2022 Sundance Film Festival review roundup (Part 2)

Another loaded day of films to watch from the 2022 Sundance Film festival includes Sharp Stick, Emily the Criminal and Am I OK?. Check out my review roundup of these films below.

2022 Sundance Film Festival review roundup (Part 2)

Emily the Criminal

Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is down on her luck, in debt, has a bad record, and can’t find a good-paying job to help pay for the debt she has piled up. Then, she stumbles across Youcef (Theo Rossi), running an underground criminal scheme. After some convincing, Emily decides she will work for Youcef, which starts well, but her world is turned upside down.

The world does not talk enough about Theo Rossi and his talent. From his turn in Sons of Anarchy to last year in True Story, the man should be more booked and busy in the industry. He took this film over from the moment we see him hit the screen. He and Plaza showed great chemistry together that carries the entire movie.

Emily the Criminal has some issues with it (pacing, structure), but Aubrey Plaza was a straight badass throughout the movie and I loved every bit of it. It can fall into some cliches for this genre, but overall, an easy and fun watch with a killer ending.

Am I OK?

Dakota Johnson has been slaying the movie world for a long time and not getting nearly enough credit for it. Sure, you all remember her from the 50 Shades of Grey franchise days (which she was incredible in), but if you’ve seen her recent work (The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Nowhere Inn, The Lost Daughter), you would know how good she is.

Am I OK? was written by Lauren Pomerantz and directed by Stephanie Allynne, and Tig Notaro. I can’t thank them enough for bringing a light-hearted, but emotionally profound film I have longed for during the festival.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) are best friends, and upon finding out that Jane is taking a job across the country, Lucy has an emotional breakdown. Am I OK? is a charming tale of friendship, love and compassion. I loved everything about this movie.

Sharp Stick

I think the first problem I had was we have a strong sexually aware film that was released in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande and following it with this film was somewhat of a shock because of how Lena Dunham explored it in a way that was highly of-putting.

The entire thing seems like a waste with such a strong cast led by Jon Bernthal, who can do no wrong ever. Bernthal, Taylour Paige and Jennifer Jason Leigh all do what they can in their roles, but the lackluster script holds the entire thing back.

Which movies from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival are you excited to watch?