I’m so thankful that the Sundance Film Festival once again offered virtual screenings. There’s no way I can take time away from work and family to travel all the way to Park City, Utah, but this year I was able to watch 12 films in two weeks, all from the comfort of my own devices.
Here you’ll find a ranked list of all the films I watched. Within each mini-review I flag which of these films you might like based on what genres you usually like to watch. I’ve also noted where you’ll be able to watch the film if that information is available.
The real winner of The Sundance Film Festival: Dakota Johnson, who starred in two films I loved.
(Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter)
Honorable Mentions
These films don’t quite fit into the ranked list. One’s a documentary, which is hard to place among fictional films, and the other I couldn’t actually finish because I got scared. *blushes*
Navalny (CNN and HBO Max in early 2022.)
Image Credit: The Guardian
A disturbing, surreal documentary about how Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny investigated his own attempted murder (by poisoning!), Navalny is absolutely riveting. There’s a spy thriller baked right into it, and Director Daniel Roher very smartly leans into the truth is stranger than fiction elements of Navalny’s story. He does run the risk of glorifying his subject, mostly because Navalny is just so darn charming, but ultimately he does show Navalny’s blemishes and places the man’s struggle in a larger context to address global politics, democracy, authoritarianism, and the role social media plays in politics. As unsettling as it is entertaining.
Nanny (I’m sure a big bidding war is happening right now. Stay tuned.)
Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
I could not finish this film because I am a total wimp when it comes to horror, but I still wanted to acknowledge Nikyatu Jusu’s supernatural reckoning with the American Dream. Jusu won the biggest prize at Sundance, the US Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize. So, naturally, I wanted to give it a try even though I knew it might be too scary for me. The 30-40 minutes I watched were very good. The main character, Aisha, becomes the Nanny for a wealthy family in New York City. She’s separated from her young son in Senegal, and is trying to earn enough money to bring him over to the US. I was very interested in this as an immigrant story, but once a doorknob started wiggling on its own, I had to bail. If you’re a fan of horror, this is definitely worth checking out!
Sharp Stick
Image Credit: Deadline
I’m not very familiar with Lena Dunham’s other work; I’ve never seen Girls. I do know she’s a polarizing figure and that anything she does makes waves. Her newest film, Sharp Stick, means well as a sex positive coming of age story, and I can see how it’s trying to process Dunham’s own experience (she said in her intro this was her most personal film to date) to tell a feminist story, but a child-like protagonist undermines that conceit.
The film’s protagonist, Sarah Jo had a hysterectomy at a young age and — though it is unclear exactly why — has never had any sexual experiences. When she works as a caregiver for a neurodiverse child, she approaches the child’s father, played by John Bernthal, to help her lose her virginity. Their ensuing affair embarks Sarah Jo on a hurried and haphazard exploration.
All this should be fine, in theory. Sarah Jo is 26, and consents to everything she does in the film. Her demeanor and extreme ignorance regarding intimacy, sexual or otherwise, give the impression that she is much younger, though. There are some reports of Dunham initially hiring a consultant to help her write Sarah Jo as neurodiverse as well, only to change her mind. Even without knowing this, something about this character in these situations feels at best off and at worst problematic and icky.
Alice
Image Credit: Hollywood Reporter
When reading the description for Alice in the Sundance program, I misunderstood the basic premise of the film. I think the wording may have been intentionally ambiguous to avoid spoiling the plot, though, so I hesitate to clarify here. All I’ll say is that this is not about time travel. It does, however, mix multiple genres together in ambitious ways. Kristin Ver Linden rolls a slavery plantation drama, a person out of time comedy, a civil rights docudrama, and a Blaxploitation revenge fantasy all together into one film. Doing so has a lot of potential in connecting the history of slavery in America with the Black Power movement of the 1970s. But the imbalanced structure makes it more of a “what if?” proposition than a complete story. Keke Palmer transcends these limitations in certain scenes, but it’s ultimately not enough for me to recommend the film.
When You’re Done Saving the World
Image Credit: IGN
Jesse Eisenberg, sitting in the director chair for the first time, gets most of the way to a fully realized family drama by creating two completely well-meaning yet narcissistic characters who tragically can never see eye to eye: a social worker who runs a shelter for victims of domestic violence and her son, a live-streaming musician who has a huge, global fan base. When the latter falls in love with a very socially conscious young woman at school, he turns to his mom for help; she accuses him of wanting a short cut and the rift between them grows.
Eisenberg’s writing throughout is acerbic, witty, and clearly trying to work something out about the intersection of activism and liberal elitism. Finn Wolfhard gives a very good performance. Julianne Moore gives a great one. The story is just a little too aimless for me, especially at the end. I realize that indie films can have a looser structure than mainstream films and that’s kind of the point sometimes, but the ending here felt a little abrupt, like time ran out and it didn’t know where to go.
Living
Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
This one’s for the British period film folks out there. The sumptuous mid-century London costumes and sets would be worth the price of admission alone. While anyone interested in British drama will fall for this film, those who enjoy the 1993 adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day will certainly enjoy Ishiguro’s adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, Ikiru. The writing is beautiful, and there’s a novelistic poignancy to the story. Bill Nighy gives an understated yet mesmerizing performance as a mild-mannered bureaucrat confronting terminal illness.
The lukewarm response to this film speaks more to its remake status than anything else, I think. I can see how it would be hard to follow a Kurosawa film, but I haven’t actually seen Ikiru, and so was able to appreciate Ishiguro’s adaptation on its own. The general premise — of making the most of one’s time on Earth — may be familiar territory, but the particular way Nighy and Living engage with that premise is so specific that it drew me in anyway.
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (Someone purchase this movie, please!)
Image Credit: Variety
If you like any kind of mockumentary satire, but especially those in the tradition of Christopher Guest, Adamma Ebo’s Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is a must-see. With a little bit of love and a lot of bite, the film pokes fun at mega church culture and how such churches can be more of a business than a religious community. The couple at the center of the film, played by Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown, tries to rebuild their following after a sexual harassment scandal forces them to close their church. We see their superficiality and pettiness, but also their faith and commitment to the good they think they’re doing. It’s quite funny if you can handle characters embarrassing themselves.
There’s also some serious drama that I wasn’t expecting, and Regina Hall’s character, the “First Lady” of the church, has a couple of moving showcase moments. Some critics do not appreciate the mixed tone, but I would say that Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up could take some notes on how to juggle satire and drama. Ebo very seamlessly shifts from one to the other, and she does so with purpose. (Spoilers for the Don’t Look Up review I’ll write at some point later on.)
Dual
Image Credit: Deadline
I keep wanting to put Riley Stearns’ dark sci fi comedy higher up on my list because I personally loved this film despite its flaws. I have a soft spot for any science fiction, and I have a soft spot for dry, awkward humor. Did you enjoy Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster on Amazon? Or did you think it was weird and boring? The premise should also serve as a litmus test. Facing a terminal illness, Sara (played by Karen Gillen) purchases a “replacement” clone to stay with her friends and family after she’s gone. Once she goes into remission, however, the law states that she must fight her clone to the death to decide who gets to live Sara’s life. She hires a combat trainer (played by Aaron Paul) to help her prepare for the duel.
Most critics did not appreciate what Stearns was going for here, citing the monotone line delivery, a lack of emotional depth, and a predictable ending as the film’s major flaws. I can see why someone would bristle against the tone and style, but once I understood it was a choice, I was on board. I also thought the rich sci fi cloning premise gave me enough that I didn’t miss not getting to know the characters better.
My favorite parts of this film were the scenes between Karen Gillen and Aaron Paul. They were hilarious together, and I would love to see a series focusing just on their two characters.
Am I OK? (HBO Max, release TBA.)
Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
I’ve missed nice movies. I don’t want anything sugar-coated, but it is really satisfying to watch caring, eccentric people trying to figure out their lives and ultimately succeeding. Directed by comedy-writing power couple Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, Am I OK? intertwines two compelling stories: Lucy, a perpetually single woman in her 30s, makes the realization that she is attracted to women. Meanwhile, her best friend, Jane, gets a promotion at work that will require her to move from LA to London, away from Lucy.
The conflict of Lucy coming out as an adult right as her primary support system is about to leave the country creates enough conflict to keep the film moving, but at the same time Notaro and Allynne take the time and care to thoughtfully take us on a journey of self-acceptance with Lucy.
Dakota Johnson and Sonoyo Mizuno have incredible best friend chemistry, and I never tired of their endearing codependence. They felt like real people I might know. The sweetest, most authentic film of the festival for me by a mile.
892 (In theaters this summer.)
Image Credit: Deadline
Based on the real life of former Marine Corps veteran Brian Brown Easeley, 892 is a high pressure bank hostage drama, very much in the style of the classic Dog Day Afternoon (1975) starring Al Pacino. Easley, played brilliantly by John Boyega, is on the brink of homelessness and, fed up with Veteran’s Affairs, holds up a Wells Fargo Bank in the hopes of making his voice heard.
This film works very well as a high tension thriller, so if you enjoy nail biting, it’s very likely that this one will keep you in a trance until the very end. I actually cried at the end, so be prepared for a tense, emotional ride. This isn’t merely an intense thriller, though. A fair amount of substantive social commentary bleeds through, with a searing indictment of American bureaucracy.
I honestly thought there would be more love for this film from critics, but the most common take on it seems to be, “John Boyega is incredible, but the movie is just okay.” I can see how someone might feel as though 892 doesn’t innovate within its genre enough, as I didn’t find anything surprising or unexpected. But when it’s this well done — this thrilling and this heart-breaking — I can’t hold that against it.
Image Credit: USA Today
John Boyega does indeed give an Oscar-worthy performance here, conveying how complicated a man Easeley is, not quite a criminal and not quite a victim. I also want to applaud Nicole Beharie, who plays the bank manager. She convinced me that someone in her situation can be both fierce and scared. The late Michael K. Williams has a small yet indelible role as the FBI negotiator who wants to help Easeley. I would have been happy with being able to see his final performance, but I was pleasantly surprised that the film offered so much more.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (Apple TV+, release TBA.)
Image Credit: Variety
Since Cooper Raiff’s first film, Shithouse, won the SXSW Film Festival last year, critics eagerly anticipated Cha Cha Real Smooth. The buzz really exploded after its premiere, though. Ultimately, Apple purchased the film for $15 million dollars, making the biggest news out of this year’s Sundance. I’m happy to report that it lives up to the hype.
A sincere yet nuanced dramedy, Cooper Raiff’s second film follows a recent college grad who moves back home to figure out what to do next. He tries to become a professional bar mitzvah host (meaning parents pay him to get the kids out on the dance floor) and in the process befriends a woman named Domino — played by Dakota Johnson — and her autistic daughter, Lola. Raiff’s cute, funny, and at times delightfully goofy writing made me laugh and smile more than any film in recent memory. The story is very earnest without becoming saccharine. The kids in the film come across as smart but not unrealistically mature for their age. (Strong Stranger Things kids go to prom vibes.) And the story adopts a rom com tone yet subverts so many trite rom com formulas.
This is hard to pull off without the right actors. Thankfully, Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff (he also stars in the film) are pure magic together; every frame they’re in brims with magnetism. But the real headline here is Dakota Johnson. She peels back subtle layers built into her character with every scene, and within the span of a few minutes, her character garnered empathy, frustration, and applause from me. Johnson is having an amazing year. Critics love Netflix’s The Lost Daughter, she has not only one but two great films at Sundance this year. She wasn’t necessarily on my radar before (sorry, I never got into 50 Shades of Grey), but now I’m a big fan of hers.
After Yang (On Showtime and in theaters March 4.)
Image Credit: Indiewire
Fans of Spike Jonze’s Her will surely enjoy Kogonada’s quiet, contemplative sci fi film about a family whose “second sibling” caretaker android unexpectedly malfunctions. The impeccable production design creates a futurist aesthetic that is wholly unique. The characters are gentle but not without their hangups. The high concept premise, in which people can integrate sentient robots —called “techno humans” — or clones into their own lives, grounds its loftiness in human emotion.
Fair warning: the story is fairly slow and there isn’t much of a plot. This is more of a memory poem about artificial intelligence and what it means to be human than a conventional film. So if you’re generally interested in more cerebral/existential science fiction, After Yang will be like catnip for you. If you’re going to be bored without action sequences or suspense, this might be one to skip.
What impressed me most was Kogonada’s ability to fluidly integrate so many thematic threads into one story: grief, humanity, technology, adoption, family, and cultural identity. The last one in particular took me by surprise. Asian diaspora is as much a part of the conversation as artificial intelligence. In fact, both benefit from a shared discussion of what constitutes a family. A strong ensemble cast elevates that discussion. I’ve never seen Colin Farrell so subdued, and his performance really worked for me. I could listen to him talk about making tea all day long.
The Worst Person in the World (In theaters February 4.)
Image Credit: LA Times
If you’ve ever resented society’s expectations for where you’re “supposed to be” or “what you’re supposed to be doing” in life, Joachim Trier’s slice of life dramedy, The Worst Person in the World, is for you. Funny, bittersweet, and unafraid to embrace complexity, this film has it all: powerful acting, fully formed characters, and playful experimentation with film form. As Norway’s submission for International Feature, it’s one of the few Sundance films that will be eligible for the Oscars this year, and pundits feel fairly confident that it will be nominated.
At first, I didn’t know where the film overall was going because it takes a purely biographical approach, relying heavily on third person voiceover narration. I thought, okay, this is a funny, flawed character with a great personality, but are we just hanging out with her for two hours? By the second or third of the twelve “chapters” of Julia’s life, though, I realized that this film was an extremely thoughtful meditation of the singularly messy and fraught experience of being a woman in 21st century. Trying to figure out career, dating, and family, Julia struggles to convey to the people around her how she’s not ready to settle on a career and how she’s not ready to start a family. The film stirs all her fumbles, triumphs, and rebellious choices into one hypnotic story.
It doesn’t take long to fall for supernova Renate Rensieve’s charms. She is as masterful with the comedic moments as she is with the emotionally vulnerable ones. One of her costars, Anders Danielson Lie, plays being both right and wrong for Julia brilliantly. He’s also a full time MD, apparently.