It’s that time of year again! Even though the Sundance Film Festival is finally taking place in person again, I am thankful that they’ve kept an online component. Sure, a lot of the films in the Premieres category weren’t available for online viewers, but I still managed to stuff my schedule with nine options for one weekend. I even found something worthwhile to get an Explorer pass this year! Take a look at all the treasures from the festival I got to enjoy (mostly).
Fair Play – Before my online pass went live, this erotic corporate thriller is what I was hearing the most praise about. And Netflix’s already acquired it! Basically, this is the story of a couple, recently engaged, who both work at the same firm dealing in stocks and bonds, etc. They’re keeping their relationship a secret, because you know, that’s a big HR no-no. It’s made even more complicated when Emily gets a promotion over Luke, where he now will be reporting to her! Of course he is initially all feminist and is happy for her, but quickly spirals at the change in power dynamics. This movie takes some wild and suspenseful turns and I really enjoyed it.
The Night Logan Woke Up – I think it should come as no surprise now that I’m a little bit obsessed with Xavier Dolan, so when I saw that his first television series was going to air its first two episodes at Sundance as part of the Explorer Program, you know I snatched up a ticket! While this is Dolan’s first stab at television, I also believe it’s his first time crafting a true suspense/thriller story. And let me tell you what, I watched those two episodes and I want MORE! There’s still so much hanging in the balance and so many mysteries to uncover in this fucked up family that’s reunited in the wake of their mother’s death. Some bad stuff happened in the past, and I am itching to know what. This series so far is uncomfortable and eerie but in the best possible way. I’ll be on the lookout for where this eventually airs in the US for sure.
Cat Person – Having not read The New Yorker short story that this film was based off of, I can’t totally compare it apples to apples. But based on the high level overview I found online, the film did seem to follow the story…but then decided to tack on some extra drama at the end that I don’t think totally did it any favors. I can understand why it was added on, to give it some more stakes, flair, and entertainment value, but I think it could have thrived paying homage to the original story. It’s about a girl who has better conversations with an older guy via text and is repeatedly disappointed by him when they get together. Then she finds out he’s a liar and cuts it off. I think the Margaret Atwood quote at the beginning said it best, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them.”
Sometimes I Think About Dying – When I think of independent films, this dramedy is exactly what I picture. It’s pacing was slow, the music was quirky, and the characters are odd. That’s very stereotypical, but sometimes we get these kinds of films. I don’t know if I was having an off night, but this didn’t really capture me like I was expecting it to. Fran is an extremely awkward woman working in a office and not doing much else outside of that besides envisioning herself dead in a number of different ways. She finally dips a toe into the social world when a new co-worker, Robert, starts and makes it a point to try and get to know her. I would have loved to have known more about Fran’s past, but I suppose some people in this world really are like her. If this gets picked up by anyone I’ll likely give it another shot.
Scrapper – The Brits get it right for me a lot, and that was no different in this brief comedy-drama. We meet 12 year-old, Georgie, living by herself for a good bit of time after her mother passes away. She’s got all the nuances down to a science, and even these scenes manage to infuse a lot of comedy. Of course, that doesn’t cover the lump in your throat when she watches a video of her mother night after night. Georgie’s life gets turned upside down once more when her father shows up. A father she’s never known. Of course it’s heated and awkward for a while, but I give credit to Jason for really putting in an effort, even if it is 12 years late. These two reluctantly form a bond that, while still needs a lot of work, made me feel like Georgie was going to be okay. This won a Grand Jury Prize at the fest, so certainly worth your time!
Shortcomings – I was instantly charmed by Randall Park’s directorial debut. The cast was terrific and the story was, too. At the beginning we meet Ben and Miko at a screening of a big budget, all Asian, rom-com. Miko loves it, but Ben is a hipster at heart and thinks this pandering film is doing more harm than good for the Asian community. Could this have been a slight dig at his former Fresh Off the Boat co-star, Constance Wu? I kind of hope so given how flippant she was about their show. Anyways, Miko has had enough of Ben’s constantly negative outlook on just about everything so she heads off to New York. The rest of the film sees Ben trying and failing to build and maintain new relationships. It’s almost painful to see him deny how much he is the problem when everyone is spelling it out for him! Really enjoyed this and hope a distributor can give it some love.
Bad Behaviour – I was drawn into this film right away, but by the end it lost me. We meet Lucy who has just arrived at a semi-silent enlightenment retreat where she hopes to reset her life’s meaning and priorities. While she talks about the almost non-existent relationship she had with her mother, we’re also privy to the not-so-loving relationship she has with her daughter Dyaln, a stuntwoman. Dylan, too, we see bits of struggling. She just appears isolated even when she’s making out with one of her fellow stuntmen. At the retreat, Lucy reaches her breaking point and chaos ensues. There was so much drama up to that point that that sharp turn in action is what ultimately lost me. It was interesting, but I just didn’t understand the point. The film does get some bonus points for teaching me that first time writer-director, Alice Englert, is the daughter of Academy Award-winning director, Jane Campion, who made a brief cameo. Otherwise, kind of a bummer last viewing.
Magazine Dreams – I don’t know what I was expecting from this, but what was delivered was quite something! Killian is a man who we see shoveling 6,000 calories of mainly protein into his mouth day in and day out, followed by an obscene amount of weight lifting, and oh yeah, some steroids. But them’s the rules if you want to be a professional bodybuilder, or at least if you’re aspiring to be one. And Killian is. It’s his obsession, inspired by world renowned body builder, Brad Vanderhorn, who Killian is constantly trying to start correspondence with. Aside from his obsession, Killian is also very mentally unstable, and those roids sure aren’t helping matters. This was an intense look at the spiral Killian traverses down and I didn’t know the title of this movie would have a double meaning until it did. Definitely worth checking out if and when this gets released in the future. Johnathan Majors is a force to be reckoned with.
The Starling Girl – Ah, unfortunately, this was a film that I had dome hopes for that just kind of dragged on. In reading the description, it kind of felt like this was going to be a suspenseful film, but it was really just a dramatic coming of age tale. Jem is a seventeen year-old living by the rules of her very strict fundamentalist Christian church in rural Kentucky. She’s got a love of dance and music, and is trying to avoid being courted (see, arranged marriage), when she starts clandestinely seeing the pastor’s older, married son, Owen. For sure this dude is grooming her, but it’s so hard because Jem deserves to get out of this place. You can still have faith without it dictating your entire life – deciding who you are before you even get a chance to find out. The entire cast gives great performances, but this is something I don’t plan on catching again.
Theater Camp – As someone who’s never done theater and is not a fan of musicals, I was a little nervous for this film. But the cast was delightful, so I decided to give it a shot. Long story short – it’s hilarious. I’m sure if I’d ever been involved in theater at all that there’d be even more to laugh at, but this film did such a great job at paying homage and poking fun at these types of places. It’s truly a haven for the “outcasts” in school, so this is a place where they really thrive. Of course, most of the big laughs come from the counselors who’ve never really achieved much outside of this camp, but they love it regardless. Noah Galvin earned the biggest laughs from me, but everyone in this ensemble shined.