A welcome relief from the cacophony of guns and superheroes, Christian Petzold’s smoldering drama Afire—which won a Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at Berlinale in 2023—offers a quieter slice-of-life.  The film’s unlikable protagonist, Leon (a pitch-perfect Thomas Schubert), is a deeply insecure writer who shields himself with pomposity.  His posturing is foiled by Nadja (the cheery yet inscrutable Paula Beer), who is patient well past the point of reason.  While sharing a Baltic vacation home with two other friends, Leon struggles to get writing done—let alone get along with the rest of the group.

The Kneecap lads: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí, all of whom star in the film.

Frank Berry’s Aisha is the superbly moving record of a Nigerian refugee’s quiet fight for dignity in Ireland’s inhumane Direct Provision system for asylum seekers.

Randall Park’s Shortcomings is a refreshingly hilarious of-the-moment Rom-Dram that explores identity with a self-aware twist.

Here are my highlights from Tribeca 2023—five narrative films, five documentaries, plus three honorable mentions—in no particular order beyond the conversation they have with each other.

Bing Liu and Joshua Altman’s All These Sons is a rousing, hauntingly powerful tableau about the on-the-ground effort to quell gun violence in Chicago by an altruistic few.

Ray Romano’s first foray into acting-directing, Somewhere in Queens, is an uproarious family drama more akin to Little Miss Sunshine than Everybody Loves Raymond.

Like McCartney without Lennon, Danny Boyle’s Yesterday is long on whimsy, short on content—but it works. An entertaining one-note fantasy rom-com packed with every Beatles joke and fan-service imaginable, the winsome premise tells the tale of a struggling songwriter who discovers he’s the last man on earth who remembers The Beatles’ music—and capitalizes on it by performing their songs as his own.