Another Tribeca Film Festival comes to a close.
While I’ve had the pleasure of checking out excellent films like Happy Birthday and Relay, there were other films that I wanted to draw attention to. As such, here are a few standouts that I had the chance to check out:
Sovereign
I was not prepared for how human and empathetic Sovereign turned out. Sovereign follows Jerry (Nick Offerman), a sovereign citizen lecturer who tries to bond with his son over the sovereign citizen movement in the wake of them losing their house. The film’s empathetic direction underscores Jerry isolation and broken sense of self, for as nonsensical and silly as the sovereign citizen movement is, he’s not depicted as simply the butt of a joke. Director Christian Swegal highlights how his beliefs are rooted in the intense pain of losing his wife and his love for his son. The way he talks about personal sovereignty through “conquering” reflects his fear of not having control of his life. At the same time, Swegal shows the real damage of Jerry’s radicalization, both in his poor financial management and in how isolated his son is from other kids. Additionally, Nick Offerman’s performance anchors the film beautifully, as his wide range of conflicting emotions bestows Jerry the humanity needed to make the story work. The film is a tragic character piece, and I highly recommend it.
One Spoon of Chocolate
A Tarantino pastiche to the point of featuring Red Apple cigarettes, RZA’s latest film is easily his best. A vigilante film about Unique (Shameik Moore), a soldier returning home and hunting a band of racists, One Spoon of Chocolate embraces its grindhouse roots with gory glee. RZA delivers satisfying kills and gore built around a crescendo of rage, elevated by a strong leading performance by Shameik Moore. The script would’ve benefited from being a bit tighter, as some elements feel like RZA added just because he thought their cool, regardless of whether they led anywhere. While the film would’ve benefited from being shorter, I still enjoyed the film for its action and tone. The film’s grainy cinematography and butchering of cartoonish racists make One Spoon of Chocolate a perfect late-night watch.
Reflection in a Dead Diamond
Directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani have always delivered enjoyable psychedelic throwbacks with films such as Amer, The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, and Let the Corpses Tan, and their latest offering, Reflection in a Dead Diamond, is no exception. Drawing inspiration from Diabolik, James Bond, and the Eurospy genre, Reflection in a Dead Diamond follows John D (Fabio Testi), a retired spy reflecting on his adventures while investigating the murder of one of his neighbors. The film is a blast when it harkens back to his campy, high-concept misadventures, filled with femme fatales and a colorful cast of villains. At the same time, the psychedelic atmosphere that makes John D. and the audience question reality, along with highlights of misogynistic spy tropes, casts a dark shadow over all of his adventures. The film examines the toxic masculine elements of the spy genre and the emptiness these types of characters experience, stripped away of the commercialized glitz and glamor. Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a wild, brutal, reflective look at an archetype fighting for its cultural relevance.
A Tree Fell in the Woods
This film is messy, and it’s hilarious. The film follows two couples (Josh Gad and Ashley Park; Daveed Diggs and Alexandra Daddario) stuck in a cabin during a snowstorm after witnessing an affair, trapped with lingering anger and awkwardness. The film is a massive cringe-fest in all the best ways, as each character’s anxiety, frustration, and self-loathing bubble to the surface. Everyone delivers an excellent multi-layered performance, but Josh Gad stands out as absolutely hilarious. He delivers one of the funniest performances of his career, ranging from insecure to absolutely maniacal. A Tree Fell in the Woods is a blast; definitely catch this with a crowd.
