I suppose this is days one and two for me, when in actuality they are days 2 and 3. Whatever, those are just small details. The real story lies in the films I’ve been able to watch! Some have been very entertaining, while some just sort of pass the time. Luckily, none have outright disappointed me, and that’s a wonderful thing!
Day 1
After a long week at my day job, I barely kept my eyes open to finish the three films I had scheduled for Friday, but I did it! Perhaps one of my favorite films so far premiered this day! I would say all of these are worth your time, so let’s hope they get picked up by a distributor soon!
John and the Hole – What a bizarre indie film this turned out to be. John is an awkward and lanky teenager that seems enamored with one-word responses and an endless cadre of questions that would surely annoy any adult. It turns out that John wants to live a life of no rules, so one night, he drugs his family and traps them in an unfinished bunker he found in the backyard. From that moment on, John drives his dad’s car, uses the ATM (with a pretty generous savings account), and eats junk food and plays video games. He even impersonates his family so that no one is privy to what’s actually going on. He drops off food very infrequently to his family, who are having an unbelievable time trying to figure out why John would do this. Even though they are pissed and confused, it’s strange to see how much they still worry and care about him. This is something that John, as a young teen, just doesn’t seem to pick up on (like most young teens). John is definitely a sociopath in my book, because nothing is a menacing as seeing him peer down at his family from the top of the bunker.
On the Count of Three – In actor Jarrod Carmichael’s directorial debut, he plays recently suicidal Val, who along with his suicidal best friend Kevin, decide to shoot each other in the head. Before that happens though, the two decide to tie up some loose ends and commit some low-level crimes. They go dirt bike riding together before going to confront Kevin’s doctor from back in the day. Before that happens though, there are a lot of shenanigans laced in between. Despite the really heavy and dark subject matter, there is a grand dose of levity and humor throughout that really lets the friendship between these two friends shine. One of my favorite scenes has to be when Kevin is driving and singing emphatically to Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” (ironically, this song recently encountered a TikTok revival). I’ve been on a real Christopher Abbott kick this past year, so watching this film was a bit of a no-brainer for me, but I loved seeing his chemistry with Carmichael, along with a few fun cameos. Definitely have this film on your radar for the future!
Knocking – I reluctantly decided to buy a ticket to this film that was premiering in the “Midnight” section of Sundance’s program mainly because it seemed like it would be more suspenseful rather than outright scary. And I was right. Molly is a woman who is just resurfacing into the real world after a stay in a psychiatric hospital. The stay was prompted by a tragic beach accident involving her girlfriend. Despite her time away, Molly still seems incredibly frail heading out to start her life over, and it’s clear she’s going to be haunted from the events at the beach the rest of her life. Well, that, or the constant knocking sound coming from seemingly everywhere in her new apartment. And it’s not just the knocking. Soon she’s being harassed by voiceless phone calls, screaming in her bathroom, and unsettling encounters with her neighbors and the landlord. The film takes real life tragedy and instead of making something of the mind coming loose from it, it sort of morphs into the supernatural. That was a bit disappointing, but I loved sitting on the edge with Molly throughout the film.
Day 2
On this second day of the film festival, I got to watch another three, which varied immensely in subject matter and style, which is a fun way to shake up the day! It also marked two feature debuts from actors! That’s always a really neat treat for me, and I imagine a very nerve-wracking experience for the actor. I will say, they both have the chops for it!
Mass – What a strong and viscerally emotional film this turned out to be from Fran Krantz in his directorial debut! When I first heard the premise of two couples sitting down and having a conversation about a tragedy that befell their families several years back, I immediately thought of Carnage. While this definitely had some similarities, this was different in the weight of emotion that was being carried. Jay and Gail are meeting with Richard and Linda to talk about the aftermath since a school shooting several years back. They meet in a very neutral room in a church, and at first there are awkward pleasantries that lead into questions that tip-toe around the real purpose of why Jay and Linda wanted to meet. Richard and Linda’s son Hayden shot and killed Jay and Gail’s son, Evan. It’s clear as the film rolls on that both couples harbor very complex feelings about the event, but also how that past shaped that future. All parties brought gut-wrenching sincerity to their monologues, and what transpires in the end is truly beautiful. Aside from the strong performances, this also brings gun control back to the spotlight – and rightfully so! This is certainly a drama, but it’s a drama worth your time (and tissues).
Passing – Another directorial debut, but this time from the well-renowned actress, Rebecca Hall. Her film Passing, based on the novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, chronicles the lives of two mixed-race friends who reunite years later. After and awkward reunion, the two eventually become obsessed with one another’s lives. Clare has been Passing as white for ages, and is unknown to her husband who actively detests black people. Despite not living life as her true self, she is very well off. Irene on the other hand, while she sometimes passes as white herself, decides to live a life in Harlem with her husband and championing the black community. As the film wears on, it’s clear that Clare finds an immense fascination and jealously of Irene’s life, so she integrates herself as much as possible. Irene on the other hand just seems to observe and is confused why Clare would give up all of the opportunity available to her as a “white” woman. I loved listening to Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson’s incredibly smooth voices and cherished their interactions with one another, but the story took an almost drastic turn into relationship jealously that seemed rather out of place to me. I do wonder if the novel is a little more compelling and detailed in the events that transpired, but the ending was quite shocking! Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Do with that what you will.
Eight for Silver – Even though I knew this film was going to be about werewolves, I was a little taken aback at the gore that was peppered throughout. With that being said, it wasn’t a consistent display of gore, which based on how the story paced out, it seemed like there should have been a lot more of it. Also, the story was a bit confusing. First, you open with WWI soldiers, where we see one man die after a silver bullet gets dug out of his torso. We’re brought back to his gothic home, where almost immediately we are shot back into the past. It shows gypsies being mass-murdered, which then launches a curse on the town. Cue creepy appendage-less scarecrow man! The lycanthropy slowly overtakes the town and exacts its bloody revenge, but the path there is unevenly paced and a little unexciting. Couple that with no real interesting characters and you’re left with something akin to a B-level horror film. And even with very little special effects knowledge can tell that theirs’ were not really up to par at times. As I’ve seen across social media, I can agree that this film had some cool concepts, but just a mediocre execution of them. With all that, it did give me some jump scares, so kudos to them.