Tribeca's "Charliebird" - Not a Dry Eye on Second Avenue

What I find most important when it comes to film is the feeling that bringing the story to the screen was meaningful to all the people involved. Technicalities and all of the textbook “good filmmaking” tropes mean far less to me than the unmissable feeling of soulful group storytelling. Filmmaker Libby Ewing’s feature directorial debut Charliebird had its Tribeca world premiere on June 8th at the Village East by Angelika cinema, and I can confidently say that the vulnerability presented in this film, and the joy present in every single cast and crew member in attendance was unlike anything I’ve ever felt, and left me completely floored. 

Charliebird's screenwriter and producer, Samantha Smart also stars in the film's lead role as Al, a music therapist for a children’s hospital that seems to be battling some inner demons of her own. She forms a close bond with Charlie (Gabriella Ochoa Perez), a 17-year-old tenacious patient she is assigned to, and throughout the course of the film both women learn invaluable lessons about what it means to live fully. 

To achieve the unique look of the film, DP Luca Del Puppo rotated an anamorphic lens 90 degrees, resulting in an aspect ratio with the height of 4:3, but slightly narrower. Miraculously, with a field of view that small, your awareness of it completely vanishes within 10 minutes of the film starting. His framing consistently feels both spontaneous, and impeccably blocked; never missing anything important from any of our on screen subjects. This is all complimented by the wonderful direction by Ewing, and the transformative production design by Emily Mingyue Li. 

The core of this film is almost entirely reliant on Gabriella Ochoa Perez’s Charlie, and her relationship with Samantha Smart’s Al. It is very easy for films of this subject matter, and reliance on relationships like these to fall into cliché generational gap humor, or overly preachy dramatic moments, but it is immediately clear that these are two performers with an impeccable understanding of not only the characters they’re portraying but also of their respective scene partners. The heavier moments are dealt with such delicacy, and the moments of brevity are never compromising of any other emotion. The opposing tonal deliveries required of these two performers is a difficult hurdle to jump, but they both make it look completely effortless. Charliebird also sports a just as wonderful supporting cast with stand out work from Gabe Fazio, Maria Peryramure, and Shakirat Alliu. 

Director, Libby Ewing also stepped into a co-editor role with Perry Blackshear, and the strategic restraint shown by the duo in many moments, particularly in the second half, elevates this film to the highest level. The editing in each subsequent scene feels different from the last, and walks a very delicate balance of serving a singular scene, as well as the overall narrative. Some scenes cut relatively often, and there are other scenes where you’ll be hard pressed to find more than one or two angle changes. It never feels as if they’re over-editing to compensate for lost coverage, or to mask some other hidden issue.

The film in the second half, also leans surprisingly heavy into ambiguity. There is a major emphasis on not giving the audience complete answers. I could see this becoming a frustration with audiences, hoping to leave with total clarity, but I found this to be a thoroughly moving, and brave choice by the filmmakers, that sums up one of its major theses brilliantly.

Every single character in the film suffers from their own demons, both internal and external. Despite the awareness of the struggles of everyone around them, there are still moments of toxic trauma comparisons. Basic empathy for others in our world is in major decline, and has been for a while. We’ve reached a point where for many it becomes disturbingly difficult to show compassion for those whose experiences they don't intimately, and fully understand. It’s in these moments when the script brilliantly pivots at the last second from revealing key details of character backstory that it reminds us that these people’s vulnerability is not our business, and we should feel for them regardless. 

Credit: Getty Images

Charliebird serves as one of the greatest underdogs of the Tribeca Film Festival this year. For such a grassroots crew, and minuscule publicity, it completely overflows with love for its story, and the process behind creating it. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the credits rolled, and all throughout the talk-back that immediately followed. I’ve never felt something quite like what I’ve felt from the team behind Charliebird. Films like this are why I’m in the game, and it loudly announces everyone involved as a major, powerhouse cinematic artist. It definitely has my vote for Audience Choice this year!