Tribeca2023: Three More Films From the 22nd Tribeca Festval

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Cinnamon

NEW YORK, NY – The 2023 Tribeca Festival may be over, but TRIBECA AT HOME continues through July 2nd, click link below. HollywoodChicago.com reviewed 12 films total from the fest, and the last three capsule reviews are below. The 23rd edition of the Tribeca Festival will take place in 2024.

The Tribeca Festival was founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and actor Robert De Niro as a reactive strike back at the September 11th attack in 2001 on New York City and the nearby Tribeca neighborhood.The film category of the 2023 22nd edition screened 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries, and had screenings and awards for U.S. Narrative Films, World Narrative Films, Short Film Competition, Best Documentary, the Spotlight Competition and Best New Narrative and Documentary Filmmakers, among it’s presentations.

The Slideshow illustrates the three films reviewed below. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photo with the captioned links below. All photos © Tribeca.com

1. 23TRIBECA1: Cinnamon
2. 23TRIBECA2: The Future
3. 23TRIBECA3: Smoking Tigers

Capsule Film Reviews, Tribeca Festival 2023

Cinnamon A throwback flavor to the blaxploitation era, with Pamela Grier (“Coffy”) from that era in a key role, as two young lovers risk it all to chase their dreams. What they put in motion cannot be undone, and the consequences lead to dire confrontations.


CAPSULE REVIEW: This mirrors blaxploitation in the extreme genre-stylistic performances, interesting looking character actors and of course the great Pam Grier. Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. makes his directorial debut, and inserts a heart pounding tension into the star-crossed lovers screw-ups. The main crime is perfectly executed, up to and including how the perpetrators give it away. The Bonnie-and-Clyde theme works, and the players commit to the pulse pounding circumstances. 4/5

The Future When Israel’s Minister of Space and Tourism is murdered in the lead-up to the country’s first mission to the moon, Yaffa (Samar Qupty), a young Arab university student from the occupied West Bank, confesses to the killing. Scientist Nurit (Reymond Amsalem) is the pioneer of The Future Project, an algorithm-based program meant to predict acts of terrorism, and seeks to analyze the assassin.


CAPSULE REVIEW: This Israeli film continues a streak of cinema from the country that addresses the wolf at every door in the continued conflict there. This is strange science fiction melding “The Minority Report,” West Bank politics and an odd moon mission that distracts everyone in country. The two principles have great chemistry as the professor and the unrepentant assassin, and actor Amsalem takes on a subtle and tic-filled persona as the leader of a project that cannot adjust to human nature in ultimate defiance. What is terrorism, and who gets to define it? 4/5

Smoking Tigers Staggered by the separation of her parents, a Korean-American girl (Ji-Young Yoo) struggles to find herself. Caught in supporting both parents in their work, while maintaining happiness for a younger sibling and still longing for the family’s old life together, few things seem to be falling into place, especially as she has to hide her middle class status at a new elite school.


CAPSULE REVIEW: It’s rare that a movie deals so overtly with class concerns, especially in the sense of second generation Korean-Americans. The performances are exceptional, especially Jun-ho Jeong as the father with the failing income, who lies as easily as he loves his daughters, a difficult performance tightrope to walk. Yes, there are distinct immigrant tropes in the film (Korean bathhouses and restaurants), but it’s the commonality of simply trying to hold on that distinguishes the family. Also notable is Ji-Young Yoo as the main character, who is navigating college entry pressure, emerging womanhood and an obsession with how she thinks her Dad should be. Writer/director So Young Shelly Yo (her feature debut) added a distinctive cinema eye to ordinary suburban dread, elevating the material. Named Tribeca Festival Best U.S. Narrative Screenplay. 4.5/5

For all the honorees of the 22nd Tribeca Festival, click Tribeca Awards 2023.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com