or empathy--to bring it over the top.
The French film Polisse attracted a crowd topped with white hair at the screening I attended, older Francophiles who love anything French. The long, ensemble film follows a group of co-workers in France's child protection unit, which handles child molestation, abuse, and vice cases involving children. Their cases play out quite differently than, say, "Law & Order," so there are some interesting cultural differences to tease out. Sometimes that backfires. During an interview with a teen who was manipulated into sex in order to retrieve a stolen smartphone, the officers get a case of the giggles that felt extremely inappropriate. My guess is that the girl was speaking in a Valley girl-type manner with tons of likes, that made her case seem funny, but it didn't translate with subtitles, and the audience wasn't laughing either. Some of the cases the officers covered were stomach-churning, infuriating, or sad--I saw people wiping away tears. The bleak ending, which isn't fully explained, is also typically, infuriatingly French, yet another sign this movie, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, will be a hit among stateside Francophiles.
Adults also behave badly in The Playroom, a 1970s-set story that unfolds over one evening. Three children, aged from high school to elementary school, entertain themselves upstairs while their parents (John Hawkes and Molly Parker) drink and smoke with a neighbor couple. The drama has a surprising level of suspense. The family is quiet, but their habits are revealing: the kids come home from school first, clearing away unfinished drinks and emptying ashtrays without comment. The mother pulls eggs and bacon from an empty refrigerator in order to cook dinner. Director Julia Dyer makes finding out the nature and motivations of these characters the driving force in the narrative. Alternately uncomfortable and depressing, The Playroom can be difficult to watch but tackles a familiar subject--unloving and distant parents--in a novel way.
Of these three films, Polisse has already been picked up by Sundance Selects and will open on May 18. The other two should undoubtedly be picked up for distribution, and I think Struck by Lightning in particular could become a favorite among young, indie-seeking audiences.
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