Messy, Queens of the Dead, Jimpa | Provincetown International Film Festival 2025
By Jeffery Berg July 8, 2025
A blunt, deliriously funny comedy emerged as the festival’s standout, while a drama with big-name actors proved dramatically inert.
A blunt, deliriously funny comedy emerged as the festival’s standout, while a drama with big-name actors proved dramatically inert.
These documentaries stood out: one on a cult classic, another on a pioneering Oscar winner, and a third on an acclaimed local artist.
The film succeeds both as a sharp social critique and as a traditional Middle Eastern drama.
Each of these films thrives on compelling performances, including by Gretchen Mol and Rose Byrne.
Year after year, documentaries have tended to showcase the strongest works at Tribeca. Once again, this was true.
Much of this coming-of-ager is so convincingly awkward that I kept needing to hide my face in embarrassment.
Three films brought the British Invasion of the 1980s roaring back to life.
Among this year’s narrative selections were three New York City–centered films making their world premieres—two of which audiences should definitely keep an eye on.
One of the great pleasures of the festival was being part of an audience discovering international gems