Top Films From Sundance

By Adam Roffman

The theme of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival was “Rebel.” The slogan appeared on screens before every film, on banners outside the theaters, and on festival merchandise like t-shirts, jackets, and journals. The word was being used to express that the Sundance Film Festival programs films that break away from the standard Hollywood fare and it encouraged others to join in this rebellion, but for many attendees of the festival, they had to “rebel” against mother nature as severe wind/rain storms were hitting parts of the West Coast just as a weeklong snowstorm was hitting Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah.

Numerous flights were delayed or cancelled in the opening days of the festival, and many resorted to driving anywhere from six to twelve hours through a variety of storms in order to get to the festival, but once there most agreed it was all worth it. What they found was arguably the strongest lineup of films Sundance has seen in the last decade.

Sundance seems to have taken on a younger, edgier, and more adventurous vibe in 2010, most likely due to the departure of former Executive Director Geoff Gilmore and the promotion of new Executive Director John Cooper and Programming Director Trevor Groth. The film introductions were more laidback, the parties more casual, and the choice of films seemed more bold than in years past.

Without a doubt, the two most exciting film choices of 2010 were the much buzzed-about and edge-of-your-seat entertaining documentaries EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP and CATFISH.

The first of these, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, was the must-see film before it had had its first screening. Very little was known about the film, other than it was either by or about the most notorious graffiti artist in the world, Banksy. For those lucky enough to get a ticket to one of the screenings of the film, what they saw was an entertaining thrill-ride that left them yearning to see the film again. The film begins by following the journey of amateur filmmaker Terry Guetta as he sets out to videotape some of the more notable graffiti artists working today including such luminaries as Sheperd Fairey (now famous for the Barack Obama “Hope” poster campaign), following these men as they risk injury and arrest while climbing on rooftops in the middle of the night to spread their work. As Terry continues on his journey, he keeps hearing about the infamous Banksy and becomes determined to find him and include him in his film. After numerous attempts Terry finally is able to connect with Banksy and follows and records him as well, never showing the true identity of Banksy within the film. After accumulating years of footage of all of these artists, Banksy insists that Terry finally edit his footage and make his film.

To Banksy’s surprise, Terry has no filmmaking skill whatsoever and can’t turn his boxes and boxes worth of footage into a workable film. Banksy then turns the tables on Terry and challenges him to take all that he has learned from watching all of the top graffiti artists and to go out and create his own art. What happens from there is too good to give away. No one was present at the screening to do a Q&A, and no one is listed specifically as the director. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is simply listed as “A Banksy Film”, and Banksy himself always keeps his face hidden in shadow in the film and has his voice altered. They mystery of this man is only one small part of what makes this film so enjoyable and intriguing.

The other big buzz film of the festival, didn’t start off as a buzz film like GIFT SHOP, but became the talk of the festival after its first screening. The documentary CATFISH follows a 24-year-old New York-based photographer named Nev Schulman who begins a correspondence with an eight-year old girl named Abby via Facebook. Abby is a fan of Nev’s photographs and starts doing paintings of them and sending them to Nev as presents. Things start to get interesting when Nev develops a cyber-romance with Abby’s older sister, Megan. After time, some things about Megan don’t seem to add up, and Nev and his two friends (the filmmakers) embark on a trip to find and meet Megan and Abby and discover the truth about them. What they find is a startling revelation and a warning to any who take online-only relationships too far. The film is so full of surprises that a small minority of attendees questioned whether the film was truly a documentary or whether the filmmakers fabricated the entire film. Most believed the filmmaker’s claims that it was indeed a true documentary, but if it isn’t, then the filmmakers are still masterful writers and editors and have made a film that will be talked about for years. As of this writing, Paramount Pictures was holding a special screening in Los Angeles to determine whether to acquire the film for distribution, with many referring to CATFISH as “the next PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.”

While those two films were all the rage with those within the film industry, there were a number of other films that were drawing throngs of average moviegoers. First among these was the directorial debut of John Wells (E.R., The West Wing) with his drama THE COMPANY MEN. Ben Affleck plays the lead in this serious and realistic look at the world of corporate downsizing. Affleck’s Bobby Walker, a hot-shot sales executive, is one of the first casualties at his company and it disrupts his idyllic life with a beautiful wife and two kids. The film follows his struggles and shows how he must come to terms with just getting “a job” instead of holding out for a position as lofty as the one he once held. THE COMPANY MEN is a very timely movie and displays strong performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, and Rosemary Dewitt, as others having to deal with the realities of the recession. John Wells makes a strong debut with this film and should be expected to be a name we hear regularly in film awards seasons to come, just as he has been in the television world for the last two decades.

An equally star-studded film that had both film critics and local Utah residents lined up around the block was CYRUS, the latest feature from Mark and Jay Duplass. The Duplass Brothers have been a fixture at the Sundance Film Festival over the last seven years, first appearing at the festival in 2003 and 2004 with short films, then with their first feature THE PUFFY CHAIR in 2005 and then again in 2008 with their horror/comedy BAGHEAD. In CYRUS, their first film to employ well-known actors, John C. Reilly plays John, a sad sack of a guy who has no luck with the ladies. That is, until he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party. The two get along better than he could have ever hoped for and launch a passionate love affair – until Molly’s 21-year-old son Cyrus enters the scene. Cyrus, played subtly and brilliantly by Jonah Hill, is very, very attached to his mother and he is none too pleased about John coming in and taking his mother’s attention away from him. What follows is a dark and hilarious war for Molly’s attention and affections. CYRUS cements the Duplass Brothers as a filmmaking duo whose names are destined to become as recognizable as the Coen brothers or the Farrelly brothers in Hollywood.

Among the many, many other films that one should look out for over the course of 2010, some of the best include:

- BLUE VALENTINE, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, goes back and forth through two time periods, showing the blossoming of their young love while countering it with a drawn out and heartbreaking break-up. Both actors give performances that will surely catch the eye of next year’s awards nomination committees.

- FAMILY AFFAIR, one of the more personal and powerful documentaries to play at Sundance in the past few years. At ten years old, Chico Colvard accidentally shot his sister in the leg. This random act set off a chain reaction of events, including his sister finally coming forward about how their father had been abusing her and their other two sisters for years. As an adult, Chico Colvard directs this film and explores the complex family dynamic of how his sisters survived this childhood abuse and how as adults they manage to muster loyalty to him. The film was picked up by Oprah Winfrey’s NOW Network following the festival.

- THE FREEBIE, the directorial debut of actress Katie Aselton (THE PUFFY CHAIR, THE OFFICE). Katie Aselton and Dax Shepard play a couple who have been together for seven years and are still in love and have an enviable relationship in most ways. Upon discussing that they have not slept with each other in some time and have a hard time getting started again, they decide to spice things up by allowing each other to have one night with someone else, “a freebie”. The results of this experiment lead in directions that neither expected. At times humorous, at others heartbreaking, this film does not have a false note in it.

- JOAN RIVERS – A PIECE OF WORK, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK). If you think you know what Joan Rivers is all about, you don’t. Stern and Sundberg’s film offers a rare glimpse of the comedic process as it follows the comedy icon on tour, showing Joan tell some of the dirtiest jokes ever conceived, while also showing Joan struggling to line up gigs and keep her career alive both for her and the large number of friends and family that she supports. This film will give all viewers a new appreciation for this comedic icon, both for her work ethic and for the groundwork she laid for so many female comedians.

- THE KILLER INSIDE ME was the most controversial film at Sundance this year. Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of this pulp noir novel raised the ire of more than one audience member as few were prepared for the brutal violence that deputy sherrif Lou Ford, played perfectly by Casey Affleck perpetrates upon his wife, played by Kate Hudson, and his mistress, played by Jessica Alba. This stylishly crafted psychosexual thriller will obtain cult classic status without a doubt.

- LOVERS OF HATE, written and directed by Bryan Poyser, is a hilarious tale of sibling rivalry. Rudy, an aspiring and failing writer and with an impending divorce who lives out of his car, has always resented his brother Paul, a successful author of a children’s fantasy novel series. When Rudy goes up to Paul’s cabin to surprise him he finds him there with his wife Diana and realizes they have started seeing each other. What follows is an intricate game of cat and mouse as Rudy torments them without them realizing he is actually at the cabin.

All of these films should make their way to theaters, television or dvd over the next year and if you are looking for new and interesting stories then you should make a point not to miss any of them. This was the strongest crop of films that Sundance has seen in years. The future of film looks very, very bright.

Here are the 2010 Sundance Film Festival award winners:

Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
WINTER’S BONE directed by Debra Granik

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
RESTREPO directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington

World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic
ANIMAL KINGDOM directed by David Michod

World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary
THE RED CHAPEL directed by Mads Brugger

Dramatic Audience Award
HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE directed by Josh Radnor

Documentary Audience Award
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN directed by Davis Guggenheim

The author Adam Roffman has worked on many major films including “Edge of Darkness”, “The Departed”, and “Gone Baby Gone”. He has produced the independent features “Woodpecker” and “Trust Us, This Is All Made Up”, both available on Amazon and Netflix.