Sundance Film Festival 2021
This is a list of all the movies I have seen from Sundance 2021, in chronological viewing order (see also the titles remaining on my pre-festival interest list and my Top Picks list). Films #1-#4 were seen before the festival; #5-#40 onwards were watched virtually at home during the festival.
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46 titles
- DirectorDusty MancinelliMadeleine Sims-FewerStarsMadeleine Sims-FewerAnna MaguireJesse LaVercombeA troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.
- DirectorShaka KingStarsLaKeith StanfieldDaniel KaluuyaJesse PlemonsOffered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
- DirectorRobin WrightStarsRobin WrightDemián BichirSarah Dawn PledgeEdee, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world and retreats to the wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.
- DirectorMona FastvoldStarsKatherine WaterstonVanessa KirbyCasey AffleckSomewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.
- DirectorPrano Bailey-BondStarsNiamh AlgarMichael SmileyNicholas BurnsAfter viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.
- DirectorNanfu WangStarsAlex AzarBill de BlasioAnthony FauciHow did the Chinese government turn pandemic cover-ups in Wuhan into a triumph for the Communist party?
- DirectorBaz PoonpiriyaStarsYayaying Rhatha PhongamChutimon ChuengcharoensukyingTracy FisherBoss, a high-end club owner living in New York, receives a call from his estranged best friend in Thailand, revealing he has terminal cancer and needs his help to complete a final bucket list.
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsTrina CunninghamMike DavisDon HankinsAn investigation into our landscape's hidden fire stories and on-the-ground experiences of firefighters and residents struggling through deadly fires.
- DirectorRonny TrockerStarsMark WaschkeSabine TimoteoJule HermannA mysterious home invasion triggers off a shake in the core of a cosmopolitan middle-class family and unveils the fragility of truth and the power of individual perspective.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsJoel FryReece ShearsmithHayley SquiresAs the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run.
- DirectorJerrod CarmichaelStarsJerrod CarmichaelChristopher AbbottTiffany HaddishJerrod Carmichael makes his directorial debut and stars in On the Count of Three, a darkly comic feature about two best friends, Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott), on the last day of their lives.
- DirectorPascual SistoStarsCharlie ShotwellMichael C. HallJennifer EhleA coming-of-age psychological thriller that plays out the unsettling reality of a kid who holds his family captive in a hole in the ground.
- DirectorMarilyn AgreloStarsFrank BiondoLinda BoveFran BrillTake a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.
- DirectorFran KranzStarsJason IsaacsMartha PlimptonAnn DowdThe parents of both the shooter and one of the victims of a school shooting tragedy agree to meet and talk in an attempt to move forward.
- DirectorFrida KempffStarsCecilia MiloccoAlbin GrenholmVille VirtanenA woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
- DirectorJames AshcroftStarsDaniel GilliesErik ThomsonMiriama McDowellA schoolteacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take his family and him on a nightmare road trip.
- DirectorSean EllisStarsBoyd HolbrookKelly ReillyAlistair PetrieIn rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger - and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsRon MaelRussell MaelBeckA musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsNick BostromJoshua CookeErik DavisDocumentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.
- DirectorZoe Lister-JonesDaryl WeinStarsZoe Lister-JonesCailee SpaenyWhitney CummingsIn this feel-good apocalyptic comedy, Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) embarks on a hilarious journey through LA in hopes of making it to her last party before it all ends, running into an eclectic cast of characters along the way.
- DirectorNinja ThybergStarsSofia KappelZelda MorrisonEvelyn ClaireBella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.
- DirectorNikole BeckwithStarsPatti HarrisonEd HelmsRosalind ChaoWhen a young loner becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
- DirectorKate TsangStarsMiya CechRhea PerlmanLeonardo NamA teenage delinquent teams up with a surly children's party magician to navigate her dysfunctional family and inner demons.
- DirectorMarion HillStarsIdella JohnsonHannah PepperLucien GuignardA surprise reunion in the South of France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
- DirectorAlexis GambisStarsWilliam MapotherPaulina GaitanTenoch HuertaA Mexican biologist living in New York returns to his hometown, nestled in the majestic butterfly forests of Michoacán. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his hybrid identity, sparking a personal metamorphosis.
- DirectorManuel CrosbyDarren KnappStarsTyson BrownShelby DuclosJesse JanzenAfter being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady.
- DirectorErin VassilopoulosStarsAlessandra MesaAni MesaPico AlexanderOn the run, Marian returns to her hometown to hide out with her identical twin sister, Vivian, altering the trajectory of both their lives.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldHoward HongDanica JensenStarsOlivia CastanhoDespina MirouShaira Yasmin BergLife In A Day 2020 will call on millions of people around the world to film their lives on July 25.
- DirectorKaren CinorreStarsGrace Van PattenMia GothSokoAna is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating world, she realizes that she's not the killer they want her to be.
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
- DirectorClint BentleyStarsClifton Collins Jr.Moises AriasMolly ParkerAn aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsNicolas CageSofia BoutellaNick CassavetesA notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared.
- DirectorCarey WilliamsStarsCamaron EngelsMoe IrvinRJ CylerA modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet'.
- DirectorLyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.StarsMichael GreyeyesChaske SpencerJesse EisenbergTwo men learn to confront a traumatic secret they share involving the savage murder of a schoolmate.
- DirectorBlerta BasholliStarsYllka GashiÇun LajçiAurita AgushiFahrije's husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo. She sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision.
- 20211h 58mPG-138.0 (14K)96MetascoreDirectorQuestloveStarsDorinda DrakeBarbara Bland-AcostaDarryl LewisDocumentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
- DirectorMariem Pérez RieraStarsRita MorenoJustina MachadoNorman LearA look at the life and work of Rita Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood.
- DirectorChristopher Makoto YogiStarsSteve IwamotoConstance WuTim ChiouA family in Hawai'i faces the imminent death of their eldest as the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside.
- DirectorSally AitkenStarsJeremiah S. SullivanValerie TaylorRon TaylorPioneering scuba diver Valerie Taylor, who has dedicated her life to exposing the myth surrounding our fear of sharks.
- DirectorAmalia UlmanStarsAle UlmanAmalia UlmanNacho VigalondoAmidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, mother and daughter bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they deserve, bonding over common tragedy and an impending eviction.
- DirectorPhilippe LacôteStarsBakary KonéSteve TientcheuJean Cyrille DigbeuA young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.
- DirectorKristina LindströmKristian PetriStarsKristina LindströmLuchino ViscontiMario TursiIn 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world's most beautiful boy. 50 years later, that shadow still weighs upon Björn Andresen's life.
- DirectorDash ShawStarsLake BellMichael CeraAlex KarpovskyCryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.
- DirectorSam HobkinsonStarsMisha DefonsecaKaren SchulmanJane DanielMisha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher - who turned detective - revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.
- DirectorSushmit GhoshRintu ThomasStarsMeera DeviShyamkali DeviSuneeta PrajapatiIn a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.