Wild Indian - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Wild Indian - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.

Written by: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.

Starring: Michael Greyeyes, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, Phoenix Wilson, Julian Gopal

Runtime: 87 min

Synopsis: Makwa, a young Anishinaabe boy, has a rough life. He often appears at school with bruises he says he got falling down, but no one believes him. He and his only friend, Ted-O, like to escape by playing in the woods, until the day Makwa shockingly murders a schoolmate. After covering up the crime, the two boys go on to live very different lives. Now, as adult men, they must face the truth of what they have done and what they have become.

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On the Count of Three - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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On the Count of Three - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Jerrod Carmichael

Written by: Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch

Starring: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, Lavell Crawford, Henry Winkler

Runtime: 84 min

Synopsis: Val (Jerrod Carmichael) has reached a place where he feels the only way out is to end things. But he considers himself a bit of a failure—his effectiveness lacking—so he figures he could use some help. As luck would have it, Val’s best friend, Kevin (Christopher Abbott), is recovering from a failed suicide attempt, so he seems like the perfect partner for executing this double suicide plan. But before they go, they have some unfinished business to attend to.

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John and the Hole - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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John and the Hole - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Pascual Sisto

Written by: Nicolás Giacobone

Starring: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga

Runtime: 103 min

Synopsis: While exploring the neighboring woods, 13-year-old John (Charlie Shotwell) discovers an unfinished bunker - a deep hole in the ground. Seemingly without provocation, he drugs his affluent parents (Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Ehle) and older sister (Taissa Farmiga) and drags their unconscious bodies into the bunker, where he holds them captive.

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In The Earth - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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In The Earth - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Ben Wheatley

Written by: Ben Wheatley

Starring: Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, Reece Shearsmith

Runtime: 107 min

Synopsis: As 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. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them.

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How It Ends - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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How It Ends - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones

Written by: Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein

Starring: Zoe Lister-Jones, Cailee Spaeny, Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen, Helen Hunt, Lamorne Morris

Runtime: 82 min

Synopsis: On the day an asteroid is scheduled to obliterate Earth, freewheeling Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) scores an invite to one last wild gathering before it all goes down. Making it to the party won’t be easy, though, after her car is unceremoniously stolen, and the clock is ticking on her plan to tie up loose ends with friends and family. With a little help from her whimsical younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza embarks on a journey by foot across Los Angeles as she seeks to make peace with her regrets—and find the right company for those last few hours.

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Cryptozoo - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Cryptozoo - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Dash Shaw

Written by: Dash Shaw

Starring: Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Angeliki Papoulia, Zoe Kazan, Peter Stormare, Grace Zabriskie, Louisa Krause, Thomas Jay Ryan

Runtime: 95 min

Synopsis: Cryptozoo is a hand-drawn, gritty and fantastical parable about society versus the individual. A zoo that rescues mythological creatures in psychedelic 1960’s San Francisco races the U.S. Military to find and save a Baku, a Japanese dream-eating cryptid, to prevent the military from using the Baku to eat the dreams of the counterculture and suppress the anti-Vietnam War movement.

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Human Factors - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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Human Factors - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Ronny Trocker

Written by: Ronny Trocker

Starring: Sabine Timoteo, Mark Waschke, Jule Hermann, Wanja Valentin Kube, Hannes Perkmann, Daniel Séjourné

Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis: To escape mounting tensions at the advertising agency they co-own, French-German couple Nina (Sabine Timoteo) and Jan (Mark Waschke) whisk their kids, Max (Wanja Valentin Kube) and Emma (Jule Hermann), away to their seaside vacation home. The couple has signed a new politically charged client, forcing them to confront their clashing priorities. But what’s meant to be an idyllic off-season retreat turns sinister when burglars tear through the house, unseen by anyone except Nina.

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CODA - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

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CODA - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2021

Directed by: Siân Heder

Written by: Siân Heder

Starring: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin

Runtime: 111 min

Synopsis: CODA follows 17-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing child in a deaf family, as she finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her family's reliance on her as their interpreter and connection to the hearing world.

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Day Zero | Sundance 2021

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Day Zero | Sundance 2021

2021 might turn out to be an even more challenging year than its predecessor, but January had a massive surprise in store for me. I was lucky enough to get approval to cover this year’s (online) edition of Sundance, arguably one of the most important, influential film festivals of today. I don’t have enough words to describe how delighted I am for having the opportunity to (finally) attend an international festival, even if it’s only virtually. This article is the first of many I’ll be publishing throughout the next few days, not only here on my website but also the respective Portuguese translations on Echo Boomer. I’ll explain my upload system and share a list of my most anticipated movies without elaborating too much.

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