Sundance 2017: Mudbound
Friday, January 20, 2017 at 10:40AM
There’s usually a film every year that premieres at Sundance and goes on to do very well at the Oscars, almost a year later. Think Brooklyn (2015), Whiplash (2014), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) and Precious (2009). This year it could be Captain Fantastic, but most definitely will be Manchester by the Sea. And next year it could be Dee Rees's Mudbound...
Of all the films announced for this year’s Sundance, which started last night, Mudbound is the one that caught our eyes. Pariah (2011) was such a striking debut that announced Rees as a major talent. She followed it up with the HBO film Bessie (2015). She dabbled in episodic TV by directing one episode of Empire and a few of the upcoming gay rights chronicle, When We Rise. We are happy to see her back on the big screen. Here is Mudbound’s official synopsis, the film is based on the 2009 novel by Hillary Jordan.
In the post–World War II South, two families are pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and the battle abroad. This epic pioneer story is about friendship, heritage and the unending struggle for and against the land.
The synopsis fails to mention that one family is black (Jason Mitchell, Mary J Blige) and the other is white (Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke), and that the story is set in the Mississippi Delta. We can’t wait to see what Rees can do with a bigger and more epic canvas than she had before. The cast is also exciting, Mitchell broke out with Straight Outta Compton (2015) and it looks like his a role as WWII vet returning to an inhospitable home terrain could be a big deal. Mulligan is always interesting to watch and Hedlund gave the best performance in the misbegotten Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, maybe this time his talent is matched with a brilliant project. All will be revealed tomorrow night when Mudbound premieres.
Which Sundance movies are you most excited for?
Reader Comments (8)
This one, Call Me By Your Name, The Yellow Birds, Sidney Hall, Landline - and I'm kind of afraid of Rebel in the Rye, but I'm curious.
Outside of Jason Mitchell, I'm not confident in the other elements of the production. Dee Rees showed her weakness as an artist with Bessie. And Mary J Blige isn't passable yet as an actress. Her recent stint on How to Get Away With Murder hasn't shifted my perspective on her ability.
7 Most excited for:
Wind River
The Yellow Birds
It Comes at Night
Call Me by Your Name
Roxanne Roxanne
A Ghost Story
The Discovery
Oooh, this sounds interesting. I'm also glad to see Rees getting a bigger story but as much as I liked Pariah, I agree with 3rtful that Bessie wasn't as good as I'd hoped.
Also excited for Call Me By Your Name. Nat, if you haven't read the book yet, read it! You'll never look at a peach the same way again.
Along with CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, the movie from Sundance 2017 I'm most curious about
Bought the book from which Mudbound is adapted. It's next up after The Zookeepers Wife, which no matter how standard the movie looks, is an intriguing read. Highly recommended.
I'm most excited for Call Me By Your Name, Ingrid Goes West, XX, Landline, The Discovery, It Comes At Night, and probably Mudbound. I'm very excited to see if Mudbound does for Dee Rees' career.
Garrett Hedlum should be a star by now