Knock on Wood

If you’re looking for new outlets for checking out films, this article series is a perfect way to seek out new channels to dive into. For this edition, I highlight some of the films premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival!

A Family Guide to Hunting

Are you looking for a bloody and wild little short film that is all about family? Zao Wang’s A Family Guide to Hunting is right up that alley with a story that is sub-15 minutes that is able to capture crime thriller, comedy, and familial drama. A young Asian woman, Kahyun Kim, is stuck in the woods with her parents after a horrible twist of fate separates her from her boyfriend. This little film captures cultural frictions, parental pressures, and the universal theme of finding one’s worth. Kim, along with Margaret Cho and Keong Sim, make for a grand comedic trio, and the tensions between Kim and Cho’s daughter and mother make this such a poignant watch. Get some bloody good laughs with this fun little flick.

Group Therapy

How do we process mental health issues the best? Through laughter, right? Neil Patrick Harris leads a group of six comedians in a circle session to process their connections with comedy as well as the mental health struggles that they live through every day. Group Therapy never tries to trick you into thinking this is supposed to be actual therapy, but it does create an engaging dialogue through humor and honesty as it tackles major issues that so many people struggle with on a daily basis. Director Neil Berkeley leaves the keys in the hands of this comedic six who run with it and leave it all out in the open through individual interviews and the circular group dynamic. Their authenticity and honesty allow the audience to learn so much about mental health and how their struggles have shaped their lives as comedians. This is an unexpected documentary that will certainly strike a cord.

Treasure

The Holocaust reshaped life for Jewish people and many others in so many countries, including Poland. Treasure is a character-driven drama that tackles towering issues and themes thanks to the dynamic father/daughter duo at the center. Stephen Fry is such an intelligent and entertaining performer and makes for an interesting and engaging lead as a Polish man who has tried his best to put the past behind him. This charismatically oppressive man is the perfect foil to Lena Dunham’s neurotic and focused Ruth, who just wants to process her culture’s generation trauma. But Treasure delivers impactful drama through both the post-Holocaust lens and through the tumultuous dynamic in the family as well. There are plenty of emotions in this period and international drama (with plenty of laughs to balance everything out).

New Wave

New Wave brings into focus the unexpected revelation that Vietnamese-Americans are the subset of American society that embraced New Wave music stronger than most. This is in part a straight documentary about the cultural impact that New Wave music had on a whole generation of Vietnamese Americans, but there is also a deeply personal perspective that resonates through its intimate look at one of the largest stars of the movement. Cultural and musical influences are the biggest moving elements of New Wave, but the film’s heart lies in the personal stories and how life and growth change our focus and priorities. This documentary is stretched a bit to fit this wider net, but it’s emotionally satisfying as well as being a great window into the Vietnamese American perspective of the ’80’s most iconic addition to music.

Satisfied

Satisfied is a beautiful and intimate documentary told in what is essentially a video diary. Renée Elise Goldsberry makes for a fantastic subject as her story has plenty of universal struggles but also ones that specifically speak to any working mother out there. There are a few impactfully emotional moments as Goldsberry opens up about her years-long struggle with getting and keeping pregnant. There are moments where the film shows Goldsberry at her most vulnerable, struggling with her work/family balance that will just rip your heart out. This is also an interesting tale of the rise of Hamilton through the eyes of one of its biggest stars. Satisfied offers a lot in its 90-minute runtime and Goldsberry makes for a great subject to explore in a documentary. 

Checkpoint Zoo

This is a shocking true story of a zoo near the Russian/Ukrainian border and the great lengths that a group of people went to in order to save the zoo’s 5,000 animal residents. Checkpoint Zoo is a fascinating tale of the tricky logistics and constant danger that caused this zoo full of animals to be emergency transported all across Ukraine. There are some harrowing moments of violence and downright sad moments that will tug at your heartstrings, but also uplifting moments that will bring you so much joy and excitement. The ticking time bomb is set and this film offers a thrilling and intense experience from start to finish. It needs to dump the exposition at the beginning about the war to set the stage, but the film soars from there. This go-for-broke mission is a wonder to watch as well as watching all of these incredible and beautiful creatures as well. 

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple

Do you know the story of one successful paisan from New Jersey named Steven Van Zandt? This man is part of one of the most iconic bands in the world, the E Street Band, as well as acting in one of the greatest dramas in the history of television, The Sopranos. After a fiery opening on the stage with his music, the first 15-20 minutes feel a bit clunky and feel like a by-the-numbers documentary you might find on television. But then, this epically long music documentary finally kicks into gear and takes its audience on a fascinating journey. This film captures the significance of Van Zandt’s work with his music, but most importantly, with his activism. You will learn a lot about his role in major social movements including the ending of Apartheid in South Africa. The moments that hit best are those elements focusing on his activism as well as the performance scenes. You could have easily gotten a concert film and it would have been just as fantastic. There is plenty of humor and emotion along the way, and it is a worthwhile journey to take over on Max (where it streams as of June 22).