2011 Sundance Film Festival: Days 1-2

I'd say that I've entered the fray a little late in terms of the Sundance Film Festival. I've been so swamped this weekend, I never even assumed that there might actually be some new and amazing films debuting at the festival this year. Though the 2010 awards season may not be over yet, it's sure starting to feel like that, and so it's a good idea to get ahead on the next year. It turns out that quite a lot has been doing at Sundance this year, and the only relevant this I thought was premiering was Tom McCarthy's newest feature, Win Win. Even though his film hasn't been getting quite the same accolades as his past features, it hasn't gotten much negative response so far, so I'd say we've got another indie hit from McCarthy.

Transitioning from the expected to the unlikely, the latest film in the string of Blair Witch style caught-on-camera fantasy flicks is apparently upon us. It somewhat dismays me what this film is about: Trolls. I'm not even joking about this one. It's about freakin' trolls! The Troll Hunter is the debut that's caught a great deal of attention, not to mention unnerving looks. I'm not sure if I can buy into this one, or if I want to at all. I find it far easier to put my faith in director Dee Rees' lesbian drama, Pariah. Obviously a young black woman taking center-stage in a film premiering at Sundance is something we're quite familiar with after the film formerly known as Push came out. Last year proved to be the most predominantly white year in film I have seen in years, so it's good to get some diversity back in the swing of things. Pariah is actually aspiring to be the raw emotional-drama of this year's festival, after Blue Valentine lead the pack a year ago. It has definitely peeked my interest as an outside contender.


Were you aware that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had a sister, and that while we've been watching the abominable twins, young Elizabeth has been growing into a more than fine actress? I surely didn't, so it was one of the major surprises of the festival when that news broke out. She has two releases at the festival, one of which is making a far bigger hit than the other. On the smaller side there is Silent House, which seems to be going with the Shutter Island sort of story of the main character descending into madness, which in this case is Elizabeth Olsen. On the larger side of the canvas, she appears in Martha Marcy May Marlene, which most people are hoping turns out to be considered her breakthrough performance. She apparently plays a girl who escapes from an abusive cult, and then goes out on the run for her freedom. It may be the Winter's Bone of this year, but I try not to draw too many comparisons. This should be its own sort of story, and I cannot wait to see how it all turns out.

Taking a brief little escapade into the documentary circuit, a medium that has garnered some amazing benefits this past year, there were a few films drifting along that really caught my eye. The one that just grabbed my attention so forcibly was Rebirth, the documentary about how peoples' lives were ripped apart by the horrific and unspeakable events of 9/11. The wounds left on that day are still fresh, with the news of a mosque being built only a few blocks away from Ground Zero raising hellish debate. This year heralds the ten year anniversary, and if Rebirth manages to garner enough emotional response, it could be the documentary hit of the year. Morgan Spurlock has also been making the rounds with his latest film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. I'm not exactly sure what that might mean, but I'm certainly curious enough to check out it.

However, the biggest hit of the first two days of the Sundance Film Festival turned out to be Like Crazy, the young romantic-comedy-drama from director Drake Doremus. The film has recently been grabbed up by Paramount Pictures, after a quick tussle for studios to pick up the film. It's about an L.A. boy and a British girl who fall in young love, only to have to work on it on a long distance basis. That quite obviously never works out, so to say there are tears would be an understatement. People are saying this one made them cry several times throughout the duration, some calling it this year's (500) Days of Summer. It will obviously get its own identity in the coming months, but I personally can't wait for this one. I don't think anyone can. There are still plenty of new films left to premiere, but this is the one to beat.

So, if I were to rank five of these films in order of anticipation, it would probably go something like this:

5. Win Win
4. Rebirth
3. Pariah
2. Like Crazy
1. Martha Marcy May Marlene

Images (In Order): Like Crazy; Rebirth; Elizabeth Olsen in Silent House