Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Round-Up #4: GEORGETOWN, DREAMLAND, GOOD POSTURE And LOW TIDE

While at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, I had the opportunity to screen four narratives, each with their own successes and each with their own take on the coming-of-age storyline.

Georgetown – Christoph Waltz

Georgetown was one of the films I was most excited to see at this year’s festival. Christoph Waltz (or C. Waltz as he is credited in the film) being a brilliant thespian in front of the camera, I couldn’t wait to see what he would bring to the screen from behind the camera. He was careful in his answers to reporters on the red carpet, taking his time to carefully answer each question, never giving too much away. A wise choice, as Georgetown is a film best experienced with little about the film discussed – which now presents my challenge here.

Georgetown, written by David Auburn, is inspired by true events. A would be socialite works his way up the ladder, mostly through the marriage to his much older counterpart Elsa Brecht (Vanessa Redgrave). Yet, what seems to be the epitome of changing one’s rank, he is charged in murdering his wife for her life and inheritance. While not a new idea for cinema, the basis on some truth makes for an engaging film, one that presented incredible potential.

Not only directing, but starring as well, Waltz delivers a dynamic performance both on and off screen. The tension he is able to build within the film grips and captivates the audience. You will ask yourself  “did he do it” more than once while watching Georgetown. The volley between guilty and innocent perfectly played, no resolution revealed until the ball finally drops.

Waltz is perfection, his performance delectably brilliant. You want to hate him and come to your own conclusions about what is happening on screen, but he commands your attention, guiding your confusion down every avenue with ease. In both avenues, director and star, he is a seasoned participant, no sign of novice ever breaking through. His counterparts, Annette Bening and Vanessa Redgrave, round out this stellar cast, each bringing strength and questionability to everything happening on screen.

Georgetown is a must-see if you are a fan of Waltz’s work, but it is also a must-see for the power new up-and-coming directors are bringing to audiences. One of the most anticipated films for myself this season, I left felling completely enthralled with the story, its characters, and its outcome.

Good Posture – Dolly Wells

The Tribeca Film Festival made a conscious decision this year to consciously raise the amount of female directors showcasing work at the festival this year. With 50% of the competition lead by female directors, there is an outstanding amount of work being brought to audiences that may never have had the opportunity before. Good Posture, from director and writer Dolly Wells, not only speaks to the festival’s inclusion but to good filmmaking as well.

Good Posture was one of the earlier films I had the chance to see at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and one I fondly look back on. An endearing coming-of-age story, it is delivered with sincere wit and genuine emotion, giving viewers not one, but two characters to fall in love with. It was one that captivated my attention on synopsis alone, the idea surrounding it intriguing from the get go.

While Good Posture is a film about growing up and the people who guide you along the way, it is about so much more, bringing in the ability to discover one’s own self and a deep rooted need for connection. It follows a young girl who practically does nothing for herself. She does not go outside, she does not buy milk, she does not cook, she doesn’t even bring a towel to the shower with her. When her boyfriend breaks up with her, rendering her homeless, she is taken in by friends of her father, ones, unbeknownst to her, who have known her since she was a small child.

As Julia (Emily Mortimer) disappears, becoming the recluse she is perceived as, Lillian (Grace Van Patten) is left on her own, forced to begin to do things for herself. Yet, the need for connection is one of the strongest desires in human nature, Julia and Lillian start to reach out to one another, communicating through a journal. What they find, though, is something more than could ever be communicated.

When the film began, the first thing that secured my attention was the amazing soundtrack. This beat and rhythm carries throughout the film – both score and song – heightening the moment and mood. There is a quiet intensity coupled with a kick in the step. What it also does is maintain the pace of the film while also cleverly filling in as parts of the film’s transitions.

Where the script and execution of Good Posture succeeds on every note, so too do the performances in the film, especially Patten and Mortimer. There is a raw truth when Patten is on screen, a depth that she brings to her character, one that rings out the loudest in her moments alone. Mortimer, while not on the screen as often, still radiates, filling the room, every ounce of her screen time matching Patton. Their dual depth, many times preserved through nonverbals and facial expressions, gives way to an exquisite chemistry, a beautifully constructed bond between them.

Good Posture was one of my favorite films in the entire festival. It was a last minute add on before diving into the week, one that I am grateful I had the opportunity to see.

Dreamland – Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

While not a bad film, there is nothing particularly groundbreaking that makes Dreamland stand out compared to all the other films premiering at this year’s festival. Honestly, I had hoped for more – more action, more intrigue, more intensity. I never feared for Allison Wells (Margot Robbie), her discovery meaning certain death. I also never wondered where the story was going, the predictability snatching any grip the film may have had on its viewers.

There was this Bonnie and Clyde vibe that did reverberate, the chance that Allison and Eugene (Finn Cole, best known for Peaky Blinders) might launch into a murderous crime spree a possibility at any moment. Yet, the intensity of this scenario never comes to fruition, leaving it just that – a vibe. As of this moment, I am still unsure if this was an intent that was never fully realized, or an avoidance of being too closely similar to Bonnie and Clyde, a need to make it different and unique. Either way, succumbing to this vibe may have given the film its extra boost.

There was a wasted potential in the slow burn of these characters and their journey, there lacked a depth in each of these characters, most with basic or lacking a drive strong enough to support many of their actions. Sometimes with films that come across lackluster, there are performances that can become a film’s redeeming quality; unfortunately, this is not the case with Dreamland. The script and the story bring the performances down, preventing any elevation. Where there could have been intensity in a forbidden potential love, there is none. Even the desperation of finding someone before it is too late is weighed down by the concern nothing will happen.

Unfortunately, this was one of the most lackluster films of the festival I had the chance to see. I had been excited for the film, a fan of Margot Robbie’s work up until this point drawing me into the screening. While not every film within a festival will resonate with its audience, it was sad to see one with so much potential fall so short.

Low Tide – Kevin McMullin

Low Tide from writer and director Kevin McMullin, was not a bad film, it was entertaining and it had a solid story. Yet, much like Dreamland, there was just a shine missing, something to make it stand out from the crowd. This was a film I had selected to screen on synopsis alone. There was no hype or built up excitement from any outside factors, just the idea of a small band of boys whose criminal plunders leads them to the discovery of a lifetime. I mean my biggest complaint is really only this, it just felt like something was missing…

Low Tide follows the story of a couple local boys living in a vacationer’s paradise. On the shore, where the primary source of income is fishing or cruise directing, they are left to their own devices, seemingly tightly bonded and willing to do what they can and want to make an extra buck – all at the expense of the temporary residents. When one robbery goes wrong, the cops now on their trail, they are only briefly deterred, not only staking the house of a recently deceased local but bringing their brother along. What he discovers soon leads the boys down a path of vulnerability, wealth, and distrust, the small group turning fractures into canyons.

I wish I could pinpoint what was missing in the film, what could be changed or added to give it a heightened glow. The story, while solid, followed many of the common tropes of a coming-of-age film, yet the angle which it was presented was nothing viewers haven’t seen before. Boys getting in trouble, one shady, another’s motives questionable. Here too, as in many films before it, there is the brainiac kid and the others finding salvation by following his lead. While the story itself leaned more to the original, the foundation it is built upon did not give it further room to branch out and grow.

What I do have to say about the film that did shine through was its young performances. Jaeden Martell, who many will remember from Stephen King’s It: Chapter 1, has a shy, yet confident air to his performance. He owns this character, unafraid to let his performance match and at times surpass the performances of those around him. He is the character your eyes will constantly be drawn to, even when he is not the primary aspect on screen.

As Red, Alex Neustaedter brings to mind an essence of Heath Ledger, his looks and hairstyle only heightening the resemblance. There is a strength in his performance that is coupled with his character’s disposed vulnerability. He is constantly fighting with himself on the inside, a drive you constantly see him pushing for a war. He is trying to win the battle, unfortunately choosing the side others disapprove of. There is also a danger, a calm warning as he walks by or enters a room that violence could erupt at any moment.

I cannot stress enough that Low Tide is not a bad film, and I would not sway anyone from seeing it. It just needed something more. I can wholeheartedly recommend it on the performances alone, a sampling of the up-and-coming talent that could one day be constant faces on our movie screens.