#SUNDANCE: SUNDANCE 2021 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Though Sundance had to adjust to the pandemic, they were able to offer a slew of content in their program. It screened 71 Features, 50 Shorts, 4 Indie Series, and 14 New Frontier Projects.
Some films were lucky enough to be bought ahead of the Festival, such as Together Together, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World and Prisoners of the Ghostland. And some were acquired following their Sundance debut, such as Feature films CODA, Flee, Jockey ...
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#SUNDANCE: “JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
This outstanding Film depicts the true story of how William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) was offered a plea deal to infiltrate the Black Panther Party, with the intent to gain intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya).
Director and Co-Writer Shaka King has brought us an important story about a buried history. It’s filled with tragedy, adrenaline and tender moments. Balancing these moments is a feat, ...
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#SUNDANCE: “LIFE IN A DAY 2020”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Through crowdsourced footage, Life in a Day 2020 shows what people in 192 countries were doing on July 25, 2020.
Impressively, Director Kevin MacDonald manages to find a narrative with this random video footage. We begin with the miracle of life, some happening in hospitals and others at home. MacDonald switches from here to start of the beginning of people’s day. And we end with the world going back to ...
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#SUNDANCE: “MAYDAY”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
After a storm causes short circuits at her place of work, Ana (Grace Van Patten) wakes up on a mysterious island. She quickly finds herself among an army of girls — Marsha (Mia Goth), Bea (Havana Rose Lui), and Gert (Sono) — who are in a never-ending war. The leader of the pack, Marsha, explains that Ana was sent there because of the sexist experiences and assault she endured. The four women spend their days luring men to the island through ...
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#SUNDANCE: “CUSP”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Cusp follows three teenage girls through one summer in their Texas town.
Directors Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt have given us a snapshot reminder of what it’s like to be a female adolescent. We watch as these girls make impulsive decisions, like getting a piercing, and partaking in underage drinking and recreational drug use. However, Hill and Bethencourt have done more than simply scratch the surface of American girlhood, thanks ...
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#SUNDANCE: “PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
A ruthless banker, aptly named Hero (Nicolas Cage), sits in a cell in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town. He gets a chance to seek redemption when he’s hired by the despicable Governor (Bill Moseley) to find one of his missing employees (Sofia Boutella), who he considers his adopted granddaughter. But this journey isn’t going to be easy. The granddaughter is being held a prisoner of the Ghostland, a place no one escapes from. And if ...
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#SUNDANCE: “JOCKEY”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Aging jockey Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) has become weathered due to decades on the riding circuit. After noticing changes in his hand, he learns he’s facing a debilitating illness. Realizing this might be his last championship race, he practises with the help of trainer Ruth (Molly Parker) and a promising young horse. Further changes begin happening in Jackson’s life when young jockey, Gabriel (Moisés Arias), claims to be his ...
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#SUNDANCE: “VIOLATION
By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Miriam (Madeleine Sims-Fewer) joins her husband, sister and brother-in-law Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe) on a relaxing trip to a lakeside cabin. As Miriam feels more isolated among the group, she seeks comfort in her friendship with Dylan. However, dynamics change when Miriam experiences an act of transgressive sexual assault. After carefully planning, Miriam embarks on a crusade to get revenge on her vicious assaulter.
Directing and Screenwriting Duo ...
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#SUNDANCE: “MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Teenage delinquent Sammy Ko (Miya Cech) is going through a hard time. She’s still mourning the loss of her mother, and her father’s (Leonardo Nam) blooming relationship with Marianne (Pauline Lule) isn’t helping. However, life slowly becomes easier to handle when she has a chance encounter with magician Margot (Rhea Perlman). As Margot teaches Sammy the art of magic a bond develops that ...
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#SUNDANCE: “TOGETHER TOGETHER”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Writer-Director Nikole Beckwith’s second Feature is a beautiful portrait of platonic love during one of life’s most intimate experiences: pregnancy.
Middle-aged App Designer Matt (Ed Helms) wants nothing more than to be a father. There’s only one catch, he’s single. After interviewing gestational surrogates, he chooses 26-year-old Anna (Patti Harrison). Together Together follows them through each trimester, observing how these ...
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