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The end of the year is often seen as a time when awards season gains momentum and critics produce their top 10 lists, but for much of the film industry, it\u2019s also the first big preview of 2018 movies. Thanks to the Sundance Film Festival lineup, which in January will include 110 movies from 29 countries, a fresh crop of films to talk about have just been announced, many of which are certain to continue generating conversations throughout the year.<\/p>\n
However, the Sundance program takes its time to gather buzz, and it\u2019s not always obvious which movies deserve the most attention right off the bat. So here\u2019s our annual attempt to take a first crack at some of the surprises and hidden gems in the lineup, with some input from Sundance director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth. We\u2019re as excited as anyone to see Paul Dano\u2019s directorial debut \u201cWildlife\u201d (co-written by Zoe Kazan, starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal), not to mention the latest from Gus Van Sant (\u201cDon\u2019t Worry, He Won\u2019t Get Far On Foot\u201d), but so\u2019s everyone else; the Sundance lineup goes a lot deeper than the most obvious highlights.<\/p>\n
Here are a few that don\u2019t stand out quite as much \u2014 but, according to our sources, deserve just as much hype. Expect to hear a lot more about these movies in the very near future. For more on potential sales activity and broader trends at this year\u2019s festival, check out our breakdown here.<\/p>\n
From Wacky to Wacky and Great<\/p>\n
In addition to featuring universal crowdpleasers, Sundance also tends to launch weird, off-kilter and often boundary-pushing filmmaking more likely to find a cult following than mainstream success. That was the case with \u201cThe Greasy Strangler,\u201d Jim Hosking\u2019s grotesque 2016 midnight entry that baffled many audiences even as it won over people looking for a truly wacky charge. Hosking has now made his way to a somewhat larger arena with his NEXT entry \u201cAn Evening With Beverly Luff Linn,\u201d the peculiar story of a marriage-gone-wrong and a \u201cmagical\u201d performance that dredges up past baggage. The movie, which co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Craig Robinson, Emile Hirsch, Jemaine Clement, and Maria Bamford, is supposedly a more accessible variation on Hosking\u2019s previous work. Groth called it \u201ca bizarro comedy, but not in a gross-out way \u2014 he\u2019s still wacky, but it\u2019s a little more fun\u2026it takes his sensibility and injects it with a lot of heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as the midnight section is concerned: Cooper said he was especially excited about \u201cAssassination Nation,\u201d Sam Levinson\u2019s \u201cone-thousand-percent-true\u201d story about the town of Salem losing its mind. \u201cIt\u2019s so big and crazy and fun,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cIt hits everything in a big way.\u201d But also look out for \u201cMandy,\u201d Panos Cosmos\u2019 long-awaited followup to the psychedelic \u201cBeyond the Black Rainbow.\u201d His latest zany thriller stars Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough in an early eighties setting as a happy couple find itself under assault by a deranged cult leader. Expect something bizarre, shocking, and utterly memorable.<\/p>\n
Ditto for the Zellner brothers\u2019 \u201cDamsel,\u201d which co-stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowski in a slapstick western sure to keep the \u201cKumiko, the Treasure Hunter\u201d directors in the spotlight as some of the most innovative American directors working today.<\/p>\n
Diversity Will Dominate<\/p>\n
Sundance has long been seen as a focal point for alternatives to Hollywood and a platform for marginalized perspectives. As the film industry faces increased pressure to diversify its storytelling, the festival often provides the first glimpses of that impulse at the start of the year. Last year, Sundance breakouts (and eventual box office hits) \u201cGet Out\u201d and \u201cThe Big Sick\u201d provided the most prominent examples of American movies with people of color finding success with a wide audience. This time around, several promising selections are poised to fulfill that need.<\/p>\n
One of the most enticing of them is \u201cBlindspotting.\u201d The directorial debut of music video director Carlos Lopez Estrada stars \u201cHamilton\u201d Tony winner Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Diggs and Casal also co-wrote the screenplay, which is inspired by their experiences as movers, growing up in Oakland against the backdrop of rampant gentrification. Expect this passion project to go over big as a crowdpleaser sure to boost the profiles of everyone involved. According to one insider who got an early look, \u201cit\u2019s why people go to Sundance.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the more idiosyncratic side, Boots Riley\u2019s satire \u201cSorry to Bother You\u201d may hit the sweet spot of racially-charged satire that \u201cDear White People\u201d nailed at Sundance a few years back. Riley is best known as a rapper, whose politically-tinged work has made him one of the most engaging, iconoclastic musicians of the last 25 years. But he has long maintained a connection to the movie world, and his long-gestating directorial debut holds a ton of promise: The ensemble cast includes Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, and Lakeith Stanfield in the story of a black telemarketer who finds success in his job by adopting the cadences of a white actor.<\/p>\n
Entering the festival with a lower profile but likely to find plenty of admirers, \u201cMonsters and Men\u201d marks Sundance short film alumnus Reinaldo Green in competition with his feature-length debut. The movie stars Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (the discovery of \u201cIt Comes at Night\u201d) and deals with the aftermath of police killing an unarmed black man, told through the eyes of a bystander who filmed the act. The movie is said to display a directorial confidence from Green that will launch his career at the festival in a big way. According to Groth, \u201cwhile it has no known actors, it\u2019s really sharp, insightful storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josephine Decker Comes to Sundance<\/p>\n
It\u2019s always exciting when a filmmaker who has generated acclaim on the festival circuit finally lands at Sundance, whether it\u2019s Sean Baker with \u201cTangerine\u201d or Andrew Bujalski with \u201cComputer Chess.\u201d This year, one of the notable directors making her Sundance debut is Josephine Decker, the experimental filmmaker whose intense psycho-sexual thriller 2013 \u201cButter on the Latch\u201d was a sleeper hit on the circuit. Now she\u2019s in NEXT with a somewhat more traditional movie, \u201cMadeline\u2019s Madeline,\u201d a reportedly hypnotic drama about a young woman keen on landing the lead role in a rather unorthodox theater piece. The cast includes Miranda July and Molly Parker, but the titular star is New Jersey native Helena Howard, who may be a genuine Sundance discovery. \u201cIt\u2019s a concentrated storyline and she really pulls it off,\u201d Groth said of Decker\u2019s direction. \u201cIt looks different from her other films but her authorial voice comes through as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meet M.I.A.<\/p>\n
Each year brings a range of documentaries tackling famous subjects, often with mixed results. But sometimes, the filmmaking brings a fresh perspective on a popular face. That seems to be the case with \u201cMATANGI\/MAYA\/M.I.A.,\u201d Stephen Loveridge\u2019s look at the Sri Lankan musician that one source unassociated with the project called \u201cauthentic, unfiltered, and kind of inspiring.\u201d The movie includes home video footage and other personal background information about M.I.A.\u2019s evolution that may bring a whole new context to her career \u2014 think \u201cAmy\u201d without the tragic finale.<\/p>\n
NEXT Goes Non-Fiction<\/p>\n
Ever since it launched seven years ago, Sundance\u2019s NEXT section has always provided an exciting alternative to the more conventional narratives found in competition, with movies ranging from \u201cEscape from Tomorrow\u201d to \u201cA Girl Walks Home Alone at Night\u201d generating attention for the lineup. It\u2019s usually where one looks for some of the most exciting cinematic experiences at Sundance, but to date, has woefully neglected the non-fiction form. At long last, that\u2019s changing, with \u201c306 Hollywood.\u201d Described as a \u201cmagical realist documentary,\u201d the movie revolves around a pair of siblings digging through their late grandmother\u2019s house and making a range of discoveries; it\u2019s exactly the sort of unclassifiable journey that NEXT excels at singling out.<\/p>\n
Weird But True<\/p>\n
The Sundance documentary competition has shown an increased openness to non-traditional documentary formats in recent years, most notably when it screened Robert Greene\u2019s hybrid project \u201cKate Plays Christine,\u201d the very first Sundance documentary to win a screenplay prize from the festival. Now, the versatile Greene is back with \u201cBisbee \u201917,\u201d the portrait of a mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border recalling tales of 1,200 miners deported 100 years ago. Greene uses reenactments and employs locals to star in this boundary-pushing look at immigration history that couldn\u2019t be more relevant now.<\/p>\n
But the most topical documentary is likely to land on the first day of the festival, with \u201cOur New President.\u201d Maxim Pozdorovkin\u2019s look at the U.S. election exclusively told through Russian propaganda. Other hot-button issue docs include \u201cCrime and Punishment,\u201d which deals with corruption in the NYPD, and \u201cThe Devil You Know,\u201d a look at child sexual abuse.<\/p>\n
Solitary Survival Tales<\/p>\n
Some of the most exciting movies at Sundance are the ones that don\u2019t require a big scope to leave a mark. This year, there are several minimalist narratives that are likely to do just that. In the World Dramatic Competition, Danish production \u201cThe Guilty\u201d revolves around a single character who works at a police station, and takes place almost exclusively within the confines of a single room, with the lead character on the phone speaking to a kidnapped woman.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also Debra Granik\u2019s long-awaited follow-up to Sundance breakout \u201cWinter\u2019s Bone,\u201d an untitled adaptation of Peter Rock\u2019s novel \u201cMy Abandonment\u201d with Ben Foster and newcomer Thomasin McKenzie as a father and daughter pair living on the outskirts of civilization in Oregon and dealing with the fallout of being discovered. (Think \u201cCaptain Fantastic\u201d with a thriller twist.) And Reed Morano, currently the toast of the town with her Emmy win for \u201cThe Handmaid\u2019s Tale,\u201d makes her Sundance debut with \u201cI Think We\u2019re Alone Now,\u201d which explores the experiences of an isolated man (Peter Dinklage) coping with his solitude and finding unexpected company.<\/p>\n
A Boost For Brazil<\/p>\n
Sundance has been mainly known for American movies, but the festival continues to invest in new ways of bringing quality into its international competitions. This year, one of the more notable aspects of that programming is the presence of two features from Brazil. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of quality films coming out of there recently,\u201d Groth said. That led them to both \u201cRust\u201d (\u201ca personal family story about a matriarch and the way she deals with her crazy family\u201d) and \u201cLoveling\u201d (\u201ccontemporary issues of teenagers leading their lives online and the sometimes devastating impact\u201d). These may not be the first movies on most hungry buyers\u2019 lists, but they could be significant discoveries at this year\u2019s festival if they generate enough word of mouth \u2014 especially \u201cLoveling,\u201d which landed the coveted \u201cDay One\u201d slot for its section.<\/p>\n
View this article at IndieWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The end of the year is often seen as a time when awards season gains momentum and critics produce their top 10 lists, but for much of the film industry, it\u2019s also the first big preview of 2018 movies. Thanks to the Sundance Film Festival lineup, which in January will include 110 movies from 29
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