How’s that for injury? Fresh from A A hot batch of Oscar nominationsNow we move on to the other important news of the week, which is a new issue of the magazine Sundance Film Festivalwhere independent cinema will hold its ground for another year. As always, The Times will be in Park City, Utah, for all the engagements and world premieres — check back daily for reviews, news, video interviews and more. Evenings with single-digit temperatures await us, as well as a number of discoveries, we hope. For now, here are the headlines that trick us into going into them.
“By design”
Samantha Mathis, Juliette Lewis and Robin Tunney in “By Design.”
(Patrick Mead-Jones/Sundance Institute)
Juliette Lewis has played murderers, drifters, alcoholics, punk rockers, Reiki healers, and roller derby leaders. Now you play the role of the chair. (Yes, literally, with wood and four legs.) By Design by playwright-turned-filmmaker Amanda Kramer has one of Sundance’s most enigmatic hooks: What happens when a woman realizes that society prefers her rigid? Kramer’s first two films, “Ladyworld” and “Please Baby Please,” introduced her as a fashion designer with bold ideas and a careless disregard for telling stories that conformed to the rules — if it were a chair, she’d wear a slipcover. Sharp crystals. Obviously, fans will have to check their commitment to reality at the door. Even in a cast that includes Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, and Udo Kier, I’m very curious to see Mamoudou Athie playing a man who comes to own (and sit in) Lewis’ chair. Athey is a performer of extraordinary conviction, and this extraordinary film will take everything he’s got. — Amy Nicholson
“Dating Game”
A still from the documentary “The Dating Game”.
(Wei Zhao/Sundance Institute)
Much ado has been made about China’s lopsided intermarriage complex, with the latest census showing a surplus of 30 million single men. With the scarcity of women, the competition is intense – think “The Bachelorette” on steroids. Enter Howe, a dating expert who believes being yourself is a myth. He runs a seven-day training camp that reshapes lonely men abroad and at home, including flashy shirts and haircuts for what he calls “strategic deception.” Howe’s beautiful wife, Wayne, is a testament to his capturing skills. But the couple is still at odds. Not only does Wayne disagree with his teaching methods, she agrees with them king Business coaching that advises women to love themselves first. This documentary by Violet Du Feng examines the battle of the sexes on a very intimate and social scale. She turned her camera toward Chongqing, but captured a sympathetic world of insecurity, flirtation, and love. — Amy Nicholson
“It’s never over, Jeff Buckley.”
Jeff Buckley in the documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley.”
(Merry Cyr/Sundance Institute)
Like many, I discovered the beauty of Jeff Buckley’s music years after he drowned in the Mississippi River in 1997. There was a period when his only studio album, “Grace,” was a constant in my three-disc changer, listening to it every night while I drove around. Away from sleep. Even now, I still return to it often, 31 years after its release, because it remains a haunting, near-perfect album, one that I consider among the best albums of the last 50 years. Naturally, I’m eager to see what Oscar-nominated documentary maker Amy Berg (“Deliver Us from Evil,” “Janice: Little Blue Girl”) reveals for the film, whose title refers to the lyrics of Buckley’s song “Baby, You Should’ve Come.” Berg convinced Buckley’s mother, Marie Guibert, to give her access to the artist’s archive. The documentary promises rare screenings and “Buckley’s own diary narrative,” according to the festival’s programming notes. It’s also an opportunity to introduce a new audience to an amazing artist, who should be better known outside of his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” — Vanessa Franco
“hiding”
Archie Madekwe, left, and Théodore Pellerin in “Lurker.”
(Sundance Institute)
I’ve been waiting for British actor Archie Madekwe (“Midsommar”, “Gran Turismo”) to become a big star. Here, at least, he plays an up-and-comer — a musician who may need to get a better grip on his entourage. Before the velvet ropes rise, the artist lets the dubious regular Joe (Theodore Pellerin) into his inner circle. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next in this thriller, but I have a feeling that Madekwe, most recently seen in “Saltburn” as an arrogant scoundrel who was nullified by Barry Keoghan, might put up more of a fight this time around. Debut film director Alex Russell has two major television credits on his resume — “The Bear” and “Beef” — which he wrote and produced. Awkward tension is definitely his thing. If Russell’s depiction of burgeoning pop stardom is as visceral as his depiction of kitchens and road rage, this will be a scorching film. — Amy Nicholson
“The perfect neighbor”
A still from the documentary “The Perfect Neighbor”.
(Sundance Institute)
Many likely remember aspects of the 2023 news story about how Ajik “AJ” Owens, a mother of four, was shot by her neighbor Susan Lorinsch through a locked door after an escalating series of petty disputes. The Perfect Neighbor, directed by Geeta Gandebir and premiering in the US Documentary Competition, recounts the escalation and aftermath of this astonishing incident in vivid, up-close detail. Told largely through the prism of police body camera video – with the authorities being called to the quiet neighborhood so often that characters, story lines and subplots emerge clearly – there is a real immediacy to the storytelling that reaches a devastating climax as night falls. From shooting to chaos and heartbreak. Lorinsch is initially not charged with any crime due to Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law before he is later put on trial, as the film turns into an examination of how a single act of violence can irrevocably change the lives of many people. — Mark Olsen
“Serious people”
Miguel Huerta, left, and Pascual Gutierrez in “Serious People.”
(Pascal Gutierrez and Ben Mullen/Sundance Institute)
The festival’s NEXT section is home to films that are too offbeat, too unconventional, and too weird to fit into the other sections of the Sundance program. “Serious People,” directed by Pascual Gutierrez and Ben Mollenkoson, is an example of this spirit as its strange charm unfolds. Pascual, the music video director played by Gutierrez, wants to spend more time with his pregnant partner, so he hires a body double to take his place at work. The plan is for his counterpart to play unobtrusive during Zoom calls and production meetings, but the guy he hires turns out to be an unpredictable straight wire, prone to completely impractical ideas and completely inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The film is also quite funny, as it explores the need for work-life balance even in creative fields that also require a commitment of passion. — Mark Olsen
“Sorry, baby”
Eva Victor in the movie Sorry, Baby.
(Mia Cioffi-Henry/Sundance Institute)
The debut feature from star director and writer Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby, is a compact primer on why Sundance continues to matter. The film is an introduction to a compelling new artistic voice, capturing a certain malaise and anxiety that bespeaks the sensibilities of emerging generations. Told in an elliptical style with narrative chapters, the story follows Agnes, a literature graduate student turned junior professor at a small liberal arts college who struggles to move on after a traumatic event. Victor’s performance oozes grace and whimsy while also delivering dramatic emotional moments, sometimes within the same scene. With key supporting roles from Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges and John Carroll Lynch, the film is the kind of bold and innovative narrative coupled with the discovery of new talent that is exactly what one wants from a festival. — Mark Olsen
“Project Zodiac Killer”
A still from the movie “Project Zodiac Killer” directed by Charlie Shackleton.
(Sundance Institute)
Given all the high-profile films and TV series that have spun out of this still-unsolved criminal case, you might think that the actual Zodiac killer would have shown up by now, just to get a taste of the proceeds. Of course, as any geek knows, the real man is probably dead by this point, but don’t call director Charlie Shackleton late to the game. His dry, humorous documentary achieves more than most, first by being a meta-confessional about how his own efforts at making a conventional film failed. (He was denied the right to choose a book.) It doesn’t matter: the film he’s made is revenge on an entire genre, detailing all the clichés that go into seemingly every true crime project, including faceless and atmospheric re-creations. Those mysterious title sequences that manage to say everything and nothing. Narrated in his smart British voice, Shackleton’s latest provocation joins previous titles ‘Beyond Clueless’ and ‘Paint Drying’ as a fun, self-deprecating study that takes aim at a style of storytelling that could benefit from a little danger. — Joshua Rothkopf
