Tribeca 2021: Poser Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Poser follows Lennon (Mix), a striving podcast host, who seeks to become embedded in the underground music scene of Columbus, OH. Her journey eventually leads to a small group of performers that welcome her into their circle, but her fandom of them and others she comes to know quickly begins to morph into obsession. Through this, Lennon develops a necessity to feed on the actions and spark of the artists around her. Her avoidance of self-discovery starts to spiral out of control as she begins to plagiarize the art of those she interviews and befriends in order to define who she is as a person.

What makes Poser work so well is its genuine cast. Lead by Mix, a Columbus native involved in its music scene who gives a grounded performance that is timid in nature based on her character but also empathetic to anyone that has stepped out into an unknown space. Joined by Mix is Bobbie Kitten, a musician from the same local scene, who makes her screen debut as herself. Her performance is highly entertaining as the counterweight to Lennon and the catalyst for bringing her out of her shell. They are both supported by a solid blend of fresh actors and local bands that enable the viewer to become fully immersed in the underground music world Lennon desperately craves.

The genius of Poser lies in its ability to unassumingly wander into the audience’s notion of what is real and what might be borrowed or influenced by others for the sake of art. Through Lennon’s eyes, we see a subculture that thrives off of creating original thought. Instead of facing this head-on, Lennon turns towards siphoning off of other’s thoughts rather than her own. And while it might be easy to condemn her for doing so, the film eloquently poses this subconscious question of if she really is the victim in this scenario. This is a film that approaches its audience almost as timidly and unassumingly as its main character, however, it’s not until the end that one realizes it has taken them on a strange journey that will have them questioning the validity and originality in the act of creating art.

still courtesy of Tribeca

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