The Best Movies Of Sundance Film Festival 2022
From boyfriends with strange taste to the memories of a robot, there’s a lot to love about the film that came out of Sundance Film Festival 2022. As the festival wraps up, Pop Culture Planet is sharing the Best of the Fest.
John Boyega leads 892, which tells the true story of Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley who held up an Atlanta Wells Fargo Bank in a desperate attempt to get his disability check from Veterans Affairs. The film is Abi Damaris Corbin's feature directorial debut and she expertly captures Easley’s story without being excessive, portraying his untimely death with respect. Boyega delivers a layered performance full of frustration and empathy. 892 also marks one of the final performances from the late Michael K. Williams. Hopefully 892 will bring awareness to the injustices veterans face when dealing with Veterans Affairs and make a real change.
A24’s minimalist sci-fi After Yang is about a family that purchases an AI robot named Yang (Justin H. Min) to be a “big brother” for their adopted daughter. When Yang malfunctions and shuts down, they go on a stunning exploration of grief, identity, and memory. We see Yang’s strong bond with the family, his pondering on his Chinese identity, and a hidden history from before he came into the family’s lives. While he might not be a human being, Yang has a past. Instead of seeing technology as a danger, After Yang explores our relationship and dependence on it in a sentimental way.
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne made their directorial feature debut with Am I OK? Led by Dakota Johnson as Lucy and Sonoya Mizuno as Jane, the film follows two best friends who know everything about each other until one confesses a deep secret: She likes women and is terrified by this later-in-life realization. Johnson showcases impressive vulnerability and depth. The film is funny and heart-warming and proves that it’s never too late to be your most authentic self.
Am I OK? will hit HBO Max later this year.
With another Dakota Johnson-led film comes Cha Cha Real Smooth. Written, directed by, and starring Cooper Raiff, the coming-of-age film follows him as aimless college graduate Andrew who has no real plans after returning home… until he spontaneously finds success as a Bar Mitzvah party starter. What develops is an exploration of relationships, figuring out who you are, and that awkward in between stage before adulthood. Reminiscent of The Wedding Singer for a new generation, the film takes a frank and direct approach to its conflicts, with characters who are vulnerable and likeable even in their worst moments. Raiff delivers a charming performance and solidifies himself as a filmmaker to watch.
Cha Cha Real Smooth won an audience award following its Sundance premiere and got the biggest deal to come out of the festival this year, being picked up by Apple TV+ for $15 million.
Champ
Eva Noblezada made her Broadway debut as Kim in the Miss Saigon revival and originated the role of Eurydice in Hadestown. Now she makes her Sundance debut in the short film Champ. Noblezada plays Genevieve, a basketball player who reveals a dark secret about their coach to her teammates. The girls use teamwork to get revenge.
Writer-director Riley Stearns makes his way back to Sundance with the deadpan sci-fi thriller Dual. Starring Karen Gillan, Dual centers around a woman named Sarah who receives a terminal diagnosis and makes the decision to be clones to save her family and friends from pain. When she makes a sudden recovery, her plans to get her clone decommissioned fail and she is forced into a duel to the death. With Black Mirror meets Hunger Games vibes, Gillan delivers a stiff and cynical performance as the film explores the dualities between Sarah and Sarah’s Double. The film explores ethical, moral, and psychological questions about clones, identity, and humanity. Can these two Sarah’s co-exist and what if you were essentially forced to kill… yourself? As the title suggests, the film’s finale offers dual perspectives and it isn’t quite clear who makes it out alive.
RLJE Films has acquired U.S. rights to Dual, which will be released in theaters this year.
Director Carey Williams returns to Sundance with his sophomore film Emergency, a timely social commentary satire that tackles racism and white privilege throughout one wild college night. Best friends Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) have plans to wrap up their college experience by making history as the first Black men to successfully complete the “Legendary Tour,” attending a string of frat parties that take place in one night. Their plans go off the rails when they arrive home to get ready for the night only to find a random white girl passed out in their living room. What ensues is a stressful road comedy that expertly explores racial biases as they try to get this woman help without compromising themselves in the process. With a stellar young cast and focus on racial commentary, Emergency brings a fresh and realistic take to the traditionally white-led party comedy genre and solidifies Williams as a director to watch.
Emergency opens in theaters on May 20 and hits Amazon Prime on May 27.
Mimi Cave’s directorial debut Fresh takes a sinister turn when Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is invited by her new boyfriend Steve (Sebastian Stan) on a weekend getaway. It’s best to go into Fresh without spoilers so you can truly appreciate the wild places the film goes to. Lauryn Kahn’s original script delivers a darkly comedic and twisted allegory about dating culture and the ways some men exploit and mistreat women. Cave is the perfect person to direct, bringing Kahn’s script to life with edgy style, grotesque sequences, and meaningful parallels, punctuated by a stellar retro soundtrack. Sebastian Stan gives a career best performance, spanning from awkwardly charming to full on unhinged. A disturbingly gory feature that explores the horrifying side of modern dating, Fresh isn’t for the faint of heart.
The film hits Hulu on March 4.
F^¢k 'Em R!ght B@¢k
Directed by Harris Doran, the short film F^¢k 'Em R!ght B@¢k follows Sammy, a queer aspiring Baltimore rapper, who gets caught up in shenanigans trying to avoid getting fired from work after accidentally eating an edible. Real life Baltimore rapper Emmanuel ‘DDm’ Williams makes his acting debut in the film, showcasing his charisma, great comedic timing, and rap skills.
Hatching
Finnish director Hanna Bergholm’s creepy debut Hatching explores a young gymnast’s struggle to appease her perfectionist mother while hiding a dark secret. After finding an egg in the woods, it hatches into something she wouldn’t expect. A highly original thriller, Hatching explores the birth of a monster while examining familial connection and the duality between ourself and our darkest instincts.
Hatching opens in theaters and on VOD from IFC Midnight on April 29.
Lucy and Desi
Lucy and Desi, directed by Amy Poehler, trumps Aaron Sorkin’s attempt at telling the iconic duos story with Being The Ricardos. The documentary skillfully explores every aspect of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s relationship, including their love story, their working partnership, and how they truly revolutionized the TV landscape. Lucy and Desi is set to hit Amazon Prime in the future.
Director Ham Tran brings the first ever Vietnamese sci-fi kids adventure Maika to Sundance. With the colorful aesthetic of a Robert Rodriguez kids film, Tran expertly tackles grief and friendship while highlighting the Vietnamese experience. The film also has a deeper meaning for Tran who used it to overcome his own grief from losing his mother. Maika is fun for kids and kids at heart.
Shark
Shark is the third short film following the dating adventures of Nash Edgerton’s prankster character Jack. In this new story, Jack has found his match in Rose Byrne’s Sofie. We see them go back and forth pranking each other in their apartment and at their wedding… but things take a turn on their honeymoon. Darkly humorous, Shark makes a splash.
TikTok, Boom.
Director Shalini Kantayya returns to Sundance with TikTok, Boom, a new documentary centered around TikTok’s vast cultural and global impact. Instead of focusing on the white rich kids that have gotten famous off the app, she centers around a more inclusive group of influencers — Spencer X, Deja Foxx, and Feroza Aziz — whose lives have changed through the app and who intersect with the political.
Have you checked out these movies? What were some of your favorites from Sundance this year? Get more recommendations, here.
