Tribeca Film Festival 2026 Review: “Mother Future Self”

By Morgan Roberts

Director: Tori Lancaster
Writer: Tori Lancaster
Stars: Imani Jade Powers, Betsey Brown, Juliet Brett, Ben Groh
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2026

After years of not seeing each other, Sofi (Imani Jade Powers) and Jordan (Betsey Brown) find themselves at the same experimental dance camp in rural Maine. In her directorial debut “Mother Future Self,” Tori Lancaster examines the aftermath of a mysterious falling out between friends, and what occurs during an unexpected reunion. The film has a patient pace, requiring its audience to lean into the artist expressions reflecting the interpersonal dynamics. Interspersed with movement, “Mother Future Self” weaves together a tapestry of resentment and hurt as Sofi and Jordan dance around the root of their shared pain.

Lancaster has a keen eye for who, and what, fills a frame. There are a few shots of the dance rehearsals that are truly breathtaking. Cinematographers Isaac Banks and Tyler Harmon-Townsend give the interiority of the characters so much space for expression. One sequence is shot entirely from a bird’s eye view, giving the movement of the dancing so much breadth. Moreover, the way in which isolation and community are juxtaposed is accentuated in how the characters are filmed in nature versus how they are shot in the dance studio or living quarters.

Left to right: Betsey Brown as Jordan, Imani Jade Powers as Sofi | Photo Credit: Tyler Harmon-Townsend

At the heart of the film, you have two great performances from Powers and Brown. There is a well of history behind every interaction, but they know how to choose what slips in, what’s revealed, and know exactly what to hold back to build or ease tensions. “Mother Future Self” is centered around this dance camp, and it’s not just the movement in the studio we see. Throughout the film, we witness a sort of dance between Sofi and Jordan, sometimes they know the exact metaphorical steps, and other times, there is an anticipatory nature to this back and forth. It is this constant movement, questioning how at odds these two women are, the tension that builds, that the film reaches a surprising crescendo. The films truly hinges upon Brown and Powers’ performances, and both actors truly understand that malleable balance they teeter on together. What I appreciate most about the film, and akin to films such as Lynn Shelton’s “My Effortless Brilliance,” the real wound between these central characters is never fully spelled out. Why should it be? The relatability of a failed friendship, and years later trying to find the same person you once cared for while also being confronted with the person who caused you great pain doesn’t require an over-intellectualization. Rather, it excels by being rooted so deeply in the emotional interrogations of the characters both individually and interpersonally.

“Mother Future Self” is a bold feature debut from Lancaster, drawing in itself audience through the artistic and relational movement between people. Brown and Powers are an impactful duo, knowing how to ease and intensify the tensions between their characters so effortlessly. There is an experimental nature to the film, but if you can lock into the emotions bubbling beneath the surface, the explosive conclusion will be all that more gratifying.

Grade: B+

Double Feature With: “Always Shine” (2016) dir. Sophia Takal