Critics Pick the Best Movies at the Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Zero Motivation,’ ‘Manos Sucias’ Among This Year’s Favorites

Festival awards can be curious things sometimes. There are films that receive various prizes at major festivals, yet have trouble connecting with broader audiences. Others still have difficulty garnering critical support even after recognition from a particular jury. Time will tell if Talya Lavie’s “Zero Motivation” resonates beyond the screening radius of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, but in the meantime, it’s a favorite in a number of areas. We asked members of Indiewire’s Criticwire Network covering this year’s festivities in Tribeca to send us their favorite films and performances from this year’s program. Among the narrative features, “Zero Motivation” (which took home the World Narrative prize at last week’s festival awards) placed highest on their overall combined lists.

The darkly comic Israeli soldier tale appeared on the most ballots, narrowly edging out a group of other international Tribeca premieres. “Glass Chin,” Noah Buschel’s drama about life after boxing glory, the intimate, perils-at-sea drug trafficking story “Manos Sucias” and “Human Capital,” a intertwined set of aftermaths to a devastating event from Italy all fared well on our voters’ lists of the festival’s best films. 

On the documentary side, the hybrid political/conservation story of “Virunga” found its way onto the most ballots. Various documentaries chronicling different areas of artistic pursuits round out the top slots, with “Time is Illmatic” (the landmark album from rapper Nas), “Art and Craft” (notorious art forgery) and “Point and Shoot” (photography and journalism amidst the Libyan revolution) all appearing among multiple critics’ favorites.

A few familiar faces dotted the responses among the acting categories. Patrick Stewart’s turn in “Match” finished alongside Jack O’Connell’s role in the prison drama “Starred Up” as the festival’s Best Lead Performances. “Glass Chin” co-stars Billy Crudup and Corey Stoll also finished near the top of their respective tallies.

As usual, there a few titles from other festivals that enjoyed new life in front of New York audiences. “Black Coal, Thin Ice” and “Journey to the West” found some new supporters among Tribeca attendees, as did Roman Polanski’s latest, “Venus in Fur.”

We also asked respondents to highlight their favorite Screenplays and Ensembles. While top finishers in other categories fared best there as well, the variety of responses indicates that there might be a number of noteworthy titles that eventually make their way into homes and theaters across the country in the weeks and months ahead.

The full ballots of all respondents can be found below.

Matt Barone – Complex

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Starred Up
2. The Canal
3. Five Star
4. Gabriel
5. The One I Love

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Time is Illmatic
2. Virunga
3. An Honest Liar

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. David Mackenzie, Starred Up
2. Ivan Kavanagh, The Canal
3. Keith Miller, Five Star
4. Lou Howe, Gabriel
5. Christopher Denham, Preservation

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Jack O’Connell, Starred Up
2. Rory Culkin, Gabriel
3. James “Primo” Grant, Five Star
4. Wrenn Schmidt, Preservation
5. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alex of Venice

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Ben Mendelsohn, Starred Up
2. Billy Crudup, Glass Chin
3. Don Johnson, Alex of Venice

—

Joe Bendel – Libertas Film Magazine

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Black Coal, Thin Ice
2. In Order of Disappearance
3. Traitors
4. Ice Poison
5. Zombeavers

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. The Battered Bastards of Baseball
2. Slaying the Badger
3. Keep On Keepin’ On
4. Art and Craft
5. Super Duper Alice Cooper

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Diao Yinan, Black Coal, Thin Ice
2. Hans Petter Moland, In Order of Disappearance
3. Sean Gullette, Traitors
4. Leigh Janiak, Honeymoon
5. Midi Z, Ice Poison

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Chaimae Ben Acha, Traitors
2. Lun Mei Gwei, Black Coal, Thin Ice
3. Wu Ke-Xi, Ice Poison
4. Toni Collette, Lucky Them
5. Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Thomas Haden Church, Lucky Them
2. Bruno Ganz, In Order of Disappearance
3. Peter McDonald, The Bachelor Weekend
4. Yu Ailei, Black Coal, Thin Ice

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. In Order of Disappearance
2. Black Coal, Thin Ice
3. Lucky Them
4. Honeymoon

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Black Coal, Thin Ice
2. Traitors
3. Lucky Them
4. In Order of Disappearance

—

Abhimanyu Das – Slant Magazine, The Sunday Guardian

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Love is Strange
2. Venus in Fur
3. Starred Up
4. The One I Love
5. Summer of Blood

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
1. Alfred Molina, Love is Strange
2. Elisabeth Moss, The One I Love
3. Patrick Stewart, Match
4. Jack O’Connell, Starred Up
5. Onur Tukel, Summer of Blood

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Love is Strange
2. The One I Love
3. Venus in Fur
4. Summer of Blood
5. Life Partners

—

Alessandro DiGiovanna – MovieBuzzers

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. An Honest Liar

—

Jim Fouratt – Reel Deal

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Manos Sucias
2. Broken Hill Blues
3. Bad Hair
4. Night Moves
5. Glass Chin 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. The Overnighters
2. Silenced
3. Tomorrow We DIsappear
4. Dior and I
5. Regarding Susan Sontag 

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Roman Polanski, Venus in Fur
2. Sofla Norlin, Broken Hill Blues
3. Kelly Reichardt, Night Moves
4. Noah Buschel, Glass Chin
5. Ester Martin Bersgmark, Something Must Break 

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
1. Emmanuelle Seigner, Venus in Fur
2. Saga Becker, Something Must Break
3. Sebastian Hiort af Ornäs, Broken Hill Blues
4. Stellan Skarsgard, In Order of Disappearance
5. Jack Kilmer, Palo Alto 

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
1. James Franco, Palo Alto
2. Patrick Chesnais, Bright Days Ahead
3. Soufia Issami, Traitors
4. Nelly Ramos, Bad Hair
5. Oliver Platt, Lucky Them 

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Glass Chin
2. Human Capital
3.​ ​Bad Hair
4. Palo Alto
5. Young Bodies Heal Quickly 

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Keep On Keepin’ On
2. Virunga
3. Palo Alto
4. Mala Mala
5. Honeymoon 

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Love is Strange
2. Human Capital
3. Third Person
4. Beneath The Harvest Sky
5. Five Star

—

Brandon Harris – Filmmaker Magazine, Hammer to Nail

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Glass Chin
2. Manos Sucias
3. Goodbye to All That 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Time is Illmatic
2. Garnet’s Gold

—

Kyoko Hirano – Freelance

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
1. Human Capital
2. Zero Motivation
3. Black Coal, Thin Ice
4. Gueros

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. 1971
2. The Newburgh Sting
3. Silenced
4. Tomorrow We Disappear
5. Keep on Keepin’ on 

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Zero Motivation
2. Human Capital
3. Third Person 

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Manos Sucias
2. Zero Motivation
3. Brides
4. Keep on Keepin’ on 

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Gueros

—

Eric Kohn – Indiewire

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Five Star
2. Manos Sucias
3. Broken Hill Blues
4. Zero Motivation
5. Gabriel

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Ne Me Quitte Pas
2. Virunga
3. Point and Shoot
4. Beyond the Brick: The LEGO Brickumentary
5. Time is Illmatic

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Josef Wladyka, Manos Sucias
2. Keith Miller, Five Star
3. Lou Howe, Gabriel
4. Sofia Norlin, Broken Hill Blues
5. Till Kleinert, Der Samurai

—

Gary Kramer – Gay City News

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Journey to the West
2. Glass Chin
3. Something Must Break
4. Bad Hair
5. Palo Alto

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Point and Shoot
2. Art and Craft
3. Maravilla
4. Mala Mala
5. Dior and I

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Tsai Ming-Liang, Journey to the West
2. Noah Buschel, Glass Chin
3. Ester Martin Bergsmark, Something Must Break
4. Ryan Piers Williams, X/Y
5. Gia Coppola, Palo Alto

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Corey Stoll, Glass Chin
2. Cristian James Avincula, Manos Sucias
3. Pit Bukowski, Der Samurai
4. America Ferrera, X/Y
5. Emma Roberts, Palo Alto

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Peter McDonald, The Bachelor Weekend
2. Melonie Diaz, X/Y
3. Denis Lavant, Journey to the West
4. Peter Sarsgaard, Night Moves
5. Don Johnson, Alex of Venice

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Glass Chin
2. Palo Alto
3. Something Must Break
4. Bad Hair
5. X/Y

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Manos Sucias
2. Palo Alto
3. Der Samurai
4. In Your Eyes
5. Alex of Venice

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. X/Y
2. Palo Alto
3. Starred Up
4. Human Capital 
5. The Bachelor Weekend

—

Peter Labuza – The Cinephiliacs

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Journey to the West

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Tsai Ming-Liang, Journey to the West

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Kang-sheng Lee, Journey to the West

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Denis Lavant, Journey to the West

—

Joey Magidson – Awards Circuit

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. 5 to 7 – The best thing I saw at Tribeca by far
2. About Alex – Very clever and a wonderful ensemble
3. Chef – So purely enjoyable.
4. In Your Eyes – Zoe Kazan shines yet again
5. Land Ho! – A very pleasurable trip.

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Victor Levin, 5 to 7 – Levin has a bright future ahead of him in features.
2. Brin Hill, In Your Eyes – Never allows this to enter Nicholas Sparks territory.
3. Jesse Zwick, About Alex – His father should be proud.
4. Kelly Reichardt, Night Moves – Her most accessible film yet.
5. GIa Coppola, Palo Alto – Helps elevate the script.

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Anton Yelchin, 5 to 7 – Yelchin gives the performance of his career so far.
2. Zoe Kazan, In Your Eyes – Kazan continues to impress.
3. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alex of Venice – Winstead is superb.
4. MIchael Stahl-David, In Your Eyes – Stahl-David has never been better.
5. Jon Favreau, Chef – Favreau makes a welcome return to lead acting.

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Aubrey Plaza, About Alex – Perhaps her best performance to date.
2. Glenn Close, 5 to 7 – Heartfelt and amusing.
3. Max Greenfield, About Alex – Such an honest and real performance.
4. Frank Langella, 5 to 7 – As funny as he’s ever been.
5. Peter Sarsgaard, Night Moves – A fascinating portrayal of this character

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. 5 to 7 – Heartbreaking and real.
2. About Alex – Zwick is an emerging talent.
3. Chef – Favreau having a lot of fun
4. In Your Eyes – Whedon exercising a different muscle.
5. The One I Love – A very clever premise.

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. 5 to 7 – An incredible directorial debut.
2. About Alex – Zwick is a new talent to reckon with.
3. The One I Love – Much more than meets the eye.
4. Alex of Venice – Chris Messina can direct.
5. Palo Alto – Another talented Coppola.

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. About Alex – The best ensemble of Tribeca.
2. Chef – Everyone is having a terrific time.
3. 5 to 7 – The entire cast breaks your heart.
4. Love is Strange – Layered performances all around.
5. Intramural – Some comedic stars in the making having fun here.

—

Piers Marchant – Sweet Smell of Success, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Goodbye to All That
2. Gabriel
3. Brides
4. Starred Up
5. Zero Motivation

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. 1971
2. Garnet’s Gold
3. Art and Craft
4. Silenced

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Angus MacLachlan, Goodbye to All That
2. Lou Howe, Gabriel
3. Ed Perkins, Garnet’s Gold
4. Sam Cullman, Art and Craft
5. Tinatin Kajrishvili, Brides

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Paul Schneider, Goodbye to All That
2. Rory Culkin, Gabriel
3. Jack O’Connell, Starred Up
4. Mari Kitia, Brides
5. Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Rupert Friend, Starred Up
2. Dana Igvy, Zero Motivation
3. Nelly Tagar, Zero Motivation
4. Deirdre O’Connell, Gabriel
5. Anna Camp, Goodbye to All That

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Goodbye to All That
2. Gabriel
3. Zero Motivation
4. Brides
5. Black Coal, Thin Ice

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Goodbye to All That
2. Starred Up
3. Brides
4. Zero Motivation
5. Black Coal, Thin Ice

—

Stephen Saito – The Movable Fest

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Glass Chin
2. Night Moves
3. Zero Motivation
4. Five Star
5. Below Dreams

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Virunga
2. The Search for General Tso
3. Ballet 422
4. Garnet’s Gold
5. Mala Mala

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Noah Buschel, Glass Chin
2. Orlando von Einsiedel, Virunga
3. Jody Lee Lipes, Ballet 422
4. Keith Miller, Five Star
5. Garrett Bradley, Below Dreams

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. James “Primo” Grant, Five Star
2. Corey Stoll, Glass Chin
3. Dana Igvy, Zero Motivation
4. Nelly Tagar, Zero Motivation
5. Dakota Fanning, Night Moves

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Billy Crudup, Glass Chin
2. Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
3. Anna Margaret Hollyman, Summer of Blood

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Zero Motivation
2. Below Dreams
3. Broken Hill Blues

BEST ENSEMBLE 
1. Glass Chin

—

Herb Stratford – AZ Weekly, Zocalo Magazine

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. The One I Love

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Slaying the Badger

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Paul Haggis, Third Person

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Patrick Stewart, Match

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE 
1. Michael Godere, Loitering with Intent

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Match

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Life Partners

BEST ENSEMBLE 
1. Loitering with Intent

—

Anne-Katrin Titze – Eye for Film

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Human Capital – (interview) 
2. Venus In Fur
3. Every Secret Thing 
4. Broken Hill Blues 
5. Karpotrotter 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. Dior and I – (interview) 
2. Virunga
3. Point and Shoot
4. Ballet 422
5. Misconception 

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Roman Polanski, Venus In Fur – (review)
2. Amy Berg, Every Secret Thing
3. Frédéric Tcheng, Dior and I
4. Paolo Virzì, Human Capital
5. Sofia Norlin, Broken Hill Blues 

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
1. Thomas Haden Church, Lucky Them – (interview) 
2. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Human Capital
3. Emmanuelle Seigner, Venus In Fur
4. Diane Lane, Every Secret Thing
5. Michel Houellebecq, The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq 

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
1. Dakota Fanning, Every Secret Thing
2. Val Kilmer, Palo Alto
3. Valeria Golino, Human Capital
4. Ryan Eggold, Lucky Them 
5. Riccardo Scamarcio, Third Person – (interview)

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Karpotrotter 
2. Human Capital
3. The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq – (review)
4. Lucky Them
5. Every Secret Thing 

BEST FIRST FEATURE
1. Broken Hill Blues – (interview) 
2. Virunga
3. Manos Sucias
4. Life Partners
5. 5 to 7 

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Human Capital – (interview) 
2. Every Secret Thing
3. Electric Slide
4. The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq
5. Broken Hill Blues

—

Kent Turner – Film Forward

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Zero Motivation
2. The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq
3. Human Capital
4. Brides
5. X/Y

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. Keep On Keepin’ On

—

Daniel Walber – Film School Rejects, Nonfics

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 
1. Black Coal, Thin Ice
2. Something Must Break
3. Brides
4. Love is Strange

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 
1. The Overnighters
2. Ne Me Quitte Pas
3. Mala Mala
4. Art and Craft
5. Dior and I

BEST DIRECTOR 
1. Diao Yinan, Black Coal, Thin Ice
2. Jesse Moss, The Overnighters
3. Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Ne Me Quitte Pas
4. Ester Martin Bergsmark, Something Must Break
5. Dan Sickles, Mala Mala

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE 
1. Saga Becker, Something Must Break
2. Mari Kitia, Brides
3. Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice
4. Patrick Stewart, Match
5. John Lithgow, Love is Strange

—

Amber Wilkinson – Eye for Film

BEST ENSEMBLE
1. Match