Sundance '25
Let's talk about the Sundance Film Festival
I attended Sundance Film Festival virtually both in 2021 and 2022. This year, however, I was lucky enough to head to Park City, Utah and check out the festival in person. It might come as a surprise to some of you, but this was my first ever film festival. Sure, I went to SXSW in 2010, but I was there to see Title Fight and the Strokes and I’m not even sure I knew there was a film aspect to the festival at that point.
We’re going to talk about the movies I watched this year at Sundance, but I’d like to talk about the festival itself which I found… interesting.
I’m glad I got to go and experience the festival in Park City. There have been rumors that it’s departure from it’s current location are imminent (as early as 2027) as the festival faces logistical and space issues at it’s current location (more on that in just a second). Park City is an awesome town and getting to walk around main street in the snow while other moviegoers, producers, and celebrities were doing the same was a super unique experience.
That said, I’d be lying if I pretended the festival was fun 100% of the time. There were several aspects that I found frustrating, particularly when it came to procuring tickets. Priority for each film is given to people in tiers: pass holders, ticket holders, and waitlist. I had heard from previous festival goers that using the waitlist was pretty easy and effective. You just showed up and got in line early for a movie you wanted to see and most of the time you got in, although it was obviously not guaranteed. This year (and I believe this started last year) everything was run through an app and went as such: The waitlist for a film opened 2 hours before it’s start time. When the waitlist opened you had to be logged into the app, click the “join waitlist” button, and you’d be assigned a number for the waitlist based on when the app sensed you hit join the waitlist. You’d THEN go and lineup no later than 30 minutes before the movie started (if you missed this time cutoff, you were sent to the back of the line and couldn’t claim your assigned spot) and from there they’d start letting in as many people as possible with the open seats. It’s a much more convoluted process than just showing up early for a movie you’d like to see. You’re essentially playing the lottery to see a movie. What’s more, a lot of times, the app straight up wouldn’t work. It would log you out of your account, causing you to miss out on the waitlist opening. For more popular films, the waitlist would be full after just a minute or even sooner. If the movie had a lot of requests for the waitlist, the app couldn’t handle that many people and often times the “join waitlist” button wouldn’t even populate and you’d be out of luck. I mentioned it’s like playing the lottery to see a movie but sometimes the app wouldn’t even let you buy a ticket to play the lottery. It made it more a game of chance rather than allowing somebody to make their own choices about how early/not early they’d show up in hopes of seeing a movie. It was not a great system to begin with and coupled with the myriad of technical issues, it made for a frustrating user experience. At a film festival, it’s tough feeling like the films you want to see aren’t accessible to anyone who didn’t get incredibly lucky or pay a crazy amount of money. It’s like going to a music festival and just being able to buy merch.
The traffic logistics also proved to be less than organized. Sundance and the city provided free shuttles throughout the festival (which were great) but they also shut down main street to pedestrian traffic only. This was AWESOME once you got to the center of town, but getting there proved to be a bit of a struggle as it created a MAJOR gridlock since there are very few thoroughfares into town. On more than one occasion I missed out on joining the waitlist line in my designated spot because the shuttles ended up stuck in traffic for 20+ minutes as traffic backed up from main street to the highway that patrons had to take to get there. This has been part of the reason why Sundance has been rumored to be moving from Park City. They simply need more space. I, however, think Park City could absolutely continue to host this festival, as it feels it’s so clearly it’s true home and if they just organized a couple of things a little better, it could be even more special than it already is.
I don’t want to seem like I didn’t have a good time or just complain. I had fun! I got to see several really good movies and it was a blast walking up and sown main street in the snow. I got to dap up Josh O’ Connor and tell him La Chimera was a banger. I ate some really good food. I got interviewed by Letterboxd!
It was a nice, if not stressful, time in Utah and a real eye-opener of how sometimes things aren’t always what you expect them to be. Enough whining from me. Let’s get into the movies I saw at the festival. I will try not to spoil too much, if anything, in these films since most of them are still seeking distribution
Movie: Omaha
Director: Stephen Cole Webley
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
If you’ve followed me or this newsletter for some time, you would know that John Magaro is one of My Guys™️ and has been since he popped up in THE BIG SHORT. He’s someone who’s always a welcome screen presence and indicates (to me) that your movie is going to be baseline competent. In OMAHA, he really gets to shine. He is the father of two children, Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis) who takes them on a trip to (you guessed it) Omaha after a tragedy in the family.
Magaro gives an incredible performance as man unraveling with grief and an unbearable decision to make and the kids in this movie are superb. It’s really hard to get kid actors who play the ages they do in this movie, but they’re both wonderful and the roadtrip aspect is gorgeously shot
It’s a punch to the gut, but a beautiful one.
Movie: Twinless
Director: James Sweeney
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
First off, let me just say that Dylan O’ Brien I was, am, and will always be familiar with your game. I have been here since The Maze Runner, fighting the fight that you are a Good Actor, actually and Twinless is here to prove that once and for all. Bring on the O’ Brien Breakout. We are ready for it.
In classic Sundance fashion, the premise for this movie rocks. Two guys (O’Brien and James Sweeney) meet in a support group for people who have lost their twin. It’s a very specific grief counseling group (lead by a counselor who’s trying out her standup routine, incredible) that leads them to a blossoming friendship outside the support group, but not everything is as it seems.
I am almost positive that this movie will be picked up for distribution so I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that this movie is deeply funny in extremely dark ways and also devastating in ways I didn’t expect. Sweeney’s writing is top notch and again, Dylan O’ Brien gives a wonderfully nuanced, complex performance.
Sweeney’s other film STRAIGHT UP was also a banger, so he’s becoming someone to watch. Keep an eye out.
Movie: By Design
Director: Amanda Kramer
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
A woman swaps places with a chair and everyone likes her better as the chair.
That is the log line of Amanda Kramer’s BY DESIGN so you know I had to see what the fuck was going on here. Centered around a weird, wonderful Juliette Lewis performance, it sounds (and sometimes is) silly, but it’s also a fascinating meditation on what women do and don’t do to be liked, desired, fulfilled. The way it moves from scene to scene and some of it’s central set pieces make it feel more like watching a play, which I enjoyed. And I’ll be absolutely damned, they really did turn her into a chair. Not sure this movie will be for everyone, but for those of you who can lock in, you might absolutely love it.
Movie: Rabit Trap
Director: Bryn Chainey
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
“Sound is a ghost and your body is the house that it haunts.”
Folk horror is very hit or miss for me and this felt like a perfect encapsulation of that. I really respond to the fear that can be found in wide open spaces and returning to the earth. Both can be terrifying and this movie features both of those ideas in at it’s core. Was locked in for the beginning and sections in the middle but ultimately was left wanting to either be more scared, offered more clarity, and was given neither.
Incredible sound design and really fun to see Dev Patel as an anxious mess, slowly losing control of his own home and digging up secrets that had been left to rot in him, brave enough to vocalize them only on recording and not in person.
The child he and his wife summon to their doorstep with their loud music is played by Jade Croot who is channeling (and somewhat unfortunately looks uncannily like) Barry Keoghan in THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
While the script was sometimes frustratingly ambiguous, it’s clear that director Bryn Chainey has a firm grasp on his style and tone, especially in a debut feature like this. The confidence to execute his vision was impressive, even if ultimately I didn’t love the movie.
Movie: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
Director: Amy J. Berg
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
I remember somebody handing me a mixed CD my senior year of high school with the song “Mojo Pin” on it and thinking “WHO is this?” and then looking up “Grace” on iTunes (on a desktop computer) and having it blow my mind completely open.
This is not a unique experience. As a sensitive, sad white boy, it was essentially my birthright to discover that album and learn what music can be. Even in high school I remember thinking what a loss it was that this guy’s life had been cut so short in such a tragic way when I found out he was dead, but also, being in high school, I didn’t really dig into his life that deeply. I just knew he made an album that I really liked listening to.
20 years after that mixed CD, “Grace” still blows my lid off and I want to dig into that life that was cut so tragically short. This movie does a pretty excellent job of filling me in on what I missed. I won’t pretend that it stretches the boundaries of the music bio-doc formula, but it does do it extremely well. There’s some really unique footage that I was so impressed they found. Couple that with some never before heard voice messages from Jeff himself, actually interesting stories from those who knew him, some creative use of animation, and several truly emotional moments (the scene where Jeff’s mom listens to the final voicemail he ever left her hits like a hammer. My entire theater was crying to varying degrees) and this thing rises above the crowd of other documentaries like it. It might be my favorite thing I watched this week.
A singular voice and artist. I wish he was still here and I hope this doc finds a home soon. Everyone should see it.
Movie: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Director: Mary Bronstein
Distribution Status: acquired by A24
Another A24 high tension dramedy with a tinge of horror? Unfortunately, I am in.
This movie is either a series of small catastrophes in a row or one long horrible catastrophe that reminds you it’s there every few minutes
There’s not a performance in this that I didn’t like. A$AP Rocky rocks (sorry) in this, he’s so grounded and funny. Conan playing against type is a stroke of genius. One of the funniest men to ever exist flattening himself into a self serious, unfunny man. He still made me laugh by virtue of being Conan, but still, a real thrill to see him like this.
The real star is Rose Byrne, who you’re with for the duration. She’s given the chance to carry the entire movie and 3/4ths of it are shot entirely in close up of her face. Holy hell does she deliver. She is funny, sympathetic, disgusting, pitiable, awful, often from moment to moment. A simply astounding performance.
The sound design in this is one of the most nerve wracking I’ve experienced in some time. A cacophony of crying children, a constantly beeping medical device, grinding speakerphone calls, a thrash metal track, honking cars. Myy heart was in my throat from the first huge noise cue (a incredibly timed jump scare) through the last sequence of crashing waves.
ERASERHEAD for moms. Loved it.
Movie: Bunnylovr (Watched via Virtual Sundance at home)
Director: Katarina Zhu
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
As someone who has spent more than half their life online at this point, there were things about this film that I totally responded to and I liked the exploration of the cam girl experience. There is a fundamental separation between us and Katarina Zhu’s Rebecca that deftly represents the glass between cam performer and their patrons.
Ultimately though, this didn’t come together for me as much as I wanted it to. It’s clear that Zhu has talent and the performances are excellent (especially Rachel Sennot) but there were so many ideas opened but not explored. The aforementioned separation becomes a hinderance at times and it was frustratingly slow for stretches, seemingly picking up steam before tapering off again.
A movie that ultimately wasn’t for me, but I don’t think it’s fair of me to sit in judgment of too harshly. There’s an audience for this one.
Movie: OBEX (watched via Virtual Sundance at home)
Director: Albert Birney
Distribution Status: seeking distribution at time of publishing
Conor Marsh lives a secluded life with his dog, Sandy, until one day he begins playing OBEX, a new, state-of-the-art computer game. When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to save her.
A uniquely creative movie, even if it doesn’t quite all hang together. Some really incredible lo-fi effects that I loved and a wonderful score, all synths and bleeps and bloops. Clear inspiration from ERASERHEAD and also technically a Nightmare On Elm Street film!
A reminder that video game can inform the real world and also the computer has always been bad. This one also suffers from some pacing issues, kinda takes a second for really get going and then it’s basically over, but I really enjoyed the last half hour. I too would do anything for my dog.
There you have it, a little boots on the ground reporting from Sundance 2025. Some really fun films this year, even if I didn’t get to see everything I wanted! I hope to make it back next year for the (alleged) last one in Park City and also hope if one of these movies sounds good to you, that you get to see it in a theater.
Thank you for reading Working Title. We’ll be back next week later this week with our Most Anticipated of 2025 list!