The Top 40 Films I'm Excited to See at Sundance 2020
IMDb heads into its 30th year in 2020 and I head into my 18th Sundance Film Festival. We've watched so many talented artists parlay their debuts here into amazing careers. We've also seen big deals flame out before the fest was over, even in three-feet of snow.
Sundance runs this year from January 23rd - February 2nd (it seems to get later each year) with features, shorts, and a VR experience that goes from strength to strength. Here are the 40 films that have piqued my interest the most. The list does not include titles I've already seen elsewhere such as the excellent comedy THE CLIMB and Al-Mansour's THE PERFECT CANDIDATE. One thing else about this list that I've learned in 18 years; it will, in so many ways, miss some of the best of the fest and feel so, so very wrong a year from now. - by Keith Simanton
Sundance runs this year from January 23rd - February 2nd (it seems to get later each year) with features, shorts, and a VR experience that goes from strength to strength. Here are the 40 films that have piqued my interest the most. The list does not include titles I've already seen elsewhere such as the excellent comedy THE CLIMB and Al-Mansour's THE PERFECT CANDIDATE. One thing else about this list that I've learned in 18 years; it will, in so many ways, miss some of the best of the fest and feel so, so very wrong a year from now. - by Keith Simanton
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41 titles
- DirectorBenh ZeitlinStarsDevin FranceYashua MackGage NaquinLost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.This is from Benh Zeitlin, the director of BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, one of my most magical experiences at Sundance. Now, this movie could be Richard Kelly redux (DONNY DARKO to SOUTHLAND TALES) but I'm placing my bet that it's as good or as sturdy as his first film. It's my can't miss.
- DirectorViggo MortensenStarsViggo MortensenLance HenriksenLaura LinneyJohn Peterson lives with his partner Eric and their adopted daughter in Southern California. When he is visited by his aging father who is searching for a place to retire, their two very different worlds collide.I've been fortunate enough to have interviewed Mortensen many times over the years. If there is a more thoughtful, purpose-filled actor around I haven't met them yet.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsAmy RyanThomasin McKenzieGabriel ByrneWhen Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers.Garbus has heretofore been more of a documentarian (taking the roles of writer, director and, impossibly, producer, all at once). How she does with the long-form narrative will be well worth the watch. Plus, again, stellar cast with Thomasin Mackenzie (the girl in JOJO RABBIT) and the incomparable Amy Ryan.
- DirectorAndrew FriedStarsUtkarsh AmbudkarAndrew BancroftJames Monroe IglehartLin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton's improvisation hip-hop group, Freestyle Love Supreme and their reunion performances in New York City in 2019.If the title doesn't spark something for you it's the troupe that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Jackson and others "Hamilton" and "In the Heights" alumnus.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeEve HewsonEli A. SmithA freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.While I've never connected emotionally with Almereyda's style I am smitten with his entire cast here. Ethan Hawke continues to show us that work, hard work, consistent work, creates a magnificent body of work.
- DirectorBrenda ChapmanStarsGugu Mbatha-RawCarter ThomasAva FilleryWhen their eldest brother dies, Peter and Alice seek to save their parents from despair until they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.Another take on the Peter Pan legend at Sundance COME AWAY features director Brenda Chapman. Chapman, who directed the animated tales PRINCE OF EGYPT and BRAVE, has been a presence in the genre since she was a story supervisor on 1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and 1994's THE LION KING. Oh yeah, and Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo and Michael Caine are in it.
- DirectorDominic CookeStarsBenedict CumberbatchMerab NinidzeRachel BrosnahanBusinessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.Cooke directed the excellent ON CHESIL BEACH and THE HOLLOW CROWN series so the pedigree was high even before we get to the main cast.
- DirectorDee ReesStarsAnne HathawayBen AffleckRosie PerezA veteran D.C. journalist loses the thread of her own narrative when a guilt-propelled errand for her father thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story she's trying to break. Adapted from Joan Didion's namesake novel.Director Dee Reese returns to Sundance after impressing the hell out of me with PARIAH in 2011 and under-whelming me with MUDBOUND in 2017. Regardless she's always a director to watch. Plus, Hathaway deserves a good movie after SERENITY.
- DirectorNat FaxonJim RashStarsJulia Louis-DreyfusWill FerrellZach WoodsBarely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other.It's a remake of the excellent, Critics' Choice winner for Best International Film, FORCE MAJEURE. And the directors are the guys who made THE WAY, WAY BACK. This will probably be voted "Most Disappointing" from the general audience hoping to see a Will Ferrell yuck-fest.
- DirectorEugene AsheStarsTessa ThompsonNnamdi AsomughaEva LongoriaWhen a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father's record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.A fairly new director but Thompson is excellent and Nnamdi Asomugha was brilliant in CROWN HEIGHTS (he's a former NFL star and is married to Kerry Washington, just so you know).
- DirectorFlorian ZellerStarsAnthony HopkinsOlivia ColmanMark GatissA man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.I don't know anything about director Zeller but the screenplay is by Christopher Hampton who adapted DANGEROUS LIASION, THE QUIET AMERICAN, and many others for the screen. Plus, the cast is Brit-royalty.
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMolly McCannClare DunneRuby Rose O'HaraA young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself."From the director of MAMA MIA! and MAMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN!..." But seriously. Lloyd also directed the solid THE IRON LADY (and I actually enjoy the MAMA movies). She's also cast some sterling Brit character actors and up-and-comers.
- DirectorJeff BaenaStarsAlison BrieMolly ShannonGoldeniteSarah, a socially isolated woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.Director Baena's results have been decidedly mixed (THE LITTLE HOURS, I HEART HUCKABEES) but Alison Brie is just aces. Robin Tunney too.
- DirectorEmerald FennellStarsCarey MulliganBo BurnhamAlison BrieNothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be - she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.Director Fennell is also a writer on "KILLING EVE" and an actress to boot. The trailer looks pretty depressing, a kind of DEATH WISH/MONSTER mashup but Mulligan is always so good and Burnham is here after his EIGHTH GRADE triumph.
- DirectorKitty GreenStarsJulia GarnerOwen HollandJon OrsiniA searing look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful executive. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position.Director Green is mostly known for documentaries about the Ukraine and her lead is the haunting Julia Garner.
- DirectorAlan BallStarsPaul BettanySophia LillisPeter MacdissiIn 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina, for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover, Walid.It's Alan Ball so, we gotta pay attention, right? Plus it's Sophia Lillis, so good as Beverly Marsh in IT 1 & 2. You have to be curious what drew her to this because she must have been pitched everything under the sun. Frank's lover, Wallid, is played by Peter Macdissi, Olivier from "SIX FEET UNDER."
- DirectorJanicza BravoStarsTaylour PaigeRiley KeoughNicholas BraunA stripper named Zola embarks on a wild road trip to Florida.I'm a big fan of Riley Keogh, particularly after AMERICAN HONEY and LOGAN LUCKY. Happy to see her here in the indisputable lead role.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsWinslow FegleyOphelia LovibondWallace ShawnAn 11-year-old boy who believes that he is the best detective in town runs the agency Total Failures with his best friend, an imaginary 1,500-pound polar bear.McCarthy is the guy who directed SPOTLIGHT to a Best Picture Oscar. He also directed THE COBBLER right before that. So this is a guy who knows the ups-and-downs of movie-making. He knows about mistakes and he know about imaginstion. And he's here with a Disney+ offering. So, actually, I'm not going to spend time seeking this out and trudging through the snow and the cold to watch something I can watch in the comfort of my home on Feb. 7th. But I do sure hope it's good.
- DirectorJames LebrechtNicole NewnhamStarsJames LebrechtLionel Je'WoodyardJoseph O'ConorDown the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.Being one of the Opening Night films is a tough slot for any film. It certainly is not easy for a documentary. But the Obamas have a pretty good track record so far (their AMERICAN FACTORY is Oscar-nominated) and I'm fairly certain I'll be in tears throughout this film.
- DirectorTara MieleStarsSienna MillerDiego LunaBeth GrantNew parents Adrienne and Matteo are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.I've always been a fan of both Miller and Luna so this pairing is intriguing from the outset.
- DirectorEuros LynStarsToni ColletteOwen TealeAlan DavidDream Alliance is an unlikely race horse bred by small-town Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With no experience, Jan convinces her neighbors to chip in their meager earnings to help raise Dream in the hopes he can compete with the racing elites.This is based on a true story one that was turned into a winning little documentary, 2015's DARK HORSE. And it has Toni Collette.
- DirectorChanning Godfrey PeoplesStarsNicole BeharieLiz MikelMarcus M. MauldinA former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant.Sometimes you just have to go with a hunch. I have a hunch that Ms. People's film will be worth watching. It's in the Dramatic Competition so that speaks well of it right there.
- DirectorRyan WhiteStarsSiti AisyahHadi AzmiAnna FifieldAn account of the two women convicted of assassinating Kim Jong-un's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam. The film follows the women's trials in an attempt to understand whether they are trained killers or simply pawns.Ryan White's ASK DR. RUTH was one of the criminally overlooked docs this year. This one looks to be just as compelling.
- DirectorKirby DickAmy ZieringStarsSil Lai AbramsJoe BidenTarana BurkeA former hip hop executive decides whether to make public her rape by one of the most powerful men in the music industry.Ziering and Dick have made several infuriating and illuminating docs about rape including THE INVISIBLE WAR and THE HUNTING GROUND. Much needed.
- DirectorKat AlioshinStarsSeth Green'Weird Al' YankovicAndrew StantonThis Spike & Mike documentary is a journey told through the stories of those they impacted - people like Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Nick Park and many others.I think this is one of the first Slamdance films I've included on this list but I do want to see this doc about Spike & Mike and the creation of their festival of short, animated films.