Cinema Styles at Sundance Film Festival Part II
Editor’s Note: This is the second story of a two part series on the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
There were several other highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Here are a few I recommend, along with their official plot synopsis.
A Little Prayer (directed by Angus Maclachlan) — In the South, a man tests the limits of patriarchal interference to protect his daughter-in-law when he discovers his son is having an affair. Maclachlan returns to the Sundance Film Festival (writer, Junebug, 2005) with another deeply personal and humorous tale that beautifully reveals complex family dynamics and the inner workings of Southern towns. Placing a gentle lens on the extraordinary moments that lurk just beneath ordinary conversations, Maclachlan guides an ensemble cast (including an incredible David Strathairn) to nuanced performances rooted in empathy. With realism, wit, and charm, A Little Prayer beckons us to embrace the unexpected ways we can connect with one another.
Cassandro (directed by Roger Ross Williams) — Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated, 2016 Sundance Film Festival) makes his fiction directorial debut with the real-life tale of Cassandro, the “Liberace of lucha libre,” crafting an engaging origin story for an outsider turned unlikely superstar. Gael García Bernal embodies the two distinct sides of Saúl, capturing both his feelings of otherness and the boisterous ring persona who embraces and revels in his difference.
Fair Play (directed by Chloe Domont — An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a young couple’s relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement. In her explosive feature debut, writer-director Chloe Domont weaves a taut psychological thriller, unflinchingly staring down the destructive gender dynamics that pit partners against each other in a world that’s transforming faster than the rules can keep up. Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich deliver commanding performances as a couple whose romance hardens into ruthlessness when stakes climb higher than even the volatile fortunes of their clients. With razorsharp precision in its writing and tense cinematography, Fair Play unravels the uncomfortable collision of empowerment and ego. Netflix purchased the rights to this film, and will be releasing it later this year.
Infinity Pool (directed by Brandon Cronenberg) — James and Em are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence, and surreal horrors. Writer-director Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor, 2020 Sundance Film Festival) returns to Park City with a new scifi trip through the wicked exploits of foreigners abroad. Crushing violence and surreal horrors puncture this dark satire of the privileged few, centered on the depraved lead performances of Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth. This film is currently in theaters.
Magazine Dreams (directed by Elijah Bynum) — An amateur bodybuilder struggles to find human connection as his relentless drive for recognition pushes him to the brink. Writer-director Elijah Bynum masterfully reveals the duality of Killian’s existence, depicting the toll of a toxic stew of selfimposed pressure to meet unrealistic expectations and hypermasculine role modeling while simultaneously conveying his genuine, if fraught, efforts to fulfill an underlying desire for human connection. Jonathan Majors, in a committed performance of tremendous physicality, powerfully embodies the lengths Killian will go in his desperate need to be seen. Magazine Dreams is a provocative film that respects the dignity of its protagonist as it pulls no punches in portraying the most physically and emotionally painful moments of his darkening odyssey.
Mamacruz (directed by Patricia Ortega) — With the help of her newly emigrated daughter, a religious grandmother learns how to use the internet. However, an accidental encounter with pornography poses a dilemma for her. Co-writer/director Patricia Ortega’s spirited, sensitive film imbeds a celebration of Cruz’s sexual reawakening within its satire of religious repression before blossoming into a tender, honest depiction of the woman’s resolve to reassess and redefine her entire existence. Veteran actor Kiti Mánver portrays Cruz with tremendous warmth and openness, sweeping the audience up along with her in her transformation. Meanwhile, Fran Fernández Pardo’s cinematography delicately frames the character’s frustration and embodies her longing to break through the barriers that have defined her life for so long.
Passages (directed by Ira Sachs) — In contemporary Paris, German filmmaker Tomas embraces his sexuality through a torrid love affair with a young woman named Agathe, an impulse that blurs the lines which define his relationship with his husband, Martin. Director Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue, 2005 U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize) returns with his eighth film to screen at Sundance: a grounded examination of the human experience that concentrates on the differences and similarities between physical and emotional attraction and puts forth the question of separating the art from the artist. The elegant cinematography is expertly balanced by deeply complex performances in which Sachs allows his characters to settle into quiet, uncomfortable moments and confront their imperfections. Passages is an intensely intimate piece that refuses to shy away from the messiness of life.
Rotting in the Sun (directed by Sebastián Silva) — After filmmaker Sebastián Silva goes missing in Mexico City, social media celebrity Jordan Firstman begins searching for him, suspecting the cleaning lady in Sebastián’s building may have something to do with his disappearance. Sebastián Silva returns to Sundance playing a derisive version of himself in his latest black comedy, skewering not only the business of filmmaking, but also our modern solipsistic culture. Darkly funny, refreshingly audacious in its depiction of sex, and with pitchperfect performances, this wildly unconventional quasi-detective story adds to the unpredictable Silva’s eclectic body of work.
The Accidental Getaway Driver (directed by Sing J. Lee) — Long, an elderly Vietnamese driver in Southern California, answers a late-night call for a ride. Already in his pajamas, he reluctantly accepts, picking up a man, Tây, and his two companions. But the men, recently escaped convicts from an Orange County jail, take Long hostage at gunpoint, thrusting him into their getaway plan. When complications arise, the fugitives and their hostage hole up at a motel, and a tense waiting game unfolds. Sing J. Lee’s striking visuals and mood-driven aesthetic set the tone for unnerving intensity, punctuated by moments of humor and warmth. Inspired by a true story, this isn’t just a crime film, but a stirring portrait of this lonely old man and his relationship with Tây. It’s hard to overstate the captivating presence and poignance of Hi p Tr n Ngh a in carrying the burdens of Long’s past — expressed through lyrical and gently surreal interludes: war, re-education camp, family estrangement, and now his marked isolation, having lost every “home” he’s ever known.
The Pod Generation (directed by Sophie Barthes) — In a not-so-distant future, amid a society madly in love with technology, tech giant Pegazus offers couples the opportunity to share their pregnancies via detachable artificial wombs or pods. And so begins Rachel and Alvy’s wild ride to parenthood in this brave new world. A social satire of detachment parenting, Sophie Barthes’ third feature delves into the fraught, comedically tantalizing relationship between technology, nature, and society. In her imaginative world, AIS make coffee, print toast, track productivity, and measure people’s “bliss index.” But at what cost? Even nature is no longer natural (there are “nature pods”). Barthes brings a funny, philosophical sensibility to her questioning of society’s giddy pursuit of convenience, tech’s intrusion in our lives, womb envy, and the commodification of… everything. And Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s wry touch and emotional depth lend it a deep resonance and romance.
Theater Camp (directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman) — When the beloved founder of a run-down theater camp in upstate New York falls into a coma, the eccentric staff must band together with the founder’s cryptobro son to keep the camp afloat. First-time feature directorial duo Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman authentically celebrate the brilliant and slightly unhinged educators and magical spaces that allow kids to be themselves and find their confidence, nailing the details after experiencing decades of camp life. With a winning comedic ensemble cast and boundless creativity, Theater Camp wears its cult-following potential squarely on its sequined shoulders, gifting us with instantly quotable lines and zany, lovable characters in the kind of hilarious mockumentary that deserves rapturous applause.
You Hurt My Feelings (directed by Nicole Holofcener) — A novelist’s longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband giving his honest reaction to her latest book.
Holofcener returns to Sundance for the fourth time with a cleverly observed, witty film that delicately skewers its sharply drawn, imperfect characters’ insecurities, privilege, and narcissism. Julia Louisdreyfus and Tobias Menzies lead a uniformly superb, funny cast, as they pull everyone around them into the fallout of navigating whether loving someone also requires loving their work. Michaela Watkins stands out as the frank, unflappable Sara, who handles her own marriage to sensitive actor, Mark (played with charm by Arian Moayed), much more deftly.
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival was another successful event showcasing some of the most talented voices in independent cinema. The Sundance team carefully selected its lineup of movies, and the quality was consistently high. Many of the films screened don’t yet have distribution, but they will gradually be released in the coming year, so keep an eye out for them.
Bobby Styles studied Film at UCLA, and worked as an editor and producer on several film, commercial, and music video projects in Los Angeles. He currently teaches the intermediate and advanced Video Production courses in the Multimedia & Technology Academy at Monache High School. His column appears weekly in The Recorder.