Criticwire at Tribeca: The Top Films and Performances Poll

When we polled Criticwire members about their favorite films and performances four months ago at Sundance, there were clear favorites. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" was the runaway hit, as was its star Quvenzhané Wallis. The conspiracy documentary "Room 237" distinguished itself as the clear Criticwire favorite within the non-fiction category.

Our Tribeca poll lacks the same consensus. It may reflect the quality of the films or simply that different critics saw different movies. In the Narrative section, a third of the top films on our poll have an overall C+ average ("First Winter," "Room 514," and "Postcards from the Zoo"), further suggesting that the festival's buzz was somewhat diffused.

As with Sundance, we asked all Criticwire members at Tribeca to send their Top 5 lists in three categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Performance. (Critics could list fewer than five in each category.) Scores were tabulated on a simple weighted scale, with a first-place vote earning five points, second place earning 4 points, and so on.

Many of the films we highlighted in our first Tribeca recap have reappeared here. With the top two slots in the Narrative category and three Best Performances between them, "Yossi" and "Your Sister’s Sister" continue to be the standouts.

Some other interesting things to note from the results:

• "Yossi" took the top spot after being named first in every ballot it appeared on, while Ohad Knoller finished as runner-up despite receiving no first-place votes. 
• After making the list of Sundance performers in "Keep the Lights On," Thure Lindhardt enjoyed a second wave of recognition for his role in the film after it played at Tribeca. Although he couldn’t quite crack the Top 8, if his score for the two festivals were added together, he would have snuck in right behind top vote-getter Val Kilmer, who won for "The Fourth Dimension."

• The Keanu-Reeves-digital-vs.-film doc "Side by Side" graced the highest number of ballots overall. Even if the film wasn't near the top of enough of them to push it higher, it shows that we're not the only ones interested in the topic.

The full list of Tribeca ballots submitted by Criticwire members follows on the next page.