SUNDANCE 2022

The Sundance Film Festival, virtual again this year, runs Thursday, January 20 through Sunday, January 30, and Chuck and I have you covered! We’ll have capsule reviews and interviews to share for dozens of films. And if you want to watch some of these festival films, you can! Just go to Sundance Film Festival.

Check in every day as we update this page!

DAY FIVE: AFTER YANG, DUAL, CALL JANE, LUCY AND DESI, EMILY THE CRIMINAL

AFTER YANG

Chuck says:

Maybe I was in the wrong mood to appreciate Kogonada’s “After Yang.” The films I had seen previously in the fest left me less than impressed and, frankly dreading anything that was to come next, so perhaps I was watching this in the wrong frame of mind.

The film’s titular character (Justin Min) has a great deal in common with the main character in the other Sundance “You Won’t Be Alone,” as he is in search of what it means to be human. As an android adopted by Jake and Kyra (Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith) to serve as a cultural connection to their daughter Mika (Malea Tjandrawidjaja), he has observed them as they live their lives and as is curious as to the emotions they display and how he may experience them. This yearning remains unknown to Jake and Kyra until Yang goes on the fritz and has to be taken in for repair, when his memories are then accessed. At this point, Jake finds out a great deal about their companion that they never knew.

I understand the theme of the movie and Kogonada’s intent, but the story is told with such little emotion and such hushed tones, that it was hard to get engaged in it. The dialogue is spoken as if the cast were warned not to raise their voices for fear of waking a sleeping child that was on the set and the feelings displayed by the actors didn’t seem in keeping with the emotional stakes. Again, maybe I need to watch it through different eyes.

Pam says:
The parents, Jake and Kyra, are quite detached from their daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) and from one another. While their daughter sees Yang as more human, mom and dad seem quite reserved about his apparent demise. Jake, however, is consumed, secretly so, by the memories within Yang. The real story lies in what technology has become and the detachment that occurs from all things, authentic and artificial. With the “core” of Yang extracted and memories revealed, it also becomes a mystery of what Yang was privy to and what he actually experienced, perhaps making him more human than both Jake and Kyra.

I really enjoyed the blurred lines of what it means to be alive and to “live,” to be human. There’s a standout scene in the beginning that not only resonates with me personally, which endeared me to the film. It was the one in which Mika and Yang had an in-depth conversation about adoption and belonging using an analogy that anyone who is adopted can grab ahold of and lean upon is thoughtful and precious. And then as Yang longs to have the human qualities of adjectives about self and experience, unable to feel or do more than recite facts as they discuss tea and its origins. Is it slow? Yes, but I think deliberately and beautifully so.

Chuck says:

I understand what you are saying concerning the film and there’s no question that it is made with a great deal of skill. You need to be in a very meditative mood to appreciate this. I have a feeling I’ll get more out of it when I watch it again.

Pam says:

I hope you get another chance see it!

DAY FOUR: YOU WON’T BE ALONE, AFTER YANG, BRIAN AND CHARLES, A LOVE SONG

A still from Brian and Charles by Jim Archer, an official selection of the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

BRIAN AND CHARLES: Pam says: A lovable, eccentric inventor, Brian (David Earl), garbage picks his way into building his very own robot as a “documentary filmmaker” films the events. The new being comes to life, all “caught” on camera, and the robot now known as Charles, and Brian develop a sweet father-son relationship, ending Brian’s solitary existence.

This is a fun, funny, light-hearted and sweet film about loneliness, bullies, and how the underdog can prevail. We watch Charles grow from an intellectual toddler to a emotionally rebellious teen, making us laugh along the way. Charles, in his own unique way, grows up and helps Brian do the same all while Brian has a blossoming love story begin to unfold with Hazel. “Brian and Charles” is entertainingly funny film filled with heart from start to finish.

Dale Dickey appears in A Love Song by Max Walker-Silverman, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo.
A LOVE SONG: Pam says: Life and love continue long past the typical youthful ages of teens, twenties, and thirties. Life is an adventure and Faye (Dale Dickey), a widow, attempts to reconnect with her teenage crush Lito (Wes Studi) decades later. Far removed from all that interferes with interpersonal connection, Faye awaits this man at a remote campsite, #7, on a lake with the mountains as a backdrop. The hope in her eyes say more than any words and their connection, a bittersweet one, is at once heartbreakingly beautiful and inspiring.

Writer and director Max Walker-Silverman paints this artful picture set amidst the quiet stillness of Colorado that accentuates the beauty of a never-forgotten bond. It’s a subtle yet thoughtful film that will at once connect you with what’s important in your life. Outstanding performances from this ensemble cast make it a film that will long resonate with me and perhaps also motivate me to get that pop up camper and hit the road this summer.

Noomi Rapace stars as “Bosilka” in director Goran Stolevski’s YOU WON’T BE ALONE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Branko Starcevic / Focus Features

YOU WON’T BE ALONE:

Chuck says: So, I have a bone to pick with you Powell. I think you misrepresented “You Won’t Be Alone.” I was expecting a horror film and got something completely different. This is a movie that reminds me of how different our sensibilities are at times. You said that the first sequence was horrific and that your “jaw hit the floor” when you saw it. To me it was just a pretty standard moment for a film like this. My dear, you need to sit through more scary movies…

Pam says: Well, my dear friend, I am sorry you are so desensitized to a brutally horrific sequence of events that truly took my breath away that you find it mainstream or common. Do I shy away from horror films, yes, but I’ve watched more than my fair share and this was tragically gruesome. Anyway, I’ll start the conversation rolling. After this baby’s life is spared, rendered voiceless and raised in captivity with little to no stimulation in order to hide her from the Witch, she ultimately becomes the Witch’s “spit,” or apprentice. With no experience in the world, the girl (Sara Klimoska) sees everything through new eyes but this is useless to the Witch and she discards the girl. Traveling through the Macedonian countryside, the girl inadvertently kills and inhabits the body of a peasant woman. Her world, so small, has broadened as she experiences life as a typical human. This is not the first and final inhabitation and always, the Witch is following her every move.

“You Won’t Be Alone” is a poetic horror film that both visually and intellectually captivates you as we watch this young girl discover living and loving and perhaps even find happiness. I was shocked by how touched I was by the girl’s actions and reactions, her innocence and her treatment in this patriarchal environment. I also loved the cinematography which almost felt surreal at times against that beautifully ethereal backdrop of life here in all its many forms. I found it to be an amalgam of genres of films, not just horror, but drama as it explores human nature and our explicit desires. So, Chuck, if this is tame horror for you, did you see it more as a drama or did you even like it?

Chuck says: Well, I’ll just say I CANNOT WAIT for you to see “Fresh,” another Sundance entry that I have seen that you haven’t yet. I’ll just say I hope you make it through it…

I was initially disappointed with the movie but once I realized what the approach was, I made the necessary adjustment and, while it was a bit slow, I could appreciate what the filmmaker was doing. If Terrance Mallick were to make a horror film, it would resemble this, as this is more a mediation on the sanctity of life, how wonderous it is and how we often take for granted the simple things that make life worth living. There are some striking visuals throughout, particularly the sequence in which we see the witch burned as well as some of the more quiet moments when the entity/soul in its various guises is discovering the small wonders of living. In the end, it was quite poignant. To be sure, this is not for all tastes and I fear that Focus Features will promote this as a horror film in the vein of “The Witch,” which it is not. People will go expecting one thing, get another and then generate bad word-of-mouth because they aren’t prepared for what director Goran Stolevski has in store. Conversely, those who would appreciate it probably won’t go because they think it is a horror film. Yes, it has supernatural elements to it but this is not a horror film. No, this is a very unique movie that will stick with viewers. I hope it finds an audience.

Pam says: I agree that it will be difficult for “You Won’t Be Alone” to find the right audience and hopefully people will read reviews (like ours) before they go. It’s a film that integrates horror and the supernatural into a dramatically poignant representation of what it means to be human and the simplicity of life grounded in happiness. An element that I loved is the poetic overlay, using a voice and language that is elemental and unrefined, exactly what someone who has had little to no stimulation would produce. Overall, it’s a visceral experience that perhaps envelops folklore and fables of long ago. I’ve not been able to locate anything about the origins of “Old Maid Maria,” but I’ll keep looking. And don’t worry, my King of Horror, I will watch “Fresh” and you can continue to find my inability to digest horror.

Chuck says: You have no idea how appropriate your comment “my inability to digest horror,” is regarding “Fresh”….

Check out Pam’s review of this film in the AWFJ

Colin Farrell appears in After Yang by Kogonada, an official selection of the Spotlight section at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Benjamin Loeb / A24.

AFTER YANG

DAY THREE: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY, FRESH, GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE, and DUAL

GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE: Pam says: Another unexpected “pleasure” in viewing a story about a middle-aged woman whose repressed life is finally awakened and revived. We’ve never seen a role like this in such a bold and daring way! Bravo to Emma Thompson for literally and figuratively revealing what it’s like to be a woman in the world as a mother and a wife in looking back with regrets and the future as well.

Watching Nancy (Thompson) from the uneasy and awkward feeling in the beginning to the refreshing end is like watching a cocoon emerge as a beautiful butterfly. Nancy transforms; it’s a metamorphosis. While Leo (Daryl McCormack) also grows, it’s more of an explosive version, but still one that is gratifying to watch

Chuck says:

I have to say, this is the most enjoyable of the films I’ve seen at Sundance this year, the first one that didn’t feel like work or that I had to employ any heavy lifting in order to understand or like it. Thompson is, as always, great – genuine, passionate and actually quite sexy in the way she portrays her character’s sense of curiosity. However, her co-star, McCormack is the real discovery here. This kid matches Thompson step for step in this two-hander, as he brings a degree of humor, understanding and vulnerability to the role of this understanding gigolo. Really enjoyed it.

Pam says:

That’s music to my ears, to hear that you appreciated what this film has to say! The film steps into uncharted territory and Thompson has the guts to help convey the message. Brava!

FRESH: Chuck says:

Chuck says:

Mimi Cave’s “Fresh” is not the sort of film I expect to see at Sundance, unless it is in a Midnight Movies section. Promoted as a look at the world of modern dating, the film morphs into something radically different after its first half hour, pulling the rug out from under the audience to become something disturbing and, depending on your point of view, provocative or disturbing.

So, here’s the set up: Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a twentysomething eager to make an emotional – and if truth be told – and physical connection with any sort of eligible member of the opposite sex. We see her on a date early on with a passive aggressive cad that underscores how rough it is out there, apparently. However, things seem to take a turn for the better when she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan) in the produce section of her local grocery. It’s a meet cute right out of the movies and despite some initial misgivings, Noa gives herself over to this guy after a couple of dates. Her best friend Mollie (Jojo Gibbs) warns her that her new beau must be too good to be true – he’s handsome, charming, a surgeon and all around nice guy – but Noa throws caution to the wind, agreeing to go on a weekend trip with Steve when…something happens. I’ll let my esteemed colleague Pam decide whether more should be said about the plot. Frankly Pam, I’m wondering if you will get through the entire movie…

Pam says:

Oh, Chuck. Ye of little faith. Yes, I sat through the entire film…disgusted and counting down the minutes until the bloody end. Literally the bloody end. To say this isn’t my cup of tea is an understatement. And you’re right (there’s a first time for everything), the rug is pulled out from under the viewer as the first 30 minutes are a sweet romantic comedy that is adorable and engaging. I guess that is what Ms. Cave was going for and it worked. What doesn’t work is the fact that now, after Steve’s truth is revealed, it becomes nothing more than your typical gory horror film complete with capturing the meek and trusting girl, torture beyond words, and death. To go this far is just plain disturbing with no entertainment value, frankly.

I will admit that had I not had to review the film, I would have turned it off. I will also admit that I averted my eyes many times as I did not want those images burned into my memory. Additionally, Cave found a stellar cast to portray these characters and anyone less than Stan and Edgar-Jones may have created a movie that felt more like a backyard project. I don’t want to give the surprise plot away — Chuck, I’ll leave that for you to do if you want — but a premise like this that makes movies like “Boxing Helena” or the storyline of the serial killer in “Silence of the Lambs” look like child’s play, is not what I consider a film that needs to be made let alone watched. But perhaps in my saying all of this, it’s exactly what Cave was going for. Chuck?

Chuck says:

What’s curious is that this film is trending at 80% positive on Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 reviews being submitted. Those who like it say it is a subversive satire – of what, I’m not sure – or a pointed commentary on the way women are commodified and consumed in the media. My question is – would the response have been the same had a man directed this? I’m curious as to what you think about this….

Pam says:

Trending positively! I’m shocked! Subversive satire? I guess I need to look up the definitions of both words as this just doesn’t make sense. Chuck, that’s a very good question about male versus female director/writer. I hate to think that it matters that it’s a woman versus a man, but I think it does. Personally, after watching the movie, I think it places women in the typical position of trusting victim. Women are trafficked and sexualized and “Fresh” exemplifies this. If a man did this, I think he would be ridiculed. What do you think?

Also, not to give anything away at the end, but there’s a big loose end that never got tied up. Did you catch that as well? And anyone who is thinking about becoming a vegetarian, this will push you into doing so!

Chuck says:

I think that in the age we live in, you have to be very careful about what you say and I think some critics are afraid to call this movie out for what it is for fear of being labeled sexist or not “woke.” Maybe I’m an old man and I just don’t get it, but I have a feeling if a man had made this, he’d be called a misogynist and accused of objectifying women. I think there’s a double standard at play here. You know I like smart horror films, particularly those that serve as a metaphor for social issues. For me, “Fresh” just ain’t it. (I deserve points for not referring to this as “stale”…)

Pam says:

Point to Chuck! Agreed. And this isn’t smart, it’s just gory and slips right into the typical horror/gore tropes we have seen time and time again. There have been in the past lots of double standards and the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.

The film overall just made me angry. Angry at the conclusion, angry that I had spent my time watching it, angry at the core. I woke up in the middle of the night angry. And the next morning I was angry. To be disturbed to the point of anger isn’t what I think the goal of a film should be. How did you feel at the end?

Chuck says:

I think it’s ok for a filmmaker to anger an audience if the subject is worthwhile and the intent is a call to action. That is not the case here. I wasn’t angry – I was just resigned to the fact that I wasted more time on a movie that wasn’t worth it.

OK, I think we’ve spent more than enough time on this one. Time to bring this to a close and post this review to Rotten Tomatoes to bring down that positive score. Unless you have anything to add…

Pam says: I’m done…well done! LOL!

DAY TWO: EMERGENCY, LIVING, and MASTER

EMERGENCY: Pam says: This certainly was an unexpected film! What appeared to be a silly college movie quickly became a socially relevant and poignant one filled with topical situations and, surprisingly, comedy and heart! Sean, played by RJ Cyler who you’ll remember from the heartfelt film “Me, Earl, and they Dying Girl,” and Kumle portrayed expertly by Donald Elise Watkins, plan an “epic” tour of parties just before graduation, but when a passed out girl lands on their living room floor, the night turns into a true emergency as the pair along with roommate Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) weigh out the options of calling 911. It’s a hefty film that keeps these tough situations light when needed while it creates palpable tension as you stay on the edge of your seat. I was blown away by the performances, the well-balanced script, and the relevancy of the message.

LIVING: Pam says: If a movie has Bill Nighy in it, I’m in! That rule didn’t fail me this time as Nighy plays Mr. Williams, a man during the 1940’s whose life is nothing more than a drudgery of day to day repetitiveness in the bureaucratic, paper pushing world of the Public Works Dept. But his world changes the day he gets a terminal diagnosis and, from his point of view, tosses caution to the wind and thanks to the vivacious attitude of a former employee, Miss Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), he learns to live life and not just be a “zombie.”

His diagnosis remained a well-kept secret from his employees and even his son, with Miss Harris the only one privy to it, but everyone witnessed his change in attitude particularly at work. His stuffy employees recount his actions particularly regarding a seemingly unimportant playground application and discover the real Mr. Williams. “Living” is a remarkable remake of Kurosawa’s “Ikiru,” skillfully and artfully directed by Oliver Hermanus, making us connect, laugh, and cry. It’s beautiful, simply beautiful. Chuck, tell me you loved this one as much as I!

Chuck says: I did enjoy it but not as much as you I fear. I found it to be a bit too slow and deliberate at times, the pace of the story dragging a bit as Williams stumbles towards a sense of fulfillment at the end of his life. Having gotten rid of his sojourn to the seaside town after he gets his dire news would have made for a better, more urgent movie.

However, like you, I’m a sucker for Nighy. He’s really subdued here – almost to the point he makes Williams opaque, as this man really is without an identity. Of course, this makes his awakening all the more effective, the final scene a tearjerking moment you give yourself over to, even though you know it’s coming.

Pam says: He handles urgency in his own way. It’s measured and meaningful. Exactly what Mr. Williams would do. He abandons his life for a moment—the seaside town sojourn–and then returns to his real life, but makes it a more meaningful journey. Perfect for the story and for Mr. Williams. You always speak of the quiet moments that seasoned actors perfect and Nighy does so brilliantly. Hermanus takes full advantage of this as well, utilizing his actor in every way possible to extraordinary measures.

MASTER: Pam says:

4 Stars

DAY ONE: WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD

Pam says: “When You Finish Saving the World” is Jesse Eisenberg’s writing and directorial debut and he manages to snag quite the ensemble cast with Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard. It’s a week in the life of a mother and teenaged son who don’t see eye to eye on anything, both disappointed in one another and longing for a different version of the other. Evelyn (Moore), a social service agent who runs a facility for battered women, and Ziggy (Wolfhard), a self-absorbed teen whose sole focus is performing indie songs on social media garnering 20,000 followers, butt heads at every intersection. Eisenberg starts and ends strong in this film, but the meat of the movie is nothing more than tasteless filling. With both characters becoming dislikable and even irascible, they also become disinteresting as the superficiality of the characters reveals there’s no complexity lying beneath the surface. What did you think Chuck?

Chuck says:

This is a strange miscalculation of a movie and the problem lies in the lack of passion with which it is executed. I don’t mean by the cast – I think Moore, Wolfhard and Billy Bryk as Kyle, the teen Evelyn uses as a surrogate for her own son – are all good. But there’s a lack of energy in the way Eisenberg goes about rendering the story, a lack of a distinctive tone, if that makes any sense. I mean, I know what he’s trying to say – when we are lacking something we desperately need, we seek it elsewhere – but the film is like reading a dry term paper that analizes this subject. What did you think of the ending? Earned or not?

Pam says:

I agree with the execution and the cast did what they could with the script. To me, I felt like each character, with the exception of Lila’s (Alisha Boe) performance, was a rendering of Eisenberg’s personality. The speech, frenetic and staccato-like with revisions and long-winded verbiage, made me feel like I was hearing Eisenberg with the faces of the actors…they never had their own personalities. Perhaps this is a glimpse inside Eisenberg’s mind, all of these characters representing his varied and sometimes countered positions as he indicated in the Q&A after the film. But the ending…I was truly touched by it! Earned? No. Perfect? Yes. Did you feel like both Mom and Ziggy were exactly what Dad (Jay O. Sanders) described them as, narcissistic? I felt like neither of them could pick up on a social cue to save their lives. Were you ever connected with the characters after the 10 minute mark?

Chuck says:

Oh, I completly related to dad. He was right on about both of them and perhaps that was a problem with the film – Evelyn and Ziggy are not very likable at times. I like what you say about Eisenberg’s voice coming through all the characters. It’s the same problem I had many years about with “Juno” and most Woody Allen movies. Again, I think this is his first film as a director and there are some improvements to be made both in his writing and the way he executes the story. It’s not a bad movie per se, just a dispassionate one. In the end, I’d give it 2.5 out of 4 stars.

Pam says:

Yes, I found humor and compassion with dad and his reactions to both Mom and Ziggy. Oh, to come home to a dinner of duck! How inconsiderate Mom was! I had no connection with her after the first 10 minutes. And Ziggy was an inconsiderate shit, even for a teen! If my kid EVER told me to “shut the fuck up,” gruel would be a welcomed sight in their lives! I’ve got to care about at least one main character to be engaged in the story and neither were relatable. I look forward to seeing Eisenberg’s sophomore film where he makes changes to refine his storytelling technique. I must say, I loved his visual perspective and camera angles! Chuck, you’re a little more generous with your stars than I and I’m going with 2 out of 4 stars.

Chuck says:

And you say I’m the one with no heart…