For the fourth straight year I covered the Sundance Film Festival. This year felt like an oddball year, and I'm not sure if it had more to do with the strike or the quality of films readily available online to cover. Either way, I ended the festival enthused by several films, so I am sharing my annual "Best of Fest."
Hopefully, one day, I will experience the Sundance Film Festival in person. Still, the at-home experience is something I've honed in on the craft of covering the festival without any issues. This year, I watched 17 films and one TV show, which was a slight step back from last year, but the length of the movies available at home was cut in half.
The Best Movies of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Exhibiting Forgiveness
I hope everyone is prepared to listen to me talk about Exhibiting Forgiveness for the rest of 2024. This movie was above and beyond the best thing I watched in the special. Titus Kaphar's feature film debut had me eating out of the palm of his hand. It's just a beautiful piece of art, elegantly painted with every stroke. On top of that, Andre Holland's performance will be something I mention come award season (I KNOW, IT'S EARLY).
A Real Pain
Talk about a film that has stayed with me ever since I watched it. Jesse Eisenberg's second feature is a blend of a buddy comedy and family drama. Eisenberg returned to his roots to deliver a fine-tuned, well-crafted follow-up to his first outing behind the lens. While his script works perfectly, the entire film is brought to life by Kieran Culkin, who delivered his best work in a movie to date.
Thelma
One day I will write about how Thelma might be one of the best heist movies we've seen this decade. Until then, I will talk about how incredible the combination of June Squibb and Richard Roundtree was. It was Oceans Eleven: Senior Edition with Squibb playing Danny Ocean and Richard playing Rusty Ryan. I will be so heartbroken if this doesn't get a theatrical release so I can go to a jampacked theater and watch and laugh along with the audience. I loved this movie.
10 Lives
One thing lacking in recent animated films is the heartfelt aspect that these films can deliver. We saw it a little bit in Elemental last year, and Christopher Jenkins and his team of writers got it right with 10 Lives. It's a solid film with genuinely hilarious moments (for kids and adults) while shining a strong message of redemption. I loved the animation and the voice work from Mo Gilligan and Simone Ashley.