My Unsolicited Opinions of NYFF63 and the Movies I Saw
In full transparency, my brain feels a bit all over the place from all the movies I watched because a lot of them were incredibly moving and/or complex and alongside the movies I was of course getting to the movies so a lot of train travel and doing my actual job as well. So take everything I am about to say with a grain of salt.When it comes to the movies I actually really liked (or even loved), they mostly had to do with family as the primary focus: Sentimental Value, Sound of Falling, Father Mother Sister Brother, Is This Thing On?. I also really liked Late Fame, but that one doesn’t have the family connection in the same way. The Secret Agent, The Mastermind, and Rose of Nevada also had family focuses but I can only pick so many movies as my top favorites from the festival. It was difficult enough to narrow down the movies I wanted to SEE with my pass. (I was also originally going to watch Resurrection (Bi Gan, 2025), but due to the Nor’easter and NJ Transit cancelling trains, I ended up selling that ticket.) Family is very important to me so these films just resonated in an extra heavy way.Watching ALL the films at NYFF63 put me in my feels in the best possible way I think. I smiled, laughed, tensed up, and cried. Lots of crying. Nicole Kidman said it best about movie theaters, heartbreak DOES feel good in a place like this. The Secret Agent had me on the edge of the seat the entire time, Late Fame had me self-congratulating that I didn’t go to NYU, Rose of Nevada was the complete opposite movie than I expected and I was gagged, Marty Supreme had me cringing but also captivated. I watched movies that perhaps had I done more research, I would not have picked to watch but that, I believe, is the POINT of film festivals in particular.I am also grateful that for each film I was able to attend there was either an extended introduction or a Q&A following the movie. To be able to hear from the filmmakers themselves about their projects and processes is such a gift. FLC records these and puts them on YouTube, but it’s just so cool to be there live when possible! In general though, I found the majority of the Q&As to be worth my time because the directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, actors, and/or whoever else was on the panels can offer insight to the films that no one else can. I was a bit disappointed by the actors’ answers to questions in The Mastermind Q&A because the moderator asked what work they had done to prepare for the role and they all basically just said they showed up on set. On the other hand, Kelly Reichardt (the director), had some answers I found moving and Film at Lincoln Center/NYFF used one of her answers about how she couldn’t remember something that happened on set because she was making a movie and had her full energy and focus on that in their recap of week one of the festival.It would be remiss of me to not mention the most striking lack of Q&A that I experienced. Jafar Panahi was supposed to be present after the first NYFF screening of It Was Just An Accident (a movie officially produced in France to be legal since it was shot in Iran) but he was unable to attend because he could not get a visa in time to come to the USA. He was later able to attend the festival but it was a sobering reality check of the state of the world. It Was Just An Accident is the only movie I did not feel comfortable rating on letterboxd from NYFF63 because the subject matter is incredibly serious and powerful. I do recommend you watch it one day if you get the chance. Ultimately, the festival re-affirmed for me (not that I needed it) that movies are meant to watched with audiences around you! There is a catharsis that is hard to beat anywhere else.Lauren 💜Full Substack: https://laurenisadvd.substack.com/p/i-went-to-nyff63my socials 🫶https://linktr.ee/laurenschwartzbardSOURCES:https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/election-day-2025-voting-results/ https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff/nyff63-lineup/
