Sundance Film Festival Favorites

 

I spent the last half of the week of January and the first half of the week in February watching all the movies and all the things at the Sundance Virtual Film Festival! And oh what a treat! I will watch all the things virtually, thank you very much. What a success. They should feel so proud to pull off such a wonderful festival that so many people could participate who couldn't otherwise. There is no possible way even without a pandemic that I could ever watch as many wonderful films as I did without doing it virtually! It's taken me a week to get back to the real world and recover. I stayed up too late and still had work to do the next day along with watching all the things. I truly hope they do some form virtually next year so I can still participate next year and in ensuing years!

Also a big thank you to my family for helping me participate this year. DH enjoyed a couple of movies with me and this was like a mini vacation for me so lots of stuff went neglected...

Here are a few pics I took from home. Corner left is Robin Wright talking about her film Land that she wrote and directed and starred in. Top right is the crew from Passing, and bottom is the crew from Mayday.

For everyone who signed up for at least one movie they offered a free screening of a movie from a previous Sundance premier...Columbus. It was a beautiful film and glad I got to enjoy it for free.

Jan 28th I watched one movie Censor at the 10 pm premiere. It was a trip! I enjoyed it immensely but it's made for the fans of slasher movies from the 80s, especially from the UK and their "Nasties." There was quite a wave of hysteria around those movies apparently at that time.

They also premiered their Shorts series and Shorts documentaries, and Animation Spotlight. I watched two sets of their Shorts, but due to some miscommunication I wasn't able to see the last two short films of the first section, which makes me so mad since the one I wanted to see the most was the last on that section! It figures.

Short series #4: My favorite that I saw was Doublespeak about a woman who reports sexual harassment from her boss but since she can't 'prove' it they say they can't do anything it about it. It's a very powerful little film.

Documentary shorts #1: So many good ones in this set. This Is the Way We Rise stands out for showcasing how words and poetry can instill power and activism. They focus on Indigenous people from Hawaii standing up for their land rights and the young woman who helps bring them together.

Jan 29th I watched the documentary Bring Your Own Brigade. It's a big piece. Full of characters, fires, death, and policy. I think the director put too much in; it's a bit bloated and long. But it's still an important work and I highly recommend it when it gets distributed! It focuses on the fires of 2018 and everything in between, from the causes, how to manage the land, who gets hit the hardest, and what to do for the future. Highly recommended!

The next movie I really enjoyed was Knocking, a Swedish horror that focuses on gaslighting women and how hard it is for women to be believed even when they're right. But it's even harder when they are faced with mental illness. 

Documentary Shorts #2: G was able to watch one of these with me The Field Trip. They film a field trip to a JA Biz Town in Oregon where kids spend the day having "jobs" to do like adults. G did this same thing but where we live a couple of years ago with his grade. They let the documentary speak for itself and it was a bit troubling to see how the kids "lived" up to their expectations whether great or small. "CEOs" talking down to others. Kids getting really stressed out over paperwork. Yikes! 

When We Were Bullies was also a haunting short. A man remembers bullying a kid with his class after school when he was in the fifth grade in New York. He ends up tracking down everyone involved and trying to figure why.

Jan. 30th I watched three movies but the only one I'll mention is Passing adapted and directed by Rebecca Hall and based off a book by Nella Larsen from the 1920s. It stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. Just gorgeous and haunting. I loved it. Definitely a must-see when it comes out!

Jan. 31st I watched 4 movies and all of them were really fantastic. But my favorite was Mayday. It's a retelling of some Greek mythology, specifically the Sirens. There are lots of layers and lots of powerful women. It's different because it crosses so many genres. But it's a powerful film and can't wait to see it again. So definitely look for that one! 

The others I'll mention and that you definitely should see when they come are: Marvelous and the Black Hole, an adorable coming-of-age story that deals with grief. Land, also about grief. And First Date, which I found to be a really fun film.

Shorts #3 section was really great. My favorite, though, was Wiggle Room. A woman in a wheelchair needs to visit the insurance agency in order to get reimbursed for the ramp she built. Red tape ensues and then another disgruntled client causes mayhem. She ends up saving the day. Such a great little film.

Feb. 1st I watched two films. Ma Belle, My Beauty was excellent. It takes place in a quaint Southern French village. The director says to pair the movie with a good red French wine! I definitely will do that next time I see it! There's lots of romance, polyamory, specifically, which was great to see on film. 

Shorts #1 section my favorite was Don't Go Telling Your Momma. The director did an ABCs theme on experiences of being Black in America. Very powerful and touching. BJ's Mobile Gift Shop was also really interesting. A man literally has a suit case full of useful items that he sells to people when in need. 

Shorts #2 section there were a lot of very interesting ones. One man made a short on the urban legend of how Phil Collins made his song In the Air Tonight. LATA we experienced a day-in-the-life of a domestic worker in India. It was really moving.

Feb. 2nd I watched 4 films. Violation was my amazing, but it is not for the feint of heart. A woman seeks revenge and we go on this journey with her. Truly terrifying but so well done! We're All Going to the World's Fair is a homage to the creepy pasta genre. Excellent performances but I wasn't quite the target audience. 

Life in a Day 2020 was offered to Utah locals so I took advantage. Truly touching film. The editing was phenomenal. It's on YouTube now for free. So please check it out. The day was in July of last year and it's truly an amazing film.

Feb. 3rd I watched 6 films! I caught up on the films I couldn't get to before and ones that won the awards at Sundance. I watched stuff back to back and I still could not get them all in!

Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Couldn't Be Televised) was amazing! If you see only one documentary this year, make sure it is this one! Harlem had their own music festival the summer of Woodstock. It was professionally filmed but nobody wanted to buy the rights and air it. So it sat in a basement for 50 years until now. Questlove brought this all together and interviewed people who were in the audience and people who had participated. So many people were there! He takes us through so many of the performances and brings context to the times. Powerful. This was my favorite of the Festival.

CODA (child of deaf adults) was a great one too. Apple just bought it for tons of money to distribute it and it will definitely be a crowd-pleaser.

On the Count of Three was a funny and dark movie that explores what makes life worth living.

Flee is a documentary on a man who had to flee Afghanistan as a child and relocated to Sweden. It's a harrowing journey that is done through animation in order to keep him anonymous. The director explores the trauma that people carry especially as children. Powerful and a must-see.

Writing With Fire focuses on an all-women newspaper in Northern India. It explores the caste system, and the violence and poverty and injustice that these women try to expose and change. They're constantly under threat as well. It's a must-see documentary and look forward to its eventual release.

I am just so grateful I got this opportunity. I don't know if I'll ever get it again. So I ate it up and let it soak in.