Every year, the Sundance Film Festival kicks off the film calendar in January with some indie charm right before the glamour of Cannes and Venice sweeps all the fashion and film headlines. Ever since its beginnings in 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sundance has been the go-to for niche cinema as well as major debuts—Darren Aronofsky’s “Pi” in 1998, Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” in 1992, and Wes Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket” short-turned-feature in 1993.
The film festival marked its 40th anniversary this year and was held from January 18 to 28, including in-person and virtual segments. With 82 features and 53 shorts, we couldn’t cover them all, so we handpicked a diverse lineup to cater to different tastes.
From post-human AI-love stories to heartwarming coming-of-age stories, here’s the best of this year’s Sundance lineup.
1. Rob Peace
The biographical drama film written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor is an adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ nonfiction work, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, which tells the true story of Peace’s rise from East Orange, New Jersey, to Yale University. The story has its fair share of tragic moments but is equally inspiring. The film doesn’t shy away from depicting Peace’s hardships and adversities, but at the same time, it aims to capture the entirety of Rob’s life so that it is not defined solely by tragedy.
2. Love Me
Sam and Andy Zuchero’s cosmic romantic comedy is set in a future where humans have become extinct. The surviving machines live off massive hard drives containing data from search engines and social media sites and project their personalities onto different AI characters played by Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun. The movie has its “multitasking brain” moments, but at its core, it tells a simple story of a boy meets a girl, portrayed through an ambitious AI-driven lens.
3. Little Death
Music video director Jack Begert makes his feature debut with Little Death. Set in LA, the story is narrated by a sitcom TV writer (played by David Schwimmer) trying to direct his autobiographical screenplay. However, the producers suggest making the movie’s protagonist a female character, which is challenging given his misogynistic character. At some point, the film ends up following two different protagonists, creating a sensation that the movie is blending two other films – it gets confusing. Still, it’s an interesting film worth watching.
4. Freaky Tales
The directing duo of Captain Marvel and longtime Sundance favorites Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck return with a four-chapter pulp genre anthology film set in 80s Oakland. Although a few moments don’t quite deliver, particularly the supernatural parts, the story includes plenty of unforgettable characters and an electrifying energy that leaves a lasting impression at the end. The movie stars Pedro Pascal and features Dominique Thorne, Normani, and the late Angus Cloud.
5. A Real Pain
Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, this film follows two estranged cousins (played by Eisenberg himself and Kieran Culkin) on a Holocaust tour through Poland – a gift left by their grandmother to visit the country she had left ages ago. While they argue as they visit war memorials and cemeteries, they also grow closer and reconcile their differences. You might wonder how it can be a comedy against a grim environment, but as the film goes on, you realize that’s partially the point.
6. My Old Ass
Canadian actor and director Megan Park directs a tender coming-of-age meets time-travel comedy that follows 18-year-old Elliott, played by Maisy Stella, who is self-centred and focused on attending college in the big city of Toronto. During a mushroom trip that summer, Elliott comes across her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza. When she wakes up the following day, Elliott still desires more answers from Plaza. And while we do not know exactly how they communicate, we don’t need to. We’re just glad it happens.
7. Sasquatch Sunset
The upcoming film by the Zellner brothers documents the daily life of a family of four sasquatches as they navigate through the mountains, feast on plants, and engage in “typical sasquatch activities”. You might not be able to catch it, but the cast includes Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg. In a word, it’s absurd. It’s dialogue-free and has its repetitive moments; however, instead of asking, “Am I willing to watch 90 minutes of the day-to-day of sasquatches?” ask yourself, “Why not?”
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8. Love Lies Bleeding
This queer romantic noir, directed by Rose Glass, tells the story of Lou, a gym manager played by Kristen Stewart, and Jackie, a body-builder from Oklahoma, played by Katy O’Brian. The two women fall in love in rural New Mexico in 1989, but things quickly turn dark when they find themselves in a crime they try to hide from the police. As the story progresses, the characters are faced with violent situations that become increasingly gory. It’s a compelling script that most notably leaves the cliche femme fatale trope far behind.
9. Presence
The film is directed by Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh, who has given the haunted house genre a fresh twist. The story is shown from the perspective of a spirit that resides in a newly renovated house that a new family occupies. The tension is slowly built with long, uninterrupted takes that create a dreadful atmosphere for the audience. One of the themes in the movie is that the family cannot hide from the lurking spectre even if they can hide matters from one another. The cast includes Lucy Liu and Julia Fox.
10. Ponyboi
Esteban Arango directs a stylish yet wretched film that features intersex actor and activist River Gallo. The wild adventures of the film occur throughout 24 hours as Gallo’s character Ponyboi, an intersex worker, is on the run from his pimp, played by Dylan O’Brien. Gallo, who uses “they/them” pronouns, is also the film’s writer and sees this project as an opportunity to educate audiences about the social and psychological aspects of expressing male and female traits in a rigid binary world. The film is an expansion of the 2019 short film of the same name.
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