Sundance 2013 – The Recap

By Dan Schindel | February 1, 2013

I went to Sundance 2013, and all I got was this lousy runny nose… and screening nearly thirty films… and getting to listen to or even meet some great filmmakers… and taking a bunch of excellent pictures… okay, you can’t really make going to Sundance sound bad. I spent nine days at this year’s festival, freezing my extremities in Park City in between showings of movies and dining at horrendously overpriced eateries. The air was thick with snow, Mormons, rich jerks, and rich Mormon jerks. Check out my #schindance tag on Twitter to see all the random brain droppings that I made during the festival proper.

But now that it over, the exciting part comes: the reviews! Yes, it’s time for me to stop being selfish and share what I’ve seen with all of you out there on the web. So, without further ado, here are all the films I saw at Sundance 2013, grouped by type and by relative quality. There will be full articles about some of them coming soon, so keep an eye out for them.

DOCUMENTARIES

THE OKAY

Google and the World Brain

Makes the case that we should be concerned about the Google Books project, which has seen millions of books scanned and uploaded into Google’s clutches. Sometimes the film is thought-provoking, especially when it comes to issues of creative rights in the digital age. But its case comes across as overall half-baked.

Linsanity

Biography of sudden basketball superstar Jeremy Lin, following him as he goes from nobody to the center of one of the biggest current cults of celebrity. It’s a nice enough movie, mostly because Lin is such a nice, sympathetic guy. But it’s also utterly shallow and forgettable.

God Loves Uganda

Focuses on the rise of Evangelical Christianity in Uganda (controlled by American missionaries), which has led to institutional mistreatment of homosexuals, among other problems. Frustratingly, it doesn’t hit nearly as hard as it should. It meanders, even bores on occasion.

Citizen Koch

Exposes the consequences of the Citizens United decision, which allows for unlimited special interest spending in elections. If you aren’t familiar with this issue at all, then this is a must-see. If you are, then it’s an enjoyable but hollow experience.

Fire in the Blood

A chronicle of how millions died in third world countries because of Western patents on AIDS medications. It might make you cry, and it might make you angry, but this kind of film should definitely do that, and this one can’t for sure, because it’s pretty pedestrian in its approach. But this is a topic that not nearly enough people know about, so I hope it gets to spread the word.

 

THE GOOD

Life According to Sam

Teenage Sam has progeria, a rare condition that causes severe health problems and the appearance of quick aging. But he doesn’t let that get him down, and the movie is more about how normal he is than it is about his disease. In that way, it’s quietly but genuinely uplifting.

Manhunt 

An oral history of the decades-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, told from the perspective of the people doing the hunting. Sometimes it doesn’t feel as though these people are trustworthy at all (imagine that – spies might not be telling the whole truth), but it’s absorbing and well-made. Compare and contrast with Zero Dark Thirty for extra credit.

Dirty Wars

Drone strikes have been in the news lately, but America’s covert military operations extend even further than that. War reporter Jeremy Scahill investigates, and we’re brought along for the ride. This one is sure to keep you up at night if you have even the barest hint of a conscience. It’d be even better if it didn’t practically worship Scahill, though.

 

THE GREAT

After Tiller

Profiles the few doctors in the country who will perform abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. Already one of the best films yet made on this issue, as it humanizes the women who need this service, and lays bare the fearful lives of the doctors brave enough to provide it in extremely hostile political environments. Incredibly sad, but absolutely necessary.

Stories We Tell

Sarah Polley interviews her family to learn about her mother, and in the process explores memory and relationships. You’ll laugh a lot, you’ll cry even more, and by the end, you’ll want to hug all your relatives and not let go. Unquestionably my favorite doc at the festival, and one of the best of the year.

American Promise

For twelve years, a filmmaking couple followed two boys as they went through elementary, middle, and high school. While the result is about the African American experience in the education system, anyone can relate to this wonderful story. The best surprise I had at the fest. Look for it on POV some time next year.

 

FICTION

THE OKAY

Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

Kaya Scodelario is a witty, sarcastic teenager who finds out that new neighbor Jessica Biel has a dark secret when she becomes her babysitter. Teeters a very precarious line between tragic and unintentionally hilarious much of the time. But it ends up being something honestly moving, mainly thanks to Biel.

Hell Baby

Rob Corddry and Leslie Bibb are a couple who discover that there’s a demon about in their new house in this parody of the exorcism genre. Extremely forgettable for the most part, but it’s fun while you’re watching it. Plus it further demonstrates that Keegan-Michael Key is one of the funniest people alive.

The Way, Way Back

A summer on the beach is the setting for this dramedy, starring Liam James as the archetypical shy kid, Toni Collette as his mom, Steve Carrell as her asshole boyfriend, and Sam Rockwell as his unexpected mentor. A perfectly fine film, which has a nice, authentic beat for every utterly cliched one it pulls out. It has the potential to be this year’s “it” fake indie film.

Kill Your Darlings

Daniel Radcliffe is Allen Ginsberg in college, and Dane DeHaan is Lucien Carr, the man who created the Beat Generation. Radcliffe shows real promise that he’ll be able to someday escape the shadow of Harry Potter, while DeHaan shows that he’s definitely an actor to watch. Mostly, though, it’s a well-made shrug.

Touchy Feely

Allegedly, this is about Rosemarie Dewitt as a massage therapist who develops an anxiety about touching people, but the parallel plot about her brother, Josh Pais, a dentist who somehow begins healing people, is about a hundred times funnier and more interesting. It’s a pretty formless movie, one that meanders around until it suddenly decides that it’s time to end. Which is a shame, since it’s got good performances and some great moments.

Don Jon’s Addiction

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in his own directorial debut as a porn-addicted lothario who finds what he thinks is love for the first time. A funny enough and nicely-made movie. Although it’s undoubtedly going to have to get cut to avoid a NC-17 (no, you don’t see the little Levitt, but there’s clips of actual pornography in it).

 

THE GOOD

S-VHS

A found footage horror anthology which is far superior its predecessor from last year. Segments include the stories of a man who can see ghosts with his artificial eye, the POV of a new zombie, reporters infiltrating a cult, and kids on a sleepover that gets attacked by aliens. Some great scares and tankfuls of fake blood and gore make this a memorable blast in the theater.

Escape from Tomorrow

One of the most buzzed-about films at the festival, due to rampant speculation that Disney isn’t going to allow it to be released, since it was secretly filmed at Disneyland. A family descends into a surreal hell of fake family-friendliness during a particularly strange day at the park. Even if Disney blocks it, this is destined to become an underground sensation. It’s subversive and dark and often quite funny.

Stoker

Mia Wasikowska goes toe-to-toe with her uncle Matthew Goode when he comes to stay with her after her father’s death. Unbelievably stylish and often quite unsettling. It doesn’t have much going on beneath the flair, but oh, what flair!

C.O.G.

Almost a parody of the “intellectual college grad forgoes his wealth and comfort to see how ‘real’ people live” genre, in this adaptation of one of David Sedaris’s short stories. Jonathan Groff plays not-Sedaris, who continually fails to learn the right lessons when he gets work at an Oregon apple farm and later becomes entangled with a local church. Starts out quite funny, then becomes progressively less so, until it’s quite the downer.

The East

Brit Marling plays a corporate spy who joins a group of eco-terrorists, only to fall for their leader, played by Alexander Skarsgaard. Often achingly suspenseful, it’s a smart examination of business vs. the environment. It’s also pretty silly in some aspects, but it still holds together.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara are Southern bank robbers in love, right up until she gets knocked up and he goes to prison. Five years later, he breaks out, and she’s courting a police officer. Gorgeously shot and subtly acted, a lot of people have rightfully compared it to the work of Terence Malick.

Fruitvale

Probably the biggest film of the fest, winning both the Audience and Jury prizes for Best Dramatic film, and getting scooped up by the Weinstein Company. A dramatization of the story of Oscar Grant, who was shot by police in Oakland. It’s simple construction belies its sheer emotional power.

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete

A pair of boys live on their own over the course of a summer in New York. Funny and sad, often at the same time, it sometimes doesn’t work. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s full of heart and pluck.

 

THE GREAT

Circles

The death of one man during the Bosnian War has a ripple effect that continues into the present day, as people who knew him struggle to do the right thing. This is the best film that’s not as likely to go anywhere. It’s fantastically made on all levels, and full of potent emotion and themes. I hope people discover this one.

Upstream Color

Allegedly about a couple who are caught up in the life cycle of an ageless organism, but that may or may not be apparent the first time you watch it. This is a movie that doesn’t meet you halfway when it comes to explaining what’s going on. But it’s beautiful to look at, and you can understand the emotional arc, even if you don’t get what’s actually happening.

Before Midnight

My favorite film of the festival this year, and probably one of the best movies of 2013. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return as the same characters who previously met up in Before Sunset and Before Sunrise, this time chatting about life and love in Greece. It’s sooooo hilarious and real, and it makes you root so hard for these characters, whom we know and love so well. See this one.