HORSEGIRLS
Representation Matters. Filmmaker Lauren Meyering brings Tribeca 2025 audiences a unique and yet wholly relatable story with HORSEGIRLS. The film follows Margarita, a 25-year-old woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Margarita lives with her ailing mother at her wits’ end, as her daughter seems entirely unmotivated to find a job. Margarita navigates adulthood, friendship, and stepping out of her comfort zone in a whirlwind of tumultuous circumstances.
Margarita’s energy is infectious. She is lovable, curious, and the perfect amount of sass. Begrudgingly, she gets a job at a Halloween store, but her passion for hobby horses becomes a bit of a distraction when she stumbles upon a competitive troupe of girls in town. Trying her best to juggle her hours at the store, choreography, her mother, and social-emotional dynamics in the group, Margarita must come to terms with this moment in time, for better or worse.
HORSEGIRLS shines in its authentic performances. Iqbal Theba and Matthew Schwab are pure delight as Margarita’s boss and co-worker. Jerod Haynes plays Coach with genuine passion and kindness.
Gretchen Mol delivers a heartfelt turn as a cancer-stricken mother, Sandy. She exemplifies the unconditional love, burnout, and relentless fear that special needs parents experience every minute of the day. We worry about how our kids fare when they are out of our sight, how others treat them, and most heavily, who will care for them when we are gone. In truth, our most impossible challenge is letting them go. Mol walks that delicate line of exhaustion and support like a pro. It’s a lived-in performance.
Lillian Carrier nails the lead role. She steals every second of screen time with her fierce energy, whether through excitement, frustration, or earnest innocence. Margarita is a star-making moment for Carrier. You will not be able to take your eyes off of her. She is pure joy.
Margarita displays all the same ASD traits as my 9-year-old son: unfiltered honesty, sensitivity to loud sounds, difficulty with figurative language, a fervent work ethic, and empathy that surpasses the average neurotypical individual. Based on the film’s description, HORSEGIRLS might feel like an overwhelming mashup of ideas. In reality, it is an accurate depiction of daily chaos. Cancer has managed to infiltrate every family I know in some way. Grief is universal. The battle over neurodivergence acceptance rages on. I’ll repeat it- Representation Matters.
Natalie Kingston‘s beautifully thoughtful camerawork perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the film. Erin Orr‘s costumes are delightful. “The Fastest Girl In The World” is an uplifting original song you will fall in love with. With stunning moments of magical realism, Meyering creates an undeniable gem. HORSEGIRLS captures the essence of finding your people. If you aren’t crying by the end of this film, check your humanity. Tribeca 2025 audiences are lucky to see it first.
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The jury is exceptional as they move through measured recall to furious shouting matches. Their diligence in tracking down evidence and looking at all sides gives me hope that jurors take their duties seriously. Jack Thornton’s editing is a feat. The choice to keep Krieps in the frame for longer than seems normal has a chilling effect. RE-CREATION is akin to live theatre. It is an improvisation session strapped to a ticking time bomb. The audience is the 13th jury member. Sheridan provides newsreel footage, newspaper clippings, video testimony, and audio recordings at the precise times we might feel lost. It is a real-time exploration of possibilities. 
Jim Sheridan also plays Juror #1, serving as a guide and sounding board. Sheridan’s attention to detail is award-worthy. Going as far as to take the jury on a tour of the key locations in the investigation. It’s hard to discern where Sheridan lies on the guilty spectrum personally. His extensive knowledge never feels coercive. He and Merriman skillfully make a case for confusion and conflict, mirroring the state of the evidence.
Following the overdose death of his brother, Eric’s coping mechanism for his unresolved trauma is breaking and entering to avoid his home life. A visit to his junkie cousin Sean’s house leads to the accidental destruction of a bag of drugs. Now, the boys must devise a plan to find the funds to pay back Sean’s dealer.
Jasper Jones is a pretty boy screw-up. His tough-guy persona leads to stupid decisions. Jones is incredibly watchable. He expertly leans into a character that feels deeply punchable but shows us we’re missing the root cause. Jones delivers the manic behavior of addiction like a pro. It is an impressive turn.
José Condessa creates a vibrant and charming character. He is sensitive and caring, everything a woman desires in a man. Condessa is dazzling. Ayden Mayeri gives June a true egocentric millennial with an unresolved emotional trauma vibe, which is precisely what Lilian T. Mehrel intended. Mayeri effortlessly glides into June’s arc. Amira Casar takes on Lela with a lived-in authenticity and passion. She holds each frame with her powerful presence. These two women share gorgeous chemistry. 
It becomes clear early on that fear and unresolved trauma impede Mel’s release. He lashes out to prolong his release. Getting polar opposite advice from Mark and Warren, Mel enters a quiet tailspin of decision-making as the clock runs down. 
Guy Pearce is a legend. Warren’s goal is emotional redemption for past transgressions, but reality outside forces him to save the only soul he can on the inside. Pearce is a quiet storm. His masterful ability to speak volumes with nothing but a breath proves vital to Warren’s arc. He is an unconventional guardian angel. Vincent Miller captivates as our young leading man. He comes with an unusually mature sense of self, and his comfort in front of the screen and alongside other screen titans is beyond impressive. 
Filmmakers Kasper Bisgaard and Mikael Lypinski bring Tribeca 2025 audiences documentary, THE END OF QUIET, a thought-provoking exploration of human connectivity. In an isolated town in West Virginia, the world’s largest radio telescope can pick up the murmurings of signals across the universe. To achieve this, the telescope resides in the Quiet Zone, the only place in the U.S. where Wi-Fi and cell phone signals are not permitted.
How do they fight the boredom? Brionna and her gun enthusiast grandfather, David, spend time together shooting his 37 guns and rifles and blowing things up. Choosing to reside in The Quiet Zone due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Clover and her dog, Beautiful, live for landline phone calls from her husband, who lives abroad. Her original poetry also serves as beautiful transition audio. A lonely but contented elderly vet named Willard spends his days drinking a lot of coffee and attending local funerals. Kirsten, 17, and Frankie, 23, are a young, engaged couple who dream of having a child. 
THE FILM IS SUPPORTED BY
Filmmaker Nayra Ilic Garcia brings Tribeca 2025 audiences CUERPO CELESTE, a film about the inevitability of change, for better or worse.
Eshaghian and Jafari use the investigative narrative as a thread throughout the film. The film opens with the discovery of the body and the subsequent search for who and how. Crime photos are relatively tame if you are an avid Discovery ID watcher.
Defying all the odds and the lawyers’ advice, Fernando gathers a local Quechua cast, including little Dylan as young Simba, creating a dazzling version of the beloved tale in his studio. The result is a triumph.
DANGEROUS ANIMALS
Josh Heuston is Moses. Relentlessly charming and earnest, Moses tries his damnedest to find Zephyr, but his fate may be closer to any of the boy toys in the SCREAM franchise. Heuston is much more than a vapid heartthrob. He is an admirable scene partner, and you want more of him. 
Hassie Harrison is a childhood trauma-fueled badass. Harrison commands your attention and takes risks. She could carry any film. She is Final Girl heaven. 
Roy hates his life. He brings some serious childhood baggage, and his job as a radio interviewer sucks the life out of him. As he attempts suicide in a motel room, he catches a glimpse of a life-sized Monkey through his window. As he comes to, Roy finds said Monkey driving his airstream down the empty roads. The audience quickly comes to realize this is not a hallucination but a woman dressed in a costume and putting on a voice.
The woman in the suit is Jane. She uses Monkey as a coping mechanism to flee her stepfather, and the root of all her sadness. Both Roy and Jane have specific plans that are so outrageous that they agree to accompany one another on their journeys. Roy plans to dig up his abusive cop father and steal the watch he thought he had inherited. Jane wants to find a way to buy a pontoon boat and run banana boat rides as Monkey.
Shenoah Allen gives Roy a lived-in exhaustion. There is a gentleness that pulls you into his sphere. Conti is phenomenal as she navigates comedy through the suit, but also manages to rip your heart out. She uses humor to convey the hurt. It is a love story between two deeply wounded adults. Allen and Conti do not hold back in the dialogue. They take risks in every beat. 
Directed by: Steven Feinartz
Director: Oscar Boyson
Directed by: Cindy Meehl
While waiting at the airport for her husband, Aya (Sarah Adler) is mistaken for someone else. Intrigued, she decides to pick up a complete stranger (Ulrich Thomsen) on a whim. Their encounter sparks an unexpected intimacy that unsettles Aya’s sense of certainty and awakens a yearning she neither fully understands nor knows how to fulfill. Her quiet search for meaning unfolds in a hotel room, a customer service chat and in subtle disruptions to her daily routine, as we are taken through a woman’s delicate and honest search for something meaningful.
Directed by: Rick Gomez
Director: Karam Gill 
Director: Amy Scott
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As Tom, Michael Steger walks a razor-thin line between a good guy and a total creep. Steger is formidable. Equal parts charming and terrifying, it’s a compelling turn. Genre icon Veronica Cartwright gives Olivia everything she has. The performance is a beautiful balancing act of dementia and regal articulation. She is mesmerizing. Each beat is perfect. Madelyn Dundon plays Dale with a grounded familiarity. She is vulnerable and relatable. Mema puts her through the emotional ringer, and Dundon keeps up like a pro.
Mena’s score adds to the menacing feeling. The jump scares are legit. Mena executes thoughtfully written relationship-building while skillfully dropping clues to the mystery. Mena plays with small-town gossip, isolation, and a nurse’s instincts. THE RUSE boasts a twist that will f*ck you up. You are not prepared for the final 3rd of this film. This is a story about control. If you think you know where this screenplay is going, think again.
![New York African Film Festival 2025 NYAFF - [www.filmlinc.org]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/New-York-African-Film-Festival-2025-NYAFF-www.filmlinc.org_.png?resize=678%2C382&ssl=1)
The New York African Film Festival (NYAFF), now underway at Film at Lincoln Center, lands in Harlem on Thursday with a focus on documentaries.
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