Sundance Film Festival 2024: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews

The Sundance Film Festival is underway in snowy Park City, and Deadline is on the ground to watch all of the key films. Here is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year saw A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One win U.S. Dramatic Competition prize. Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and Beyond Utopia took the top documentary awards, and both went on to make the Oscar shortlist.

Check out the reviews below, click on the titles to read them in full, and keep checking back as we add more.

Section: PremieresDirector-screenwriter: Kobi LibiiCast: Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Rupert FriendDeadline’s takeaway: The American Society has a good heart, and that’s what prevails. Commercial prospects are uncertain, but Libii is a talent for sure, creative and imaginative and an impressive world-builder, but not yet fully focused.

Section: U.S. Dramatic CompetitionDirector: Nathan SilverScreenwriters: Nathan Silver and C. Mason WellsCast: Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Caroline Aaron, Dolly De Leon, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein, Matthew ShearDeadline’s takeaway: Funny yet philosophical, and driven by Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzman’s chemistry, the film humanizes the midlife reawakening many eventually face en route to self-acceptance. It will speak to any viewer who has felt stuck chasing someone else’s expectations.

Section: U.S. Dramatic CompetitionDirector-screenwriter: Titus KapharCast: André Holland, John Earl Jelks, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-TaylorDeadline takeaway: Set against a backdrop of familial struggle and personal demons, Kaphar’s film navigates the complexities of forgiveness, accountability and the resilience of the human spirit.

Section: PremieresDirector-screenwriters: Ryan Fleck and Anna BodenCast: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Normani Kordei Hamilton, Dominique Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn, Ji-Young Yoo, Jack Champion, Angus Cloud, Kier GilchristDeadline’s takeaway: Magnetic performances by its all-star cast attack each twist and turn and drip with charisma in Freaky Tales, but for all its slick style the anthology film lacks narrative substance to match.

Section: PremieresDirectors: Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex ThompsonCast: Keith Kupferer, Dolly De Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara MallenDeadline’s takeaway: Getting impatient for Kenneth Lonergan to make another great movie? Ghostlight should scratch that itch and more: a funny, intelligent and yet at times almost unbearably sad movie that takes a searing family tragedy and spins it into a riveting redemption story that somehow never hits a false note.

Section: World Cinema Dramatic CompetitionDirector: Thea Hvistendahl Screenwriters: Thea Hvistendahl and John Ajvide LindqvistDeadline’s takeaway: Handling the Undead excels in its minimalist approach to dialogue, relying on visual storytelling and sharp use of sound to convey mood. It’s a testament to the Norwegian knack for silent storytelling, where emotions resonate louder than words.

Section: MidnightDirector-screenwriter: Jane SchoenbrunCast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Fred DurstDeadline’s takeaway: Given the director’s trans identity, it’s not hard to see I Saw The TV Glow as a metaphor for gender dysphoria. But Schoenbrun also has a lot to say about the role of pop culture in adolescence and the dangers of holding onto it.

Section: MidnightDirector-screenwriter: Greg JardinCast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey,  Devon Terrell, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Reina Hardesty, David W. ThompsonDeadline’s takeaway: It’s hard to say right now whether It’s What’s Inside has the crossover immediacy of a Blair Witch Project or the long-haul slow-burn of a Donnie Darko. Whichever way it turns out, this is first-class genre filmmaking and an impressive calling card for everyone involved.

Section: World DramaticDirector: Amrou Al-KadhiCast: Bilal Hasna, Louis Greatorex, Safiyya IngarDeadline’s takeaway: What borders on self-pity never quite tips over thanks to a winning performance by Bilal Hasna, who keeps the title character grounded on their voyage of self-discovery and holds our sympathies, just about, even at his most petulant. A refreshing rebuttal of gay stories that end in tragedy.

Section: MidnightDirector-screenwriter: Rose GlassCast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna BaryshinkovDeadline’s takeaway: Glass has created a snapshot of America saturated with guns, marked by bloodshed and characterized by lawlessness. However, when you add in some sexy, campy queers sprinkled in for razzle dazzle, you get a film like this full of thrills and captivating energy.

Section: U.S. Dramatic CompetitionDirector-screenwriters: Sam Zuchero, Andy ZucheroCast: Kristen Stewart, Steven YeunDeadline’s takeaway: Despite its strong start with grounded concepts and themes, Love Me gradually becomes cluttered with various messages. Consequently, it strays from being funny and charming to something more erratic and challenging to follow.

Section: PremieresDirector: Steven SoderberghCast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Julia FoxDeadline’s takeaway: Presence proves that Soderbergh is someone primed to take risks and operate outside of studio constraints. Testing new stylistic waters and a minimalist script, the film may bewilder many. But for the director’s fans, it signifies another cinematic success.

Section: PremieresDirector-screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan ZellnerCast: Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan ZellnerDeadline’s takeaway: If, like David and Nathan Zellner, you have ever pondered the quotidian life of the Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, then this is the movie for you, an at-times silly comedy that somehow reels you into its strange, hypnotic world.

Section: U.S. Dramatic CompetitionDirector-screenwriter: Theda HammelCast: John Early, Qaher Harhash, Theda Hammel, Amy Zimmer, Faheem Ali, John RobertsDeadline’s takeaway: While moments emerge showing the glimmer of an insightful character study, the film dissolves into an endurance test drowned out by superficial noise. While one must tip the cap to Hammel’s sheer feat of micro-budget production, their organic style choices bewilder more than enlighten.

Section: PremieresDirector-screenwriter: Josh MargolinCast: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parkey Posey, Malcolm McDowellDeadline’s takeaway: Mortality is baked into every aspect of this movie, even when Thelma gets her showdown with the man who’s caused her so much misery. Nevertheless, there’s nothing gloomy in its message or June Squibb’s barnstorming performance. As Bette Davis put it, old age ain’t no place for sissies.

Section: PremieresDirector: Susanna FogelScreenwriters: Kerry Howley, Susanna FogelCast: Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, Zach Galifianakis, Kathryn NewtonDeadline’s takeaway: In light of what we now know, which is that Winner’s actions resulted in more attention to her unusual name than the government’s misinformation, her whistleblowing activities now seem horribly futile. But the wonderful thing about Fogel’s whipsmart film is that it shares Winner’s seemingly indefatigable belief that right is might.