Sundance Film Festival 2024

I was so happy to be back at the Sundance Film Festival again this year!  Just like last year I got a Salt Lake City pass and I recognized quite a few pass holders from last year!  I'm usually really wary of talking to people I don't know but, for some reason, I love talking to people at Sundance about independent film and I had so much fun!  I was able to see 21 films (which beats the record of 18 set last year) and I liked almost all of what I saw (I only disliked one).  My first film was How to Have Sex which was one of my most anticipated films because I had heard so much about it.  It begins as a fun and lighthearted look at three young girls on holiday in Greece after taking their exams but then it suddenly becomes more sinister as it explores themes of peer pressure and consent.  I was very impressed with Mia McKenna-Bruce's performance because it is so raw and powerful.  My second film was Eno, an innovative documentary (it uses an algorithm to change the sequence of scenes and the footage used so every screening is different) about the innovative record producer Brian Eno.  I loved the deep dive into his creative process and, as a huge fan of U2, I especially enjoyed his discussion about producing the song "Moment of Surrender" (Bono also wrote about recording this song in his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story).  My third film was Frida.  This documentary about the painter Frida Kahlo is incredibly compelling because her own words from letters, interviews, and diaries are used to tell her story and I loved the beautiful animations created from her paintings.  My fourth film was Out of My Mind which, as a former teacher, I absolutely loved!  Melody Brooks (Phoebe-Rae Taylor) is a non-verbal sixth-grader with cerebral palsy who fights to be placed in a mainstreamed classroom because, even though she cannot speak, she has a lot to say.  This is such a powerful film that, in my opinion, should be seen by every educator because more often than not the education system fails students who are different.  Taylor, who has cerebral palsy, gives an authentic and affecting performance that moved me to tears at times.  The audience gave her a standing ovation when she appeared on stage for the Q & A after the film!  My fifth film was The Greatest Night in Pop which is a behind the scenes documentary about how some of the greatest pop stars of the day came together to record "We Are the World" to aid those suffering from famine in Africa during the 80s.  I remember when this song was released so this was very nostalgic for me.  I especially enjoyed the contemporary interviews with some participants, such as Lionel Ritchie, Huey Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, and Cyndi Lauper, because they all mention feeling intimidated by all of the talent in the studio!  My sixth film was Thelma and it is both delightful and heartwarming!  When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) is scammed out of $10,000 by someone impersonating her grandson, she is inspired by the Mission: Impossible movies to go on a quest to get her money back!  Squibb (who is 94) is so charming as an unlikely action hero and the packed crowd at my screening howled with laughter at her antics!  My seventh film was Love Me, which was another one of my most anticipated films (I’m a big fan of Kristen Stewart).  After humanity has been annihilated, a smart buoy and a satellite make contact and interact as Me (Stewart) and I Am (Steven Yuen).  As they get to know each other, they access the internet to learn what it means to be human and adopt the personas of Deja and Liam, a popular influencer couple, but in order to love each other they both must eventually learn to be their authentic selves.  It features live action, motion capture performances, as well as animation and I think it is incredibly clever.  It meanders a bit but I really dug it!  My eighth film was The American Society of Magical Negroes and this satire is hilarious but also very thought-provoking!  A mild-mannered Black artist named Aren (Justice Smith) is recruited by Roger (David Alan Grier) to be a member of a secret society dedicated to making white people comfortable around Black people (referencing the "Magical Negro" movie trope involving a Black character who only exists to advance the arc of a white character).  However, it is only when he realizes that he has been doing this his whole life that he begins to assert himself.  I was a bit uncomfortable because I recognize the reality being satirized but there were lots of moments when I laughed out loud!  My ninth film was Sasquatch Sunset which I found strangely compelling.  It chronicles a year in the life of a Sasquatch family (portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, David Zeller, and Christophe Zajac-Denek who are very expressive even though they are covered in makeup and fur) as they eat, vomit, defecate, urinate, copulate, give birth, and die (very realistically).  They periodically encounter civilization as man encroaches on their environment and the film ends with a powerful visual.  It was weird (is it even Sundance if you don't see something really out there?) but I couldn't look away.  My tenth film was Presence which is another film I was eagerly anticipating because it is directed by Steven Soderbergh.  A family in turmoil, including Chris (Chris Sullivan), Rebecca (Lucy Liu), Chloe (Callina Liang), and Tyler (Eddy Maday), moves into a suburban house hoping for a new start.  However, their chaotic relationships with each other are not improved when Chloe begins feeling a presence in the house.  This is more of an atmospheric psychological thriller than the horror movie I was expecting (a good thing) and I loved all of the camera work because it shows the POV of the ghost for the entire film.  My eleventh film was Winner which tells the true story of how Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) leaked information about Russia's involvement in the 2016 election to an online publication.  I've seen several versions of this story before but I really liked the use of dark humor in this one.  My twelfth film was Love Lies Bleeding which was the one I was most hyped for because, as a fan of director Rose Glass and of Kristen Stewart, I was excited to see a collaboration between them.  Jackie (Katy O'Brian) is an ambitious bodybuilder who stops in a small town in New Mexico on her way to a competition in Las Vegas and becomes involved with Lou (Stewart), the manager of a gym.  Her life becomes increasingly chaotic when Lou introduces her to steroids and to her dysfunctional family, including her gunrunning father (Ed Harris) as well as her sister (Jena Malone) and her sister's abusive husband (Dave Franco).  This is sexy, violent, and absolutely bonkers and I loved it but not as much as I thought I would because the ending didn't quite work for me.  My thirteenth film was Between the Temples and it was my only big miss at the festival.  Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is a grief-stricken cantor who is brought back to life when his former grade school teacher (Carol Kane) comes to him for instruction before her bat mitzvah.  I liked the story and the performances but I hated how it was shot and edited because all of the extreme closeups are incredibly jarring.  My fourteenth film was A Real Pain and I really loved it!  Two cousins, outgoing and charismatic Benji (Kieran Culkin) and uptight and reserved David (Jesse Eisenberg), take a guided tour through Poland to see where their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who has recently died, came from.  They come face to face with the tragedy of the Holocaust (scenes where they visit a concentration camp are incredibly poignant) but they also feel the pain of realizing that, even though they were once close, they have drifted apart.  Kulkin gives a brilliant performance that made me laugh out loud but a monologue by Eisenberg had me in tears.  This was definitely my favorite of the festival.  My fifteenth film was DEVO and, while it is pretty straightforward documentary, I did learn a lot about a band I loved in my youth.  They formed during the aftermath of the Kent State massacre in an attempt to combine music, performance art, and their philosophy about the de-evolution of mankind and unexpectedly rose to prominence with the song "Whip It" which they say was misunderstood.  My sixteenth film was Your Monster and this screening was the most fun I had at Sundance!  Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) is an actress in the middle of a cancer diagnosis when her boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) breaks up with her and gives the part in a Broadway musical that he wrote for her to another actress.  As she wallows in self-pity, the monster (Tommy Dewey) she banished to the closet in childhood appears again to help her find love, and revenge, again.  I laughed and laughed at this musical theatre, romantic comedy, and horror mash-up and so did the entire audience (much to the delight of the producers who were there for the Q & A).  My seventeenth film was Girls State which is a documentary about a program run by the American Legion Auxiliary for high school girls to participate in a week long immersive simulation to learn about the workings of government.  It follows several girls from Missouri and I found all of their stories to be compelling but my favorite was about a girl who investigates the disparity between Boys State and Girls State (Fun fact: I applied to participate in Girls State when I was in high school but I wasn't selected and I am still bitter!).  My eighteenth film was Super/ Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.  I didn't necessarily learn anything new about the actor but I liked the structure because it emphasizes that Reeve became Superman when he was cast in a movie but he became a real superhero after his paralysis.  It includes lots of footage from his personal home movies and it is incredibly moving (lots of people near me were wiping tears from their eyes throughout).  My nineteenth movie, Hit Man, was another one I was really hyped to see!  Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a mild mannered psychology professor and amateur bird watcher who sometimes provides technical support for the police.  He is roped into going undercover as a hit man during a sting operation and, because he uses psychology to appeal to the would-be criminal (and some hilarious disguises), he is very successful.  Complications ensue when he falls for a woman who hires him (Adria Arjona).  This is wildly entertaining and I predict it will be a big hit when it streams on Netflix.  My twentieth film was The Outrun which was another one I was excited to see because I am a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan.  Rona (Ronan) is an alcoholic who attempts to get sober by returning home to the Orkney Islands where she is inspired by the beautiful but wild landscape.  The non-linear narrative didn’t always work for me but Ronan gives a brilliant performance.  My twenty-first (and final) film was My Old Ass which I decided to see because I am a fan of Aubrey Plaza.  Eighteen year old Elliott Labrant (Maisy Stella) is restless and eager to leave her small rural town for the big city but, when she is visited by an older version of herself (Plaza), she learns to appreciate the life she has now.  This is a fun YA romantic comedy and I really loved the message about labels.  Whew!  I loved every minute of Sundance this year and I am already looking forward to next year!

Native Gardens at PTC

I attempted to see Native Gardens at PTC the week before the Sundance Film Festival started but after about fifteen minutes the performance was canceled. I was really sad because I wanted to see it but I didn't think I would have time to reschedule. I decided to squeeze in the matinee before my Sundance films yesterday and, even though it made for a really long day, I'm glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it! Frank and Virginia Butley (Michael Kostroff and Kelly Coffield Park, respectively) are an older white couple who have lived in a historic D.C. neighborhood for decades and Tania and Pablo Del Valle (Katya Collazo and Tito Livas, respectively) are a young Latinx couple who have recently moved in next door. Frank spends most of his time on his ornamental garden with the hope of winning an award from the Potomac Horticultural Society. Tania has big plans for a garden made up of native plants indigenous to the environment which are accelerated by Pablo's spontaneous decision to invite his entire law firm over for a party in order to impress them. The Del Valles receive permission from the Butleys to replace an unsightly chain link fence between the two properties but they discover that the fence is in the wrong place and that they are entitled to two more feet. However, moving the fence will ruin Frank's garden just days before the important competition. The ensuing fight over the location of the fence becomes about who is "entitled" to the land with themes that are, unfortunately, incredibly salient today and it is as ugly as what we see on the news. What I loved most about this play is that it ends on a very optimistic note which gives me hope for the future! I also found the dialogue to be really funny and I loved all of the passive aggressive bits of business that happen between scenes, such as when Pablo throws acorns from their tree into the Butley's yard. The set, featuring the houses and back gardens of each couple, is outstanding because it really highlights the differences between them (the Butley's house has been extensively renovated and modernized while the Del Valle's house has been neglected for years). The attention to detail is a lot of fun, especially when the roots of the flowers can be seen when they are pulled and when stakes denoting the new fence location are placed in the ground. Finally, I really enjoyed the use of music during the transitions between scenes ("Shout" by Tears For Fears after a particularly heated argument between the couples made me laugh). I would definitely recommend this timely and thought-provoking play about the issues that build fences between people but the run has now concluded. PTC is presenting Bonnie & Clyde next beginning February 23 (go here for tickets).

Utah Opera's The Little Prince

Last night I took a short break from Sundance to see Utah Opera's production of The Little Prince.  I loved this opera when I saw it in 2019 so I was really excited to see it again and it was as enchanting as I remember!  The story begins with a Pilot (Shea Owens) telling a group of school children (Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School) about his drawing of a snake eating an elephant.  Every adult thinks it is a hat which proves that adults can't see anything!  Then he describes crash landing his plane in the desert and meeting the Little Prince (Miles Keeton) who asks him for a drawing of a sheep to eat all of the bushes, especially the baobab trees, threatening to overtake his planet.  The Prince then recounts his life story on his planet which contains three volcanoes, one active and two dormant, and his beautiful but vain and petulant Rose (Jasmine Rodriguez).  When the Rose treats him badly, the Prince decides to visit other planets.  On the first planet he meets The King (Kevin Thompson) who has no subjects and only issues orders that can be followed, such as commanding the sun to set.  On the second planet he meets the Vain Man (Christian Sanders) who wants to be the most admired man on an otherwise uninhabited planet.  On the third planet he meets the Drunkard (Jeremiah Thompson) who drinks to forget his shame over drinking too much.  On the fourth planet he meets The Businessman (Tshilidzi Ndou) who fails to see the beauty of the stars because of his need to count and catalog them to prove ownership.  On the fifth planet he meets The Lamplighter (Jeremiah Tyson) who blindly follows orders to light and extinguish a lamppost every 30 minutes to correspond with day and night on the planet.  The Prince finds all of these adults to be ridiculous so he decides to visit Earth and lands in the desert.  He meets a Snake (Christian Sanders) who tells him he can send him home any time he wishes, a rosebush (Sarah Scofield, Julia Gershkoff, and Jasmine Rodriguez) which makes him think his Rose is just ordinary, and a Fox (Sarah Scofield) who tells him that you can only see with your heart not your eyes and that spending time with his Rose has made it special.  He decides that he misses his Rose and wants to go back home so he takes the Pilot to a well to find Water (Julia Gershkoff) which saves him and makes arrangements with the Snake to return home.  The Pilot is upset but the Prince tells him not to worry that he has died because his body is just a shell that is too heavy to return to his planet.  The Snake strikes, the Prince disappears, and the Pilot fixes his plane.  The story ends with the Pilot telling the children that he can always see the Prince by looking at the stars.  There are so many wonderful themes that can be extrapolated from this opera (I love the importance of seeing beyond the surface to appreciate the true essence of things) and the music is incredibly beautiful.  My favorite part of this particular production is the amazing vocal performance from Keeton as the Prince.  I was actually stunned when I heard him sing for the first time because his voice is so clear and I especially loved his poignant rendition of an aria describing his love for the Rose.  I also enjoyed Owens as the Pilot because his performance is warm and comforting.  The rest of the adults all shine in brief roles but the standout for me is Sanders because his characterization and physicality as both the Vain Man and the Snake are so much fun to watch!  The children who make up the chorus are outstanding and they are used very effectively in the staging of each number, particularly when they pass the lamppost around in a circle to represent a day and when they hold candles to represent stars.  I loved the bright and colorful costumes, especially the King's long train and the Rose's petal-like tutu, as well as the set, which consists of a book-lined study that transforms into hundreds of pages to represent the desert.  This is a magical production that would be a perfect introduction to opera for children and I cannot recommend it enough!  There are two more performances (go here for tickets) at Capitol Theatre on Friday and Sunday.

The Foreigner at HCTO

Last night I had the chance to see the hilarious play The Foreigner at HCTO (I rescheduled from last week because I didn't want to drive all the way from Bountiful to Orem in the snow).  I really love this show because not only is it laugh out loud funny but it also features some deeper themes about overcoming fears about those who are different and that is something that is very needed in the world right now.   Sgt. Froggy LeSueur (Brett Myers) is a British demolition expert who is visiting rural Georgia to conduct training sessions at an army base.  Froggy brings his friend Charlie Baker (Greg Larsen), who is depressed over his marital difficulties, with him and installs him at a nearby fishing lodge owned by Betty Meeks (Luone Ingram) while he is on maneuvers.  Charlie doesn't like this arrangement because he is painfully shy and fears having to interact with strangers but Froggy solves the problem by telling Betty that Charlie is a foreigner who doesn't speak English.  The other guests at the lodge are drawn to Charlie because they believe that he can't understand them.  Catherine (Kelly Pulver) pours her heart out to him because he is a good listener, Ellerd (Ian Webb) gains confidence by successfully "teaching" him English, and David (Dallin Bradford) inadvertently reveals a plot he has hatched with a local member of the Ku Klux Klan named Owen (Marshall Lamm).  Chaos ensues but Charlie begins to feel like he belongs and he eventually helps to foil David's plan.  This show features a lot of exaggerated physical comedy and I can't remember when I've laughed so hard, especially when Ellerd tries to teach Charlie the English words for all of the items in the lodge, when Charlie is asked to tell a story in his native language (which is completely made up), and when Charlie spooks Owen by pretending to control Ellerd (who is disguised in a Ku Klux Klan robe).  Everyone in the cast has great comedic timing (I don't know how they kept their composure during some of the more over the top scenes) but I especially enjoyed watching Larsen and Webb interact because their facial expressions are hysterically funny.  I loved the set and I was particularly impressed by the attention to detail (when it rained there was a slow drip of water from a leak in the roof into a pot right next to me).  I also liked the period costumes, especially Catherine's fantastic 80s fashions!  It is always fun to start the new year with a comedy and this is one that is is sure to make you laugh!  I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the performances through February 17 (go here for tickets).

American Fiction

I have been looking forward to American Fiction ever since it premiered at TIFF so I was really excited to finally have a chance to see it at the Broadway last night.  It is a hilarious social satire but it also includes incredibly poignant themes about identity.  Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is an uptight and curmudgeonly Black author and professor in Los Angeles whose books are critically acclaimed but not popular.  He attends a book conference in his hometown of Boston to try and sell his latest novel to a publisher and is dismayed when he hears a reading by best-selling author Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) because he believes that she is pandering to Black stereotypes.  He impulsively decides to write his own book featuring every offensive Black stereotype he can think of as a joke but, when his agent Arthur (John Ortiz) sells it for an exorbitant amount of money, he decides to publish it using a pseudonym because he needs the money to care for his mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams), who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  As the hype builds for his book (a movie deal and a possible literary award) and his relationships with his brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) and his girlfriend Coraline (Erika Alexander) deteriorate, Monk faces an existential crisis.  This features a powerful and scathing commentary on how the entertainment industry views the Black experience but it is as laugh out loud funny as it is thought-provoking.  This is juxtaposed with a compelling family drama about siblings coming to terms with the roles they have been playing all of their lives and how to break free from them.  However, the journey to understanding that Monk goes on is somewhat undermined by an unsatisfactory ending that leaves him back where he started as he gives in to a choice that he has criticized Black artists for making in order to succeed (my only criticism).  Wright gives a brilliant performance, especially with all of his interactions with Tracee Ellis Ross (as his sister Lisa) and Brown and his humorous code-switching dialogue with his publisher (Miriam Shor) and a Hollywood executive (Adam Brody).  The rest of the cast is also outstanding and I especially enjoyed Brown's affecting performance.  Despite the third act, I really enjoyed this movie and would definitely recommend it.