With another year of Sundance Film Festival at home in the books, here is the fourth part in our annual recap of capsule reviews of all the films that we took in from the comfort of our home.
We took in a hearty 33 films at this year’s fest and have provided our final set of reviews below. You can find Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of our recaps now.
Thanks for tuning in and we can’t wait for next year’s festival and the chance to do it once again.
Shortcomings (director Randall Park)
Randall Park makes his directorial debut based on Adrian Tomine’s script, adapted from his own graphic novel of the same night. The hilarious yet emotionally poignant film sees Ben (Justin H. Min) contemplate where his relationship with his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki) is going after she moves from their home of California to New York for an internship.
Park provides an insightful look into the Asian American experience that features a complex lead character that seems to be a dividing point for many viewers. But it’s a refreshing change of pace, one of many including a reading on Asian representation in cinema, which doesn’t go the way you’d expect.
It’s both light on its feet & contemplative. Painfully relatable. Feels very Apatow, just with an actual tidy runtime.
Rating: 7.9/10
Scrapper (director Charlotte Regan)
A small film featuring big acts of reconnection between Georgia (Lola Campbell) 12-year-old girl who lives happily alone in a London flat, when she is forced to reconnect with her estranged father (Harris Dickinson). Charlotte Regan makes an incredibly accomplished feature directorial debut, giving it a raw and real touch that reminds of some of the early 200s indie hits. Lola Campbell is an amazing discovery, who not only holds her own with Dickson, but really carries the entire feature with grit and confidence.
Rating: 7.9/10
Drift (director Anthony Chen)
Singaporean director Anthony Chen makes their English-language debut with Drift, a harrowing tale of Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo), a refugee who is struggling to get by on a Greek Island. Erivo is wonderful although the performance is stronger than the film. Has powerful individual moments yet a tough one to become fully invested with.
Rating: 5.8/10
Jamojaya (director Justin Chon)
Justin Chon’s latest stars real rapper Rich Brian in his acting debut, playing a role close to home for him as an aspiring Indonesian rapper. His career trajectory is taking off rapidly, which causes him to let go of his father (Yayu A.W. Unru) as his manager. This causes a fracture in their relationship, already strained after a tragedy within their family.
Its heart is in the right place but the film is essentially the same two scenes over the course of 90 minutes – more melodramatic and less effective every time around. There are some elements that showed promise of a better film but sadly Chon resorts to some of his worst tendencies.
Rating: 5.0/10
A Little Prayer (directed by Angus MacLachlan)
A Little Prayer is the latest from writer-director Angus MacLachlan who showcases the altering of a families’ dynamic in the quiet area of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. MacLachlan paints an intimate family portrait with the strongest moments left unsaid. David Strathairn is a steadying presence as always. Jane Levy gets a very Junebug-esque role. Maybe a bit too understated but the ending is one that leaves a worthy impression that will stick with you.
Rating: 7.4/10
Rye Lane (director Raine Allen Miller)
Rye Lane, the feature directorial debut of Raine Allen-Miller is a wickedly charming modern spin on a London-based rom-com. It works thanks to a witty screenplay and its affable lead characters, played spot-on by Industry’s David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah. An absolutely breezy watch with a winning formula and nature that had me smiling and laughing the entire way. One of the best at this year’s Sundance for sure.
Rating: 8.0/10
Landscape with Invisible Hand (director Cory Finley)
I went into Landscape with Invisible Hand not knowing much except it was the latest from Cory Finley, a director whose first two films I was very fond of (Thoroughbreds + Bad Education).
Minutes into the film, I felt a strange level of disconnect that made me assume that it just had to be adapted from a novel. My suspicions were confirmed as Finley adapted the 2017 novel from M.T. Anderson of the same name. Yet, I don’t know for sure if being familiar with the novel would’ve made a difference. There is an interesting assortment of actors such as Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, Tiffany Haddish, Josh Hamilton, and Michael Gandolfini, who all do fine work, although at times it felt as if they too were lost in their respective roles and purpose.
I admire the strange quality of the film but it just felt like an odd fever dream and inside joke that I wasn’t able to pierce through. It definitely gets points for straddling a tone and worldview of its own, sadly it was one that sadly felt from a different planet.
Rating: 5.0/10
The Persian Version (director Maryam Keshavarz)
Writer-director Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version is an often-winning coming-of-age tale of an Iranian-American, giving us a fresh perspective that is worthy of note. It’s just a shame that the film is an unbalanced effort.
There is a good movie in here – it starts and finishes well, but the middle section is a jarring change with some baffling editing. What should have been a breezy family-centered rom-com becomes a muddles affair that became a chore at times to sit through, despite a wonderful lead performance from Layla Mohammadi, a star in the making.
Rating: 6.0/10
A Thousand and One (director A.V. Rockwell)
I’m glad I ended my Sundance with, A Thousand and One, the stunning writing and directing debut feature from A.V. Rockwell. A raw and authentic portrayal of a mother’s journey with her son. Rooted in 90s New York with the city acting as a surrounding character to their lives. Doesn’t quite go where you’re expecting it to – and where it would in a lesser film. Teyana Taylor is really fantastic and William Catlett is a revelation. Gripping and feels true with a real soul and spirit that touched me deeply.
Rating: 8.0/10
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