Entertainment Weekly - May 11, 2018

culture needs to change,”

said Sybrina Fulton, Tray-

von’s mother. “The hatred

that goes on in this coun-

try needs to change.

We want to make sure that

we’re a part of that

change [with this show].”

THE RACHEL

DIVIDE TRANSCENDS

CONTROVERSY

One of the best films of

the year comes in the most

unexpected package.

Laura Brownson uses con-

troversial “transracial”

pariah Rachel Dolezal as

a springboard from which

to mount a deeply moving

dive into social issues

of white privilege, color-

ism, identity, and media

sensationalism. “The story

is bigger than Rachel,”

Brownson says. “We

[wanted to] make a film

that wouldn’t be miscon-

strued as an apology piece

or propaganda. I do not

have an agenda with this

film. It is wholly up to the

audience how they react.”

MARVEL STARS

UP THE ANTE

In her best work to date,

CreedandThor: Ragnarok

star Tessa Thompson gives

a masterfully nuanced per-

formance inLittle Woods

as a former drug pusher

struggling to make ends

meet against the backdrop

of a fracking-ravaged town

in North Dakota.

And in one of the most

assured feature-length

directorial debuts in recent

memory, Karen Gillan solid-

ified herself as a filmmaker

to watch withThe Party’s

Just Beginning. Describing

this haunting tale of suicide,

theGuardians of the Galaxy

actress says the film is her

“twisted love letter” to the

grim (and often ignored)

realities of her Scottish

Highland homeland.

LAIA COSTA BECOMES

THE BREAKOUT

STAR OF THE FESTIVAL

Spanish actress Laia Costa

made her mark on festival-

goers in two fantastic

films: the lesbian sex

dramedyDuck Butter—

shot with costar Alia

Shawkat over a period of

24 hours—andMaine,

a gorgeously composed

character study about a

pair of hikers traversing the

Appalachian Trail. Costa’s

quick wit, improvisational

prowess, and charming

intensity are the makings

of a future superstar.

TRAYVON MARTIN’S

PARENTS CRITICIZE

“GUN CULTURE”

AT ROUSINGREST

IN POWER WORLD

PREMIERE

The powerful Jay-Z-

produced docuseries

brought Tribeca audiences

to their feet in a standing

ovation at its debut

screening, where the late

teen’s parents opened

up about letting cameras

chronicle their fight for

justice after their son’s

shooting death. “The gun

Topical Tribeca :

Trayvon, Talks, and Tessa

Serious subjects were broached at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival

in New York, with unexpected moments arising out of subtler work from

well-known stars and controversial personalities.BY JOEY NOLFI

Tessa Thompson poses in EW’s Tribeca photo booth

ERIK TANNER/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

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