The Sundance Film Festival can admittedly be distilled to a few fleeting images. Like, say, Elizabeth Olsen being photographed on the bustling, wintry Main Street in a form-fitting parka and snow boots.
Organizers probably know this. That’s why, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the premiere independent film festival founded by Robert Redford, they put together a slideshow before every single screening that featured candid photos of some of the brightest stars and filmmakers who premiered their projects in Park City, Utah.
In a fascinating montage that dated back to the 1980s, audiences caught images of a fresh-faced Kevin Bacon (The Big Picture), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs), Jake Gyllenhaal (The Good Girl), America Ferrera (Real Women Have Curves), Zach Braff (Garden State), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name).
And just for good measure, there was even a shot of Taylor Swift at the premiere of her Miss Americana documentary on opening night in 2020. You know, back when she was merely an A-list music star.
All of which is to say that after all these years, the Sundance experience serves as an important stepping stone en route to greatness. For the 2024 edition, held from January 18 to 28, stalwarts such as Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza promoted their work alongside up-and-comers like Maisy Stella and Jay Will. Meanwhile, some of the most iconic celebrities of all time popped up in unforgettable documentaries, and Robert Downey Jr. showed up on opening night to salute his Oppenheimer director (and Sundance alum), Christopher Nolan. And yes, everybody still partied on Main Street like it was 1999. (That was the year of The Blair Witch Project, btw.)
Scroll down for more info on the 10 buzziest films from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Read about them now, then catch them in a theater — or, much more likely, on a streaming service — later and talk about them in perpetuity.
‘A Real Pain’
This deeply affecting tragicomedy earned a well-deserved prolonged standing ovation on a snowy Saturday afternoon. A stellar Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play close-knit cousins traveling to Poland to honor the homeland of their recently deceased Holocaust survivor grandmother. One is a high-strung neurotic taking a pill for his OCD; the other is a charming screwup who cuts straight to the core with his sharp observations. (Guess who plays who.) During their journey — in which they visit a concentration camp — they meditate on whether connecting with the pain of the past can alleviate the pain of the present. Eisenberg wrote and directed this top-tier work, drawing on his own familial roots. Sold to Searchlight for $10 million!
‘A Different Man’
Here’s Sebastian Stan as you’ve never seen him before. That is no oversell considering he distorts his face to render himself unrecognizable in a quirky (even by Sundance standards) thriller. His character, Edward, is an insecure, struggling actor dealing with neurofibromatosis who undergoes radical reconstruction surgery so he can look, well, like Sebastian Stan. That’s when his problems really begin. For starters, his former next-door neighbor (Renate Reinsve) writes a play based upon their previous platonic Beauty and the Beast–esque relationship, but Edward can’t disappear into the role because of his handsome new features. Confused yet? Welcome! And yet the message about inner beauty haunts.
‘The Greatest Night in Pop’
For anyone conscious in the 1980s, this wildly entertaining documentary — which charts the making of the charity pop single “We Are the World” — is nostalgia for the soul. For anyone else? Here’s proof that on a January evening in 1985, dozens of music icons checked their egos at the door and pulled an all-nighter in a shabby music studio in Los Angeles for the truly worthwhile cause of African famine relief. We’re talking Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner and too many more to list here. “We Are the World” cowriter (and current American Idol judge) Lionel Richie serves as the de facto narrator, and wow, this man has stories. Streaming on Netflix starting January 29.
‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’
Before Henry Cavill or Tom Welling or Brandon Routh or Dean Cain, there was Christopher Reeve. In many ways, the actor will always be the definitive Superman. (Just forget about that bizarro A.I. cameo in last year’s The Flash.) This documentary chronicles his remarkable life — starting with his rise to stardom portraying the strapping comic-book superhero and then, following a tragic equestrian accident in 1995, becoming a real-life superhero as he uses his paralysis to raise money and help others. His lovely blended family and friends weave together anecdotes and let the audience celebrate a man who was so much more than his iconic character. Bring Kleenex.
‘Presence’
Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has been delivering the goods at Sundance since Sex, Lies & Videotape in 1989. His latest is a low-fi supernatural delight. It’s told from the perspective of the titular presence by having the camera observe and follow a family of four (led by Lucy Liu and This Is Us’ Chris Sullivan) as they move into a new house and settle in. There goes the spirit as it moves around a few books and shakes clothes loose from a closet and generally fills the house with a sense of impending doom. But what is really going on? The answer proves surprising, which isn’t really surprising at all considering Soderbergh is a master at his craft.
‘Rob Peace’
Robert Peace was a math and science prodigy who grew up in New Jersey, the son of a hard-working mom and a father (perhaps wrongly) convicted of murder. His intellect took him all the way to Yale University on scholarship, but he then started spiraling and dealing drugs and ended up shot to death at age 30. The tragic tale was previously told by Peace’s former roommate in the book The Short Life and Tragic Death of Robert Peace; now Chiwetel Ejiofor, in his second directorial effort, brings it to the screen with a sensitive and sincere touch. Jay Will (Tulsa King) excels in the title role, while Camila Cabello, Mary J. Blige and Ejiofor are strong in supporting parts. Only those without a heart won’t be moved — not to mention angry about what could have been.
‘Winner’
Here’s the fascinating true story behind Reality Winner. As in, the vegetarian CrossFit-teaching, gun-toting Texan Air Force veteran whistleblower named Reality Winner. While working as a translator at the NSA in 2017, Reality (a spitfire Emilia Jones) comes across jaw-dropping intel that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election. She leaks crucial documents to the media, leading to an arrest and major jail time. Though Reality’s unique drama has been told before (recently in an HBO project with Sydney Sweeney), this jaunty entry is super-solid and helped by Jones’ relatable performance. Nice supporting turns from Connie Britton and Zach Galifianakis too.
‘My Old Ass’
Do not, I repeat, do not judge a movie by its admittedly awful title. Otherwise, you’re liable to miss a classic Sundance coming-of-age gem. On the cusp of leaving for college, self-involved Elliott (Maisy Stella) goes on a mushroom trip and comes face-to-face with the 39-year-old version of herself (Aubrey Plaza). The more lived-in version of Elliott offers some advice — because older equals wiser, right? Right?! — and somehow, someway stays in touch. The encounter changes the teen from deep within, as she ultimately learns a timeless lesson: Life can beat you down, but enjoying the moment is the best feeling in the world. Totally genuine and moving.
‘Love Me’
No big deal, just a little sci-fi odyssey that spans 5 million years and attempts to encompass the entire voyeuristic social media experience. And it kind of succeeds! Maybe? Deep into the future, a solar-powered buoy (voiced by Kristen Stewart) bobbing in the ocean “meets” an orbiting satellite (voiced by Steven Yeun). Desperate for a reprieve from solitude, the buoy starts absorbing the Insta feed of married influencers Deja and Liam (Stewart and Yeun in flesh-and-blood form). She turns into her avatar; he reciprocates — and the two learn that even an A.I. relationship has its issues. (Less revelatory: Don’t buy into the personal highlight reels posted online.) Both actors command the screen even when the tedious screenplay falters.
‘Freaky Tales’
Set in Oakland in 1987, this electrifying affair weaves together four out-there interconnected revenge stories. In the most effective chapter — it’s actually not even a contest — an underworld mobster (Pedro Pascal) embarks on one last shakedown while his pregnant wife patiently waits in the car. (He also interacts with an A-list star in a video store; the cameo brought down the house during the opening-night premiere.) With its extreme blood-soaked rampages, overlapping characters, pop-culture references, subversive humor and offbeat needle drops, the anthology comes off as both a knockoff of the Tarantino oeuvre as well as an homage. Is that wrong? Judging by the wild applause at the end, the answer is no.
