Tribeca Film Festival 2026 Review: “Lucy Schulman”
By Morgan Roberts
Director: Ellie Sachs
Writer: Ellie Sachs
Stars: Ellie Sachs, David Cross, Thomas Mann, Sandrine Holt, Eisa Davis, Annabelle Attansio, Hasan Minhaj, Dan Perlman, Chelsea Frei, Joanna Arnow
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2026
“Lucy Schulman” is an authentic look at life, love, and finding yourself.
Lucy Schulman (Ellie Sachs) is at a crossroads in her life. After breaking up with her long term boyfriend, Lucy has moved in with her single father Peter (David Cross). Working in a bookstore, but perhaps too afraid to acknowledge her own ambitions, Lucy’s attentions turn after meeting James (Thomas), an artist who is equal parts charming and thoughtful. But cracks soon form in her carefully constructed life, that force her to begin to confront what and who she centers in her life.
In addition to starring as the central character, Sachs has written and directed “Lucy Schulman,” not her first foray into either artistic venture, but her feature film debut. Sachs wholly owns this film, managing to craft a film that feels both nostalgic and authentically original. It felt akin to watching a film like “Frances Ha” or even “Sleeping with Other People” for the first time. Sure, there are these universal themes and elements explored in both, yet each film somehow feels so singularly explored by the writers and directors at the helm. Likewise, Sachs has a gift for putting you right into Lucy’s shoes from the scene, and build out her cast of characters.
David Cross and Ellie Sachs in “Lucy Schulman” | Photo Credit: Director o Photography Barton Cortright
Far too often, we find cinema that tends to give us surface level interpersonal relationships, and even while the film ebbs and flows on who Lucy invests her time with, the dynamics are so clear that you can piece together their history. This is particularly significant when you see Lucy amongst her friend group who, at times, are neglected when James enters the picture.
There is also something to be said about the way in which women in film explore men and their relationships with them. “Lucy Schulman” has an excellent exploration of this with Peter. Cross is his always comical self, but he is given a chance to explore some really soft sides to this single father. Far too often, the complicated men I see in my life are almost nowhere to be found in cinema. In her writing, Sachs has crafted a character so reflective of the real humans who populate my own life, that it feels almost revelatory to behold. Not since Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust” have I been so captivated by an actor in a realm not usually available to them. It is through Peter’s tenderness that we are able to take a peak further into Lucy’s own inner workings.
And like all good New York City films, “Lucy Schulman” allows the city to be just as integral as any human character. There is a pulsating energy only New York can add to a film, and Sachs, along with her cinematographer Barton Cortright, beautifully capture that electricity.
“Lucy Schulman” is a film that manages to balance our own nostalgia while being completely original to the filmmaker’s voice. Throughout the film, you cannot help but become enraptured by and frustrated by, heartbroken for and optimistic for Lucy. There is a beautiful yearning many of us experience to have our lives figured out for us, rather than venturing through the hard parts. But, we all learn, much like Lucy, how to pick ourselves up, and try again.
Grade: A-
Double Feature With: “The Broken Hearts Gallery” (2020) dir. Natalie Krinsky