The 2022 Sundance Film Festival is well underway. This year, despite the festival taking place in a completely virtual environment, there are a number of great films that are featured across multiple genres. Cinema Scholars presents a brief review and synopsis of eight of these films.
Short Term 12 (2009)
dir. Destin Daniel Cretton
Counselors at a group home for troubled adolescents work to keep the kids on the straight and narrow while navigating their own troubles. Cretton would go on to direct a full-length adaptation of this film, which was my personal favorite film from 2013, as well as the springboard to success for Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield, Kaitlyn Dever, and Rami Malek.
The 22-minute runtime flies by with solid performances all around, including Stanfield, who is the only holdover from the short to the feature. The film reinforces the idea that the adults running the group home are just as messed up as the kids. It’s no wonder Cretton has his current success (3.5/5.0)
FRESH
dir. Mimi Cave
Following a meeting at a grocery store and initial hookup, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) goes away for the weekend with her new boyfriend Steve (Sebastian Stan). As the weekend begins, Steve opens up about his unusual appetites while Noa struggles to adapt.
It’s difficult to talk about this film without diving into spoiler territory, but just know that the first 30 minutes and the last 90 minutes are a very large tonal shift. Elements of romance, dark comedy, slasher, and body horror are all on display. Edgar-Jones’ likeability and geniality are at the forefront, but it’s Stan who shines. In a role that requires the depths of darkness, his charm and wit turn what would be a purely villainous role into something much more complex.
Excellent production design and some nifty subversion of the dating and slasher genres prove Cave as a director with a keen eye and immense talent. Lots of fun despite the subject matter. (4.0/5.0)
A Love Song
dir. Max Walker-Silverman
Faye (Dale Dickey) is a widowed woman camping by the lake in Colorado. Faye meets up with her childhood sweetheart and fellow widower Lito (Wes Studi) to reminisce and not be alone.
Simple and unpretentious, Walker-Silverman doesn’t overdo what he has with the setting and story. Shots of sunsets over pristine lakes feel natural, while the action develops leisurely, but with purpose. Dickey and Studi also operate on the same calm level, but their awkward chemistry develops to a gentle warmth. So much is unsaid or built with the years of foundational backstory. The script doesn’t overdo the drama, which the actors and filmmakers are completely in sync with. Dickey is spectacular in the silence of her performance.
The film is a love letter to the burden of surviving. Both characters attempt to cope with loneliness in their own ways, but it doesn’t always come forth in a way you expect. Memorably tiny with a great ending. (3.5/5.0)
After Yang
dir. Kogonada
Jake (Colin Farrell) attempts to repair the family android Yang (Justin H. Min) for companionship to his daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaj). As he scrambles to repair Yang, Jake gains insight into his own family as well as Yang’s life and his connection to a young woman named Ada (Haley Lu Richardson).
The world Kogonada has crafted is futuristic, unique, and quietly elegant. Every character’s volume is in a gentle, controlled tone, giving the film a clean, steady pace as well as casting a heightened need in the viewer’s attention. Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith do a fine job of steering the majority of the action, but it’s Min as the titular Yang that steals the show.
While definitely not for everyone, the atmosphere and a deft ensemble make for a memorable experience. Kogonada continues pushing the boundaries for modern filmmaking. (3.5/5.0)
Fire of Love
dir. Sara Dosa
Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things: each other and volcanoes. This documentary explores their love of volcanology as well as some of the couple’s own stunning footage.
The Kraffts are both wonderful characters for a documentary, but their footage is the true stars. The close-up volcano eruptions paired with actress Miranda July’s dreamy narration lends itself to a truly captivating film.
A love triangle, where two people are in love with each other and the destructive forces of nature. Beautifully wonderful. (4.0/5.0)
The Cathedral
dir. Ricky D’Ambrose
Only child Jesse experiences two decades of his family through fractured, random, and specific memories. Between the business struggles of his father (Brian d’Arcy James) and the family issues of his mother (Monica Barbaro), Jesse lives through the experiences of others.
What specifics do you remember as a child? What perspective do you embrace? The film obviously represents an autobiographical look at D’Ambrose’s experiences, but it’s also the little odd memories that stick as well. There are obviously big experiences, but little pieces resonate as well.
The disjointed, spastic narrative is definitely an original idea, and it’s a noble effort at trying something different and personal. Unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed any part of it. Overlong, despite a mere 87-minute runtime. (2.0/5.0)
When You Finish Saving the World
dir. Jesse Eisenberg
Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) is a vlogger who performs music to his number of followers. Evelyn (Julianne Moore) is Ziggy’s mother who no longer understands the child she raised. Working at a women’s shelter, Evelyn looks to a young man (Billy Byrk) as a “replacement” while Ziggy stumbles through his pursuit of a politically-minded classmate Lila (Alisha Boe).
Eisenberg is clearly influenced by the awkward interplay between the characters in Noah Baumbach films, but instead of intellectuals stuck in their own little world, Evelyn and Ziggy are raging narcissists who are completely oblivious to anyone who doesn’t directly help their own lives. Moore and Wolfhard do what they can, but there is nothing enjoyable about watching their narcissism.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and there are worse places to start than a Baumbach impression by Eisenberg. Hopefully, the next time will work out more successfully. (2.5/5.0)
Nanny
dir. Nikyatu Jusu
Senegalese immigrant Aisha (Anna Diop) longs to bring her son to the United States. She lands a job as a nanny to the daughter of a posh Manhattan wife Amy (Michelle Monaghan) and her husband Adam (Morgan Spector). As the day to bring her son to America gets closer, supernatural elements begin to take over Aisha’s nightmares as well as her reality.
Aisha is a dynamic character and Diop doesn’t waste any opportunity to express her worries, frustrations, or exuberance at the prospects of her future. The film ratchets up the tension to unbearable levels without a clear understanding of what is happening to Aisha. It’s all about atmosphere and Jusu creates some astounding visuals to go along.
More of a horror story of experience, the film sets the right tone and delivers something unsettling in the best way. Jusu is a real filmmaking voice to keep an eye out for. (4.0/5.0)
Cinema Scholars will be back later in the week with more coverage from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
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