The 56th edition of the New York Film Festival wrapped over the weekend. This go around felt just about right. It was not too long, not too short and had the perfect amount of intrigue. This year’s event featured some of our favorite filmmakers, including Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite), Christian Petzold (Transit), Frederick Wiseman (Monrovia, Indiana), Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War), Joel and Ethan Coen (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Jafar Panahi (3 Faces), and Errol Morris (American Dharma). It also introduced us to the directorial debuts of actors Paul Dano, who adapted Richard Ford’s 1990 novel Wildlife for the screen, and Jonah Hill. Hill’s feature Mid90s was a late addition to the lineup. This year’s slate was a little light on female filmmakers, but the fest’s diverse international representation made up for it.

A recurring theme at this year’s festival was family and a desire for human connection. There were films where characters came together or redefined the meaning of family, while others centered on individuals coping with their dysfunctional families. Hirokazu Kore-Eta’s Shoplifters is a wonderful example of a film that falls in the former category. The affecting Cannes Palme D’Or-winning drama follows a group of outcasts of varying ages living on the fringes of Tokyo. They have somehow found each other and live as a somewhat traditional family unit, supporting themselves by committing petty crimes.

Family is also at the heart of Barry Jenkins’ latest, If Beale Street Could Talk. Adapted from James Baldwin’s novel, the drama is set in Harlem in the early 1970s. Tish and Fonny, who have known each other since childhood, are a couple of young adults in love. When Tish becomes pregnant and Fonny is incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, their relationship is put to the test. If Beale Street Could Talk beautifully explores the strength of black families and their ability to come together and support one another through adversity.

Roma, Photo by Carlos Somonte

It is not surprising that films dealing with family (and its dysfunction) are often autobiographical. Three films at this year’s festival fall in this category. In Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, which held the festival’s Centerpiece slot, the filmmaker revisits his childhood living with his family in early 1970s Mexico City. Cuarón’s masterpiece, crafted with painstaking detail, revolves around a middle-class clan and at its center, their live-in nanny Cleo. The narrative is chiefly Cleo’s as she navigates day-to-day life and her relationship with her “adopted” family.

Richard Billingham’s directorial debut Ray & Liz is another autobiographical family drama. Named for Billingham’s parents, the film is a portrait of a dysfunctional family living in a housing project in England’s Black County during the Thatcher era. The narrative, which unfolds through flashbacks, is a difficult but none the less rewarding watch as the family unit comes apart at the seams.

Tamara Jenkins is no stranger to stories dealing with family dynamics. Her previous features include Slums of Beverly Hills and Savages, for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. For Private Life, which was screened in NYFF56’s main slate, Jenkins mined her experiences with infertility. The film stars Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti as Rachel and Richard, a middle-aged New York couple desperate to have a child. When Richard’s niece by marriage is willing to donate her eggs to their cause, the trio begin living together, forming a postmodern family unit. Jenkins’s comedy-drama stands out for its authenticity and richly drawn characters.

Her Smell

Lastly, another film from the festival that deserves some love is Alex Ross Perry’s Her Smell. The film finds Elisabeth Moss delivering an inspired performance as a grunge rock star on the decline. Structured in five acts, Her Smell takes place over the course of roughly 10 years and revolves around Becky Something (Moss), the front woman of the all-female rock group called Something She. In the film’s opening act, Becky’s band (and chosen family) is at the apex of their career. However, the wheels are coming off the bus. The expert camerawork and sound design in the film’s opening sequences make this first act tough to watch. We recommend hanging in through to its conclusion. Moss isn’t afraid to get ugly in this role, which is a thing of beauty.