Pop-Culturalist.com

Every year the Tribeca Film Festival brings a ton of great independent films to New York City. From April 20 through April 30, documentaries to narratives to shorts to television series will be premiered and screened for numerous audiences. We’ve combed through the extensive lineup and created our “can’t wait to see” list.

The Boy Downstairs
This romantic comedy stars former Girls’s actress Zosia Mamet. She plays a young writer returning to New York City after living abroad for a few years. Finding the seemingly perfect apartment, she realizes that her downstairs neighbor is the heartbroken ex she left behind when she moved abroad. This premise sounds like a lovely and hilarious set-up so I’m excited to see how it turns out.

Flower
I was excited to see Max Winkler’s next project (he’s the director and co-writer of Flower) on the Tribeca slate (I enjoyed one of his older films, Ceremony). In this film, seventeen year-old Erica is rebellious and edgy (extorting money from older men in her spare time). Things change, though, when her mom (Kathryn Hahn, who, is always delightful) brings her new boyfriend and his son to live with them.

Sweet Virginia
So, I basically want to see this film based on the cast alone. Jon Bernthal, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Chris Abbott are all actors that I would watch in pretty much anything. This film sounds dark and gritty: a burglary-homicide rocks a small Alaskan town. And, really, what more do you need to know?

The Handmaid’s Tale
This adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic book has been buzzed about ever since the project was announced. The cast and the production value all seem top-notch (I personally am excited to see one of my old favorites, Joseph Fiennes, come back to the spotlight). I’m super excited to see if this show lives up to the amazingness of the book.

Genius
National Geographic’s first scripted series focuses on Albert Einstein. From his early academic years to becoming the greatest scientific mind of the 20^th century, Genius is adapted from Walter Isaacson’s bestselling biography on Einstein. Also, Geoffrey Rush as Einstein ad Emily Watson as Elsa Einstein should prove to be perfect casting.

Aardvark
After Jenny Slate’s breakout performance in Obvious Child, she’s been a slow-burning star on the rise. In this film, she plays Emily, a therapist, who is working with a man (Zachary Quinto) suffering from hallucinations. His estranged brother, a famous actor (Jon Hamm, naturally), comes to town. It sounds like this could be one of those fantastic indie dramedies that gets a lot of buzz.

Literally, Right Before Aaron
This is the feature film directorial debut of actor Ryan Eggold (yes, we first fell in love with him on 90210 reboot). Adam (Justin Long) is invited to his college sweetheart’s (Cobie Smulders) wedding. And she’s marrying a man she’s only known for one year. With a supporting cast that includes Kristen Schall and John Cho, this film just feels like it will be a fabulous rom-com.

I Am Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger was my dream man when I was a teenager (did anyone else obsess over him in Roar!?). Heck, he was still one of my crushes when I was in my early 20s. Not only was his untimely death devastating because of that, but also because of all the brilliant work he had in his future. I’m really curious to see what his friends, families, and colleagues have to say in this documentary.

City of Ghosts
A documentary about the Syrian crisis, particularly focusing on the citizen-journalists of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently who try to counteract ISIS’s propaganda. Director Matthew Heineman’s previous work has been nominated for Academy Awards and Emmys so this film is sure to be incredibly informative and emotional.

Pilgrimage
I’m a sucker for period pieces. Following a band of 13^th-century Irish Catholic monks who have been ordered to bring a sacred relic to Rome, this film sounds like it could be part adventure and part serious drama about faith. Plus, Richard Armitage and Tom Holland are a part of the cast.

 

For more information on the Tribeca Film Festival and to see the full schedule and buy tickets, click here.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival