Here’s a list of the films I saw at this year’s Sundance film festival, from worst to best (or in Sundance speak, from “fair” to “best”):
1. Spree
Spree is an interesting high-concept film, even if it was poorly executed. The idea of an Uber driver going on a serial-killing spree in order to go viral hits on a lot of “current” themes, but it unfortunately doesn’t go much deeper than the “how far would someone go?” premise. Pushing something to an ultimate extreme often just results in caricature, and the cartoonish violence in this film is unearned and meant solely to shock. I was on board during the first act, but it just goes too far too quickly, and runs into a ton of continuity/consistency issues. This was anticipated as a fun midnight/NEXT movie, but it was far more interesting to hear the director Eugene Kotlyarenko and Joe Keery talk about the film than it was to watch it. Interesting use of technology and editing though – like Searching on steroids.
2. The Assistant
Directed by Kitty Green (Casting JonBenet), this was marketed as a real life #metoo movie following a day in the life of an assistant to a Harvey Weinstein-like movie producer. Julia Garner puts in a wonderfully subtle performance, and the film feels gripping at times, but mostly lacks anything to hold onto. It starts to kick into life about halfway through, starting from a certain office conversation, but that too ends up being a false start. The furtive glances and mundane tasks start to feel a little tedious after it’s just more and more of the same – though maybe that’s the point, feeling like you’re trapped in a cycle.
3. Be Water
Bao Nguyen’s new Bruce Lee documentary Be Water is creative enough, and shows enough new archival footage, that it feels fresh, if not wholly necessary. The opening scene is Bruce Lee’s very first Hollywood screen test and the dude is as magnetic as any screen presence I’ve ever seen. The choice to not have any talking heads and focus on letters, footage, and pictures is interesting. The footage of Lee as a kid actor was also a lot of fun. The documentary focuses a lot on Lee’s struggles, challenges, and insecurities, and does a very credible job of tying these to current issues of Asian American identity, model minority discrimination, representation and diversity in Hollywood, and other things which feel so 2020. It was fun to watch this at the biggest theatre (the Marc), and the fact that it was the world premiere, on Chinese New Year, meant that the room was filled with a fun energy. Not conspiratorial or hagiographic, this film focuses on Lee’s personal life and focuses on his impact and relevance today, and is a worthy entry into the existing Bruce Lee archives.
4. The Painter and the Thief
There is a scene, when the thief is looking at a painting, when you realize that you are watching a different kind of movie, something unique, and something that will take you to an unexpected place. This Norwegian documentary is about a thief who steals two prized paintings from a Czech artist, and they end up striking up an unlikely friendship. There is so much humor and humanity. It’s also chock full of fascinating and colorful characters. Karl Bertil – the Bertilizer – is the kind of guy that you could follow anywhere and make an entertaining movie, while the painter is a little more quiet but still wonderfully eloquent and funny.
But the best part about the film is the really real, human moments that it captures. Each of the subject aren’t afraid to be brutally honest in front of the camera: to laugh, to cry, and to spill their souls. The director, Benajmin Ree, takes a marvelously simple muted approach in shooting (although there are some breathtaking shots) and editing this film that lets the characters shine through, but still does a masterful job in structuring and intercutting the film, showing different perspectives and evolution through time, finishing with a picture-perfect big reveal at the end. It almost feels like a novel. This was one of the sleeper hits of the festival and is my bet to go on and make some waves once it gets distribution.
5. Kajillionaire
Wildly entertaining from start to finish, this latest coming-of-age feature about a two-bit shuckster family from Sundance darling Miranda July is one of the best written movies of the year – everything is a setup with a payoff, every single detail is significant. And the details, like the name Old Dolio all of the LA locations, are so richly satisfying. Evan Rachel Wood stars and displays such a limber physicality, feral and gentle all at once, and totally disappears into her role – her hands, her voice, her gait, her dancing, everything is in character.
The third act of the movie is particularly brilliant and keeps you guessing, taking you on an emotional roller coaster and keeping you on the edge of your seat. But there are two scenes that really set this film apart (the family scene in the living room, and the bathroom scene) and turn it from a very good film to a breathtaking one. The cast is excellent, especially Richard Jenkins, and July balances the smart writing and three dimensional characters with some striking visuals. It is a family movie, and especially a mother-daughter movie, at its core, and a hilarious heartwarming one.
