Wrap-Up | Sundance 2021

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Wrap-Up | Sundance 2021

I want to thank the Sundance Institute for giving me the chance to cover their festival, which I hope to come back to in-person once the global pandemic finally disappears. In the end, as much as I loved watching so many films, I feel extremely lucky to have met some extraordinary people online through this event. Hopefully, I’ll be able to meet you all at an actual festival one day. That was Sundance for me! I’ll leave my favorite movies from the festival below, as well as every other review I wrote during these fantastic days. See you at the next festival!

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The World to Come - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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The World to Come - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Mona Fastvold

Written by: Ron Hansen, Jim Shepard

Starring: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott

Runtime: 98 min

Synopsis: In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed.

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Judas and the Black Messiah - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Judas and the Black Messiah - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Shaka King

Written by: Will Berson, Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Lil Rey Howery, Martin Sheen

Runtime: 126 min

Synopsis: Fred Hampton’s (Daniel Kaluuya) cathartic words “I am a revolutionary” became a rallying call in 1969. As chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, Hampton demanded all power to the people and inspired a growing movement of solidarity, prompting the FBI to consider him a threat and to plant informant William O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) to infiltrate the party. Judas and the Black Messiah not only recounts Hampton’s legacy and the FBI’s conspiring but also gives equal footing to the man who became infamous for his betrayal - highlighting the systems of inequality and oppression that fed both of their roles.

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Violation - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Violation - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli

Written by: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli

Starring: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo, Cynthia Ashperger

Runtime: 107 min

Synopsis: Unhappily married Miriam (Madeleine Sims-Fewer) and Caleb (Obi Abili) join Miriam’s somewhat-estranged sister Greta (Anna Maguire) and husband Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe) at a lakeside cabin for a weekend of relaxation and reconciliation. Feeling spurned in attempts to connect with both Greta and Caleb, Miriam increasingly retreats to the easy comfort of her friendship with the affable Dylan. After a transgressive act of sexual violence, the film’s narrative vividly fractures, disorienting audiences while inextricably tying their experience to Miriam’s as she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.

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Prisoners of the Ghostland - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Prisoners of the Ghostland - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Sion Sono

Written by: Aaron Hendry, Reza Sixo Safai

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi, Yuzuka Nakaya

Runtime: 103 min

Synopsis: In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman - and his own path to redemption.

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The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Ana Katz

Written by: Ana Katz, Gonzalo Delgado

Starring: Daniel Katz, Julieta Zylberberg, Valeria Lois, Mirella Pascual, Carlos Portaluppi

Runtime: 73 min

Synopsis: Sebastian politely faces his neighbors, who complain about his dog’s cries, and similarly reacts to his employers, who forbid pets in the workplace. A series of peculiar and challenging moments like this follow as Sebastian changes jobs and reconnects with his mother. At one point, along with the new responsibility of being a father, Sebastian must contend with an unknown pandemic - one that requires the bizarre preventive measures of walking crouched down and wearing expensive bubble headgear. At times disaffected, at other times cautiously optimistic, “everyman” Sebastian shows surprising resilience through it all.

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Land - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Land - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Robin Wright

Written by: Jesse Chatham, Erin Dignam

Starring: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Kim Dickens

Runtime: 89 min

Synopsis: From acclaimed actress Robin Wright comes her directorial debut Land, the poignant story of one woman's search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter (Demián Bichir) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.

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