Sundance: Family Drama ‘A Little Prayer’ Features a Standout Jane Levy

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

It’s common for films to explore parent-child relationships, but not as often are they about the dynamic between a parent and his child’s spouse, particularly if said child is still alive and around. In that way, A Little Prayer is an odd specimen, since its primary characters are Bill (David Stathairn), a veteran who runs a business with his son David (Will Pullen), and his daughter-in-law, David’s wife Tammy (Jane Levy), who may just be the most selfless, accommodating person in the world…

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Sundance: A24’s Very Hyped ‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’

By Abe Friedtanzer

A24 is known for taking leaps of faith on many of their projects. Their films aren't necessarily for everyone, but there’s something unique about most of them. That’s most definitely the case with All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, a drama that makes no effort to present its events in chronological order. In between any given screening at Sundance, all anyone is talking about is how incredible this film is. Whether or not future audiences have a similar response \will be dependent on their ability to appreciate its glacial pace and its unconventional approach to storytelling, one that reminds very much of Terrence Malick, which is not a light statement…

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Sundance: ‘Fremont’ is an endearing immigrant journey

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

There are many stories about the immigrant experience and people struggling to fit into a new life. Fremont, which makes its debut in the NEXT category spotlighting innovative cinema at Sundance, comes as a refreshing spin on that familiar genre. It manages to be both funny and worthwhile as it empowers its protagonist to express herself and attempt to take charge of her situation when she’s not set up to be able to do so. 

Anaita Wali Zada makes her film debut as Donya, a Kabul native who, after working as a translator for the U.S. Army, flees Afghanistan to settle in Fremont, California. In Fremont she works at a fortune cookie company...

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Sundance: 'Talk to Me' is a handshake with Hell itself

by Jason Adams

See one horror movie about grief and you've seen every horror movie, or so it feels sometimes. Dead children, siblings, parents, spouses -- the genre is littered with beloved corpses winking back at us from the other side of oblivion. I'm writing this on day one of virtual Sundance and I've already seen three movies of this sort! But we keep coming back to the Babadook Special because it works. It's what we fear the most. Death for ourselves is one thing, but seeing the people we love the most slip away is something tangible; something that we'll all experience and then be expected to exist on the other side of. When I was little it was losing my parents that I feared the most of all.

For teenager Mia (newcomer Sophie Wilde), the lead in the Philippou brothers' unsettling new horror flick Talk To Me (playing Sundance 2023's Midnight program), it is her Mom that she's grieving...

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Sundance 2023 World Cinema Competition Program

by Nathaniel R

Kiti Manver stars in "MAMACRUZ"

The Sundance Film festival is just a month plus away (January 19th-29th) with tickets going on sale December 13th for online packages, December 16th for in person packages, and January 12th for individual films. We are always very excited about the World Cinema Program which usually has great finds not to mention future Oscar submissions. For example the 2022 roster included five current Oscar hopefuls: Bolivia's Utama (Grand Jury Prize), Finland's Girl Picture (Audience Award), Brazil's Mars One, Australia's You Won't Be Alone, and Ukraine's Klondike and most of the other titles were also very well received. What treasures await us this year?

Here is the list of films. Which should we prioritize for Team Experience coverage in January? 

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