The 2025 Tribeca Festival was back in New York with a cinema-packed lineup across its different sections. This year, compelling character studies were elevated by standout performances from actors not yet widely known—these films could change that. Two manic comedies (and world premieres)—one wild, the other more tender—left a strong impression of directorial vision, fully realized through the lead actors’ commitment and supported by distinctive ensembles.

The Trainer is one of those delirious comedies that proudly earns the label trashy—and that’s a compliment. It marks a comeback for British director Tony Kaye, best known for American History X (1998), who hasn’t released a new film since the 2011 psychological drama Detachment. After a 14-year hiatus, one might expect a serious, sober return. The surprise is that his latest movie is gloriously absurd. Its relentless parade of celebrity cameos becomes an even funnier form of showing off: Kaye appears to have stashed half of Hollywood in his contacts. Lenny Kravitz and Paris Hilton play versions of themselves in more-than-extended appearances, along with Finneas, Sharon Stone, Chris Rock, and others. What truly sells it, though, is the core ensemble, playing hysterical, offbeat characters.

Set in a relentlessly sun-drenched Los Angeles and depicted through a hyperkinetic, cheekily ugly digital look (think early Sean Baker, some Soderbergh experiments, and late Lynch without the ominous tone), the film follows Jack Flex (Vito Schnabel). This so-called trainer—with failed gigs as a music producer and hip-hop artist—has invented a special helmet, inspired by the attire of Roman centurions. The Heavy Hat promises all the benefits of physical training just by wearing it. His bronzed, athletic physique seems to back up the claim, though the metal contraption is far too heavy to wear safely.

Here, character and performance are key to sustaining the film’s absurd premise. Jack worships a Troy poster of Brad Pitt like it’s a sacred icon, and his mission in life is to convince LA’s snobbish scene that his invention is a revolutionary product. At 38, Schnabel—son of artist/director Julian Schnabel and a relative newcomer to acting—shines here as a comedian with an edge. Jack is a full-fledged loser, someone who often succeeds by simply refusing to fail. His delusions of grandeur are so magnetic that he even convinces his mother (Beverly D’Angelo), his soon-to-be-girlfriend Bee (Julia Fox), and eventually a content-production CEO (Gina Gershon), among others, to believe in him.

Written by Jeff Solomon and Schnabel, the screenplay balances gags with biting self-awareness about the golden dreams so many chase in Los Angeles. The Trainer is fast, hilarious, and a loving tribute to losers and their vices—an unashamed farce suspicious of fame and, perhaps (we can only speculate), a jab at Hollywood. Kaye may still be smarting from his own industry setbacks, including an unfinished project (Black Water Transit) that was shelved and several unrealized announcements over the years. Far from the types of dramas he once made, The Trainer feels like a rage-fueled exorcism—with laughs allowed.

Leads, a more traditional and restrained comedy—yet equally sharp in its bitterness about half-realized dreams—is a rarer breed of indie dramedy these days. It centers on a Mags Malloy (Heather Kafka), a one-time Sundance breakout whose early acting success remains her biggest claim to fame. Years later, that “beginning of something big” turns out to have been the peak. What follows is single motherhood, mounting debts, an abandoned directorial debut, and her current job teaching drama at a Texas college. Matters shift with the surprise return of her estranged younger brother, Merritt (Justin Arnold), now in his early forties, who brings secrets of his own.

The siblings share a tense bond shaped by childhood hardship and parental abandonment, underlined by deep loyalty. Merritt, donning a cowboy hat and Southern drawl, embodies the rural roots Mags has tried to escape. In her drama class, she’s revered by students—though her favoritism toward Alisha (Aaliyah Tardío), a student she believes could actually make it, causes friction. Merritt insists on joining the class despite objections and soon bonds with the group, despite the age gap. Meanwhile, everyone awaits the arrival of famed horror-franchise director Taylor Betts (Macon Blair), who launched Mags’s early Sundance success, for a campus event.

Old friends and collaborators reunite, igniting fresh drama and long-buried tensions. Merritt’s hidden troubles loom large, threatening to upend everything. Add a vibrant troupe of aspiring student actors eager for their moment to shine, and Leads becomes a bittersweet dramedy that makes you root for its characters even when you know things might go wrong. Kafka delivers a sublime performance, echoing her character’s fictional career. This is a late breakthrough role for someone who should already be a star. Writer-director Bryan Poyser and Kafka combine strengths in what feels like a second chance to make a lasting mark without squandering their gifts.