Other Films I Watched | Sundance 2022
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Here, you'll find quick, mini-reviews about films I watched throughout this year's Sundance Film Festival that I didn't have time to write a full, lengthy article about.
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PIGGY - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Carlota Pereda
Written by: Carlota Pereda
Starring: Laura Galán
Runtime: 90 min
Synopsis: With the summer sun beating down on her rural Spanish town, Sara (Laura Galán) hides away in her parent’s butcher shop. A teenager whose excess weight makes her the target of incessant bullying, she flees a clique of capricious girls who torment her at the town pool, only to stumble upon them being brutally kidnapped by a stranger, who drives off with them in his van. When the police begin asking questions, Sara keeps quiet. Intrigued by the stranger - an interest that’s mutual - she’s torn between revealing the truth and protecting the man who saved her.
Read MoreResurrection - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Andrew Semans
Written by: Andrew Semans
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman, Michael Esper, Angela Wong Carbone
Runtime: 103 min
Synopsis: Margaret (Rebecca Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. But that careful balance is upended when she glimpses a man she instantly recognizes, an unwelcome shadow from her past. A short time later, she encounters him again. Before long, Margaret starts seeing David (Tim Roth) everywhere - and their meetings appear to be far from an unlucky coincidence. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.
Read MoreBrian and Charles - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Jim Archer
Written by: David Earl, Chris Hayward
Starring: David Earl, Chris Hayward, Louise Brealey, Jamie Michie, Lowri Izzard, Mari Izzard
Runtime: 90 min
Synopsis: An endearing outlier, Brian (David Earl) lives alone in a Welsh valley, inventing oddball contraptions that seldom work. After finding a discarded mannequin head, Brian gets an idea. Three days, a washing machine, and sundry spare parts later, he’s invented Charles (Chris Hayward), an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and proves a charming, cheeky companion. Before long, however, Charles also develops autonomy. Intrigued by the wider world - or whatever lies beyond the cottage where Brian has hidden him away - Charles craves adventure.
Read MoreDual - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Riley Stearns
Written by: Riley Stearns
Starring: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale
Runtime: 95 min
Synopsis: Recently diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease, Sarah (Karen Gilian) is unsure how to process the news. To help ease her friends’ and family’s impending loss, she is encouraged to participate in a simple futuristic cloning procedure called “Replacement,” after which Sarah’s last days will be spent teaching the clone how to live on as Sarah once she’s gone. But while it takes only an hour for a clone to be made, things become significantly more challenging when that double is no longer wanted.
Read MoreGood Luck to You, Leo Grande - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Sophie Hyde
Written by: Katy Brand
Starring: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack
Runtime: 97 min
Synopsis: Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) doesn’t know good sex. Whatever it may be, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, is pretty sure she has never had it, but she is determined to finally do something about that. She even has a plan: It involves an anonymous hotel room, and a young sex worker who calls himself Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack). Leo is confident, dapper, and takes pride in being good at his job. He also appears to be intrigued by Nancy - one of many things to surprise her during their time together.
Read MoreNanny - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Nikyatu Jusu
Written by: Nikyatu Jusu
Starring: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams
Runtime: 97 min
Synopsis: Aisha (Anna Diop), an undocumented Senegalese immigrant, lands a job as a nanny of a wealthy Manhattan couple. While she easily wins the affection of their young daughter Rose (Rose Decker), she becomes a pawn in the couple’s facade of a marriage. The mother is as controlling as the dad is disillusioned and woke. Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind in Senegal, Aisha hopes her new job will afford her the chance to bring him to the U.S. and share in the life she is piecing together. But as his arrival approaches, a supernatural presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality.
Read MoreEmergency - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Carey Williams
Written by: K.D. Dávila
Starring: RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Sabrina Carpenter
Runtime: 104 min
Synopsis: Straight-A college student Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his laid-back best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are about to have the most epic night of their lives. Determined to be the first Black students to complete their school’s frat party legendary tour, the friends strap in for their ultimate assignment, Solo cups in hand. But a quick pit stop at home alters their plans when they find a white girl passed out on the living room floor. Faced with the risks of calling the police under life-threatening optics, Kunle, Sean, and their Latino roommate, Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), must find a way to de-escalate the situation before it’s too late.
Read MoreAfter Yang - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Kogonada
Written by: Kogonada
Starring: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Haley Lu Richardson
Runtime: 96 min
Synopsis: When Yang (Justin H. Min) - a lifelike, artificially intelligent android that Jake and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) buy as a companion for their adopted daughter - abruptly stops functioning, Jake (Colin Farrell) just wants him repaired quickly and cheaply. But having purchased Yang “certified refurbished” from a now-defunct store, he’s led first to a conspiracy theorist technician and then a technology museum curator, who discovers that Yang was actually recording memories. Jake’s quest eventually becomes one of existential introspection and contemplating his own life, as it passes him by.
Read MoreWhen You Finish Saving the World - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022
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Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
Written by: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Alisha Boe, Jay O. Sanders, Billy Bryk, Eleonore Hendricks
Runtime: 88 min
Synopsis: From his bedroom home studio, high school student Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) performs original folk-rock songs for an adoring online fan base. This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn (Julianne Moore), who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie (Eleonore Hendricks) and her teen son, Kyle (Billy Bryk), when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts.
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