Tribeca with Abe: Poser

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

Poser
Directed by Ori Segev and Noah Dixon
US Narrative Competition – Screening Information

Everyone wants to be famous, even if they don’t understand exactly what that means and what the implications of being widely recognized and in the public eye may be. People idolize celebrities and give them special treatment, assuming that their high-profile nature makes them better than their average, anonymous counterparts. The inverse also tends to be true, that those who haven’t amassed a substantial following or, in whatever way, proven themselves, aren’t in the same league or worthy of attention. Perception is everything, and relationships and opportunities can change drastically based on what people think, whether or not it has any basis in fact.

Lennon (Sylvie Mix) lives in Columbus, Ohio, and is eager to become a part of the indie music scene. In order to gain access to the most interesting talents and minds, she creates a podcast that allows her to record samples from many people in the area. As she speaks to and hears from a number of subjects, she begins to adopt a larger-than-life persona that she can’t quite back up, one she only seeks to bolster when she meets and becomes entranced by Bobbi Kitten (Bobbi Kitten), an alluring free spirit who pushes Lennon to discover more about herself.

This film features a number of captivating moments in which the audience is able to understand and emulate Lennon’s sense of wonder, acting as a fly on the wall and observing the way in which those who are successful and have worked hard have managed to find their voices and their musical inspirations. A series of conversations and recording sessions feed information to Lennon that she begins to absorb and, as the film’s title suggests, act as if she has considerably more influence and a much more sizable following than is actually the case.

There is a fantastic subtlety to Mix’s breakthrough performance. In her feature film debut, Mix presents Lennon as a sponge, merely taking in everything around her and soaking it in without offering a true sense of who she is. It makes it difficult to hold her completely accountable for what she does and fascinating to watch. Kitten, the frontwoman of the musical duo Damn the Witch Siren, plays an intoxicating version of herself, fully aware of the effect that she has on the impressionable Lennon. This film’s intriguing journey doesn’t possess as formidable a denouement, but accompanying Lennon along the way is still worthwhile and compelling.

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