10.Marte Um (Mars One)
“Marte Um” provides an exploration of what it is like to live as a lower-middle-class, Black family in Brazil in a current era that continues to create divides between rich and poor, and sees itself devolving into even more political turmoil. This film, directed by Gabriel Martins, shows a family full of disparate dreams and beliefs, and sees them clash against each other as the family faces further challenges. The standout performance goes to Camilla Damião who portrays the daughter in this family, who often has to hide her true identity from her parents, creating even more tension among the family. The primary plot device in this film is that of a father’s dream solely relying on the success of his son. The father, who works as a maintenance worker at an upper-class apartment building, pressures his son into becoming a successful soccer player, but before long his son succumbs to the pressure and injures himself to avoid having to face the future his father so desperately wants for him. It is hard to watch a father completely lose himself (and his job) to live out his dreams through his son. This film did miss the mark for me a bit when it comes to holding the through line of theme and plot, but some nice performances from Damião and an exploration of a culture and world many of us may not be exposed to make this a film to be put on a list for those who are seeking out new foreign films to watch. This was also one of the only Brazilian films to premiere at Sundance this year.
9. When You Finish Saving The World
The first major film to premier at Sundance this year was Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut “When You Finish Saving The World,” starring Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard. This film explores how one’s desire to impart their desires and interest on another can manifest itself in ways they could not foresee or want. Evelyn Katz, played by Moore, sees herself as a noble being for putting herself into social work and helping women who need to escape abusive situations. She used to go to rallies and protests to show how much she cared about equal rights for all people. But when we see her interact with those around her, we see how she lacks empathy to truly care about the ones directly in her life. This lack of empathy is mirrored in her son Ziggy, who also believes he is pursuing something larger than himself, an online music career. He will do anything to build his following, even going as far as to exploit his friends, and never realizes how his actions largely impact those around him. While these themes glue the story together, the performances bolstering these themes were merely adequate. (There’s also some potentially questionable predatory behavior between Evelyn and one of the people she is housing) As a first-time director, Eisenberg is seemingly running out of film toward the end of the movie, where we reach our conclusion. The conclusion of Mother and Son finally seeing each other's worlds for what they actually are is rushed and unearned. I give credit to the actors for working with what they were given, and some interesting interfamily dynamics make this film mildly entertaining.
8. Dual
The general setting and plot of “Dual” sets up a plethora of ideas and paths for which a story like this can be taken. In the film’s world, when one knows they are going to die they are allowed to create a clone of themselves to then carry on their life for their loved ones as if they never left. But in the rare .001 percent of edge cases where you end up surviving whatever it may have been that was going to kill you, we now have a problem. In this world, we cannot have two people occupying the same name, the same DNA, the same social security number. So as any good gladiatorial nation would do, we force them to duel in front of TV cameras for sport. This is an interesting enough premise, but Director Riley Stearns throws one more wrench in this world, people are often devoid of nuanced human emotion. Sarah, played by Karen Gillian, is often expressionless as she goes through her trials of having to face life with a clone of herself taking her place, and as she faces an impending duel with said clone. She trains day in and day out with a trainer, played by Aaron Paul, all through this lens of banality. This choice didn’t always work for me, but I can understand it. I won’t spoil how this movie plays out for those that may want to check it out, but I can say that the premise and the characters make this a movie to add to any list looking for indie sci-fi films.
7. Living
“Living” was the most heartfelt film I saw during my time at Sundance. “Living” follows a group of municipal workers led by their boss Mr. Williams, played by Bill Nighy. Mr. Williams maintains a status quo of a municipal government which largely gets nothing done as paperwork and projects are passed between departments before getting stuffed into a pile never to be seen again. Mr. Williams is then met with the life-altering news of a terminal diagnosis. As one might expect, a light switches on inside Mr. Williams, as if he’s experiencing deep emotion for the first time in decades. A man who hasn’t laughed, smiled, cried, shouted or chuckled is now overflowing with emotion for what his life has, or hasn’t, become. He finds the conduit he needs to channel his emotion into sunshine for himself through one of his former employees Margaret, played by Aimee Lou Wood. He sees her bursting with so much life and joy that he can’t help but want to harness some of that for himself. He finds himself opening up dead projects and gives his entire self to building a park in an alley in London. His commitment and rejuvenation reverberates through his department, and we find his team mirroring his energy and exuberance. This type of story isn’t necessarily original, as we’ve all seen or experienced stories where one may not feel like the main character of their own story until faced with an extremely difficult life situation. Nighy and Wood give fantastic performances in this examination of self-worth and the meaning of one’s life on this earth.
6. Master
“Master” is one of the more harrowing films to premier at Sundance this year. It is not directly a horror film, but it explores the horrific acts and atrocities predicated by systemic racism at ivy-league level institutions. The film follows Jasmine, played by Zoe Renee, one of the sole students of color at Ancaster College (a stand in for a Harvard-level institution), as she navigates a world surrounded by whiteness and all of the systemic racism and microaggressions that come with it. One of her mentors Gail Bishop, played by Regina Hall, is also trying to navigate her professional life as the only senior-level faculty member at this university who is Black. Their stories run in parallel as they both fight their individual battles and try not to succumb to the pressure heavily placed upon them at Ancaster. I felt this story was one worth telling, but it felt clunky in certain areas. In a world where “Get Out” set the world on fire with its unique and somewhat supernatural take on racism, “Master” tries to follow suit. It is in these areas that I find the film to be at its weakest. It had plenty to work with on the interweaving storylines and character interactions that I do not believe it needed to lean so heavily on the metaphor of racism presenting itself in a metaphysical form. All that being said, I think it was well acted and well directed and worthy of inclusion at Sundance.
5. 892
“892” tells a story that is often overlooked by the media or politicians. It is one of a man in crisis doing anything he can to survive and anything he can to support his daughter. Brian Brown-Easley is a veteran who is no longer able to feed himself and is thrown around by Veterans Affairs because they will not pay him what he is due. His situation becomes so desperate he thinks he has only one choice – to rob a bank. You can see the pain behind his eyes because even though he commits this act, he knows it won’t save him. His situation can only end on way. John Boyega gives a powerhouse performance, if not sometimes over sensationalized. But he expresses fervently how much the turmoil of not only war but also the re-acclimation into society can be mentally deteriorating for many of our veterans. And that is all made worse by a VA which places the system above the veteran. The film is rounded out by performances from Michael K Williams, Rosa Diaz and Nichole Beharie as they try their best to manage a situation beyond all of them. The other layer in this movie is the commentary on the police’s interaction with people of color in tense situations. For this we see Eli, played by Williams, do his best to let cool heads prevail as he tries to get Brian his money and keep him alive. Directed by Ami Damaris Corbin, “892” is a tightly directed movie that should be on everyone’s list as these films find their way into people’s homes.
4. Happening
“Happening” is a staggeringly grounded story of a young French woman’s journey to figure out how to cope with pregnancy while still in school and the choices she makes after she becomes pregnant. Anamaria Vartolomei, who plays Anne, gives a groundbreaking performance that is subtle and nuanced, while also evoking sheer heartbreak and joy at times as well. Anne’s journey is harrowing, and everyone is seemingly trying to block her path at every turn. If not for a few people with the empathy to understand her situation and her desires, Anne could face immeasurable damage to herself and others. This movie will very much cause one to fight with their own beliefs and seeks to challenge them. I applaud a movie that challenges the audience, not only with the subject matter, but also with the vehicle through which the story is told. “Happening” is a force of a film and deserves credit for that. This film is not for the weak hearted and should be approached with the seriousness and sincerity that it wills upon its audience. I found it very moving and impactful, and I invite viewers to find a screen to watch it on.
3. After Yang
No Sundance is complete without another sci-fi adventure starring Colin Farrell, who has recently shown up in many avant-garde indie films (“Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “The Lobster,” etc.). Jake, played by Farrell, plays the father of a multi-cultural family existing in a future where Chinese child adoption rates are through the roof. So much so companies specifically build AI humanoids as companions for these Chinese children. Mika, Jake’s adopted daughter, perceives Yang as her older brother. While in reality, Yang is an AI built to help foster Mika and make her life more palatable in a culture and a family that isn’t her own. This film explores the ambiguity and ethics behind what it means to be a part of a family, and even more so, what it means to be human. Yang suffers an injury, or malfunction, early in the movie. And Jake and his family must find out what is wrong with him, or risk losing not only a fixture on their family, but also Mika’s direct line to her culture. Justin H. Min, who plays Yang, gives a great performance of one straddling the line between human and AI, and forces us to consider how we will treat these sorts of beings if/when they exist in our reality. AI exists today, and it is only a matter of time before it is walking and talking next to us on the street. How will we treat them? How will they treat us? These are all questions “After Yang” explores and does so with a dexterous hand of Director Kogonada at the helm. The film is shot beautifully and is full of fantastic performances.
2. Cha Cha Real Smooth
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” was the last film I viewed at Sundance this year and was probably subjectively my favorite film. It was so relatable for me from my experience with unrequited love and the murkiness of romantic relationships. Cooper Raiff directs and stars in this modern romantic comedy in which a recent college graduate must re-enter his hometown and try his best not to fall into obscurity as he tries to find his footing. Andrew, played by Raiff, finds himself as the emcee of the local bar and bat mitzvahs, and endears himself to many of the local moms in the town. One mom in particular Domino, played by Dakota Johnson, is noticed to never leave her daughter’s side. It is then revealed her daughter has autism and prefers the comforts of her noise-canceling headphones and Rubik’s Cubes. Andrew finds himself wanting to help Domino’s daughter break out of her shell a bit and in doing so finds himself falling for Domino. As their relationship develops, additional layers are revealed and feelings become deeper and more real. The ending of this movie is grounded in reality and beauty. Cooper and Dakota have a magnetism to their on-screen relationship from which you can’t look away. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” isn’t groundbreaking, but it is an extremely well-put-together film which tells a deeply personal story.
1. The Worst Person in The World
“The Worst Person in The World” is a force of a film coming out of Norway. It is easiest to classify this as a romantic comedy but leaving it at that would be a severe misnomer. It is part romantic comedy, part drama, part psychedelic, all rounded out with some superb performances to boot. Reinate Reinsve shines in her breakout role as Julie. This film follows Julie as she attempts to figure out who she is in this world, and more importantly who she is while tied to someone else. We see her attempt several different relationships in order to find her own agency while searching for the fulfillment she requires from being intertwined with a significant other. With the journey we find anguish, love, pain, sorrow and everything in between. I honestly don’t want to say too much about this film other than if it’s playing in a theater near you I urge you to see it and what this genre can really be. I applaud Director Joachim Trier for this genre-bending film and allowing all of us in the audience to continue to evolve as consumers of film and to always crave innovative stories and innovative storytelling.
