Sundance 2021 Movie Guide
by IMDb-Editors | created - 2 months ago | updated - 1 month ago | PublicSundance 2021 Movie Guide
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1. CODA (2021)
111 min | Drama
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
Director: Sian Heder | Stars: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant
Votes: 265
Category: U.S. Dramatic
2. I Was a Simple Man (2021)
100 min | Drama
A family in Hawai'i faces the imminent death of their eldest as the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside.
Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi | Stars: Steve Iwamoto, Constance Wu, Tim Chiou, Kanoa Goo
Votes: 56
Category: U.S. Dramatic
3. Jockey (2021)
94 min | Drama
An aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son.
Director: Clint Bentley | Stars: Clifton Collins Jr., Moises Arias, Molly Parker, Logan Cormier
Votes: 76
Category: U.S. Dramatic
4. John and the Hole (2021)
98 min | Drama, Thriller
A coming-of-age psychological thriller that plays out the unsettling reality of a kid who holds his family captive in a hole in the ground.
Director: Pascual Sisto | Stars: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga
Votes: 169
Category: U.S. Dramatic
5. Mayday (2021)
100 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Ana is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war along a rugged coast. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating ... See full summary »
Director: Karen Cinorre | Stars: Grace Van Patten, Mia Goth, Soko, Francesco Piacentini-Smith
Votes: 111
Category: U.S. Dramatic
6. On the Count of Three (2021)
84 min | Drama
Two guns. Two best friends. And a pact to end their lives when the day is done.
Director: Jerrod Carmichael | Stars: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, Lavell Crawford
Votes: 194
Category: U.S. Dramatic
7. Passing (2021)
98 min | Drama
"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
Director: Rebecca Hall | Stars: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Bill Camp
Votes: 152
Category: U.S. Dramatic
8. Superior (2021)
97 min | Drama, Thriller
On the run, Marian returns to her hometown to hide out with her identical twin sister, Vivian, and in doing so alters the trajectory of both their lives.
Director: Erin Vassilopoulos | Stars: Alessandra Mesa, Ani Mesa, Pico Alexander, Jake Hoffman
Votes: 93
Category: U.S. Dramatic
9. Together Together (2021)
R | 90 min | Comedy
When a young loner becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
Director: Nikole Beckwith | Stars: Patti Harrison, Ed Helms, Rosalind Chao, Timm Sharp
Votes: 87
Category: U.S. Dramatic
10. Wild Indian (2021)
90 min | Thriller
Two men learn to confront a traumatic secret they share involving the savage murder of a schoolmate.
Director: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. | Stars: Michael Greyeyes, Kirstyn Anderson, Evan Assante, Kate Bosworth
Votes: 120
Category: U.S. Dramatic
11. Ailey (2021)
82 min | Documentary
An immersive portrait of dance pioneer Alvin Ailey, told through his own words and a new dance inspired by his life.
Director: Jamila Wignot | Stars: Alvin Ailey, George Faison, Judith Jamison
Votes: 29
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
12. All Light, Everywhere (2021)
105 min | Documentary
A far-ranging look at the biases in how we see things, focusing on the use of police body cameras.
Director: Theo Anthony | Stars: Keaver Brenai, Robert Cunniff
Votes: 33
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
13. At the Ready (2021)
96 min | Documentary
A group of seniors train to become police officers and Border Patrol agents at El Paso’s Horizon High School, near the U.S./Mexico border.
Director: Maisie Crow
Votes: 35
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
14. Cusp (2021)
92 min | Documentary
In a Texas military town, three teenage girls confront the dark corners of adolescence at the end of a fever dream summer.
Directors: Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill | Stars: Aaloni Cook, Brittney Marsh, Autumn Smalley
Votes: 57
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
15. Homeroom (2021)
90 min | Documentary
Oakland as a tantalizing case study. In a city that struggles with rising crime and health care woes, its public school systems aren't exactly equipped to prepare youth for the travails of young adulthood.
Director: Peter Nicks | Stars: Denilson Garibo, Libby Schaaf
Votes: 34
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
16. Rebel Hearts (2021)
99 min | Documentary
A look at Los Angeles's Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, nuns who challenged the patriarchal conventions of the Catholic Church 50 years ago and are still taking a stand today.
Director: Pedro Kos | Stars: Anita Caspary, Helen Kelley, Corita Kent, Pat Reif
Votes: 35
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
17. Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021)
90 min | Documentary
A look at the life and work of Rita Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood.
Director: Mariem Pérez Riera | Stars: Norman Lear, Morgan Freeman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eva Longoria
Votes: 36
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
18. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
117 min | Documentary
Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.
Director: Questlove | Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Rock, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone
Votes: 116
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
19. Try Harder! (2021)
85 min | Documentary
In a universe where cool kids are nerds, the orchestra is world class and being Asian American is the norm, seniors at Lowell High School compete for the top prize: admission to the college of their dreams.
Director: Debbie Lum
Votes: 30
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
20. Users (2021)
81 min | Documentary
Documentary explores how humanity expresses itself with technology and the intended and unintended consequences of our tech-dominated world.
Director: Natalia Almada
Votes: 22
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
21. The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (2021)
73 min | Drama
Sebastián, a man in his thirties, works a series of temporary jobs and he embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.
Director: Ana Katz | Stars: Daniel Katz, Valeria Lois, Mirella Pascual, Carlos Portaluppi
Votes: 47
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
22. El Planeta (2020)
79 min | Comedy
Amidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, mother and daughter bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they deserve, bonding over common tragedy and an impending eviction.
Director: Amalia Ulman | Stars: Saoirse Bertram, Zhou Chen, Ale Ulman, Amalia Ulman
Votes: 52
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
23. Swizerland (2019)
84 min | Drama
A husband and wife in a Himalayan village clash over how to care for their special-needs son.
Director: Ajitpal Singh | Stars: Vinamrata Rai, Chandan Bisht, Harshita Tiwari, Mayank Singh Jaira
Votes: 15
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
24. Hive (2021)
84 min | Drama
Fahrije's husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo. She sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision.
Director: Blerta Basholli | Stars: Yllka Gashi, Cun Lajci, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha
Votes: 213
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
25. Human Factors (2021)
102 min | Drama
A mysterious home invasion triggers off a shake in the core of a cosmopolitan middle-class family and unveils the fragility of truth and the power of individual perspective.
Director: Ronny Trocker | Stars: Mark Waschke, Spencer Bogaert, Sabine Timoteo, Jule Hermann
Votes: 67
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
26. Luzzu (2021)
94 min | Drama
A man risks everything to provide for his wife and newborn son by entering Malta's black-market fishing industry.
Director: Alex Camilleri | Stars: Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia, David Scicluna, Frida Cauchi
Votes: 64
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
27. One for the Road (I) (2021)
136 min | Drama
Boss, a high end club owner living in New York, who receives a call from his friend in Thailand, Aood, revealing he is in the last stages of terminal cancer.
Director: Baz Poonpiriya | Stars: Thanapob Leeratanakajorn, Ice Natara, Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Violette Wautier
Votes: 113
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
28. The Pink Cloud (2021)
105 min | Drama
After a toxic and mysterious pink cloud appeared, Giovana finds herself stuck in a flat with a man she just met, changing her life in a way she never expected.
Director: Iuli Gerbase | Stars: Renata de Lélis, Eduardo Mendonça, Helena Becker, Girley Paes
Votes: 62
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
29. Pleasure (2021)
109 min | Drama
19-year-old Linnéa leaves her small town life in Sweden for Los Angeles to become Jessica, the world's next big porn star. But the road to her goal turns out to be bumpier than she imagined.
Director: Ninja Thyberg | Stars: Sofia Kappel, Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock
Votes: 345
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
30. Prime Time (2021)
93 min | Drama, Thriller
In 1999 Sebastian locks himself in a TV studio. He has two hostages, a gun, and an important message for the world.
Director: Jakub Piatek | Stars: Bartosz Bielenia, Malgorzata Hajewska, Cezary Kosinski, Magdalena Poplawska
Votes: 72
Category: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
31. Faya Dayi (2021)
120 min | Documentary
A spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar, immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf Sufi Muslims chewed for centuries for religious meditations - and Ethiopia's most lucrative cash crop today.
Director: Jessica Beshir
Votes: 9
Category: World Cinema Documentary
32. Flee (2021)
83 min | Documentary, Animation
FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Star: Rashid Aitouganov
Votes: 197
Category: World Cinema Documentary
33. Misha and the Wolves (2021)
90 min | Drama
Misha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher - who turned detective - revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.
Director: Sam Hobkinson | Star: Misha Defonseca
Votes: 64
Category: World Cinema Documentary
34. President (2021)
130 min | Documentary
Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The leader of the opposition MDC party, Nelson Chamisa, challenges the old guard ZANU-PF led by Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as "The Crocodile." The election tests both the ruling party and the opposition.
Director: Camilla Nielsson
Votes: 15
Category: World Cinema Documentary
35. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)
93 min | Documentary
In 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Lucino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world's most beautiful boy. A shadow that today, 50 years later, weighs Björn Andresen's life.
Directors: Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri | Stars: Annike Andresen, Björn Andrésen, Silva Filmer, Riyoko Ikeda
Votes: 47
Category: World Cinema Documentary
36. Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story (2021)
95 min | Documentary
Pioneering scuba diver Valerie Taylor, who has dedicated her life to exposing the myth surrounding our fear of sharks.
Director: Sally Aitken | Star: Valerie Taylor
Votes: 45
Category: World Cinema Documentary
37. Sabaya (2021)
90 min | Documentary
Film follows a group into Syria's Al-Hol, a dangerous camp in the Middle East, as they risk their lives to save a women being held by ISIS as abducted sex slaves.
Director: Hogir Hirori
Votes: 48
Category: World Cinema Documentary
38. Taming the Garden (2021)
86 min | Documentary
Documentary follows trees that are transported, at great expense and inconvenience, from the coast of the Republic of Georgia to the private garden of that country's former prime minister.
Director: Salomé Jashi
Votes: 20
Category: World Cinema Documentary
39. Writing with Fire (2021)
92 min | Documentary
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Directors: Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas
Votes: 52
Category: World Cinema Documentary
40. The Blazing World (2021)
101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive young woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sister may still be alive.
Director: Carlson Young | Stars: Ace Anderson, Sophia Bernard, Laurel Day, Josie Fink
Votes: 115
Category: Next
41. Cryptozoo (2021)
95 min | Animation
Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.
Director: Dash Shaw | Stars: Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Emily Davis, Alex Karpovsky
Votes: 122
Category: Next
42. First Date (II) (2021)
103 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
After being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady.
Directors: Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp | Stars: Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos, Jesse Janzen, Ryan Quinn Adams
Votes: 104
Category: Next
43. Ma Belle, My Beauty (2021)
93 min | Drama, Romance
A surprise reunion in the South of France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
Director: Marion Hill | Stars: Idella Johnson, Hannah Pepper, Lucien Guignard, Sivan Noam Shimon
Votes: 44
Category: Next
44. R#J (2021)
91 min | Drama
A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Director: Carey Williams | Stars: DeShawn Cavanaugh, RJ Cyler, María Gabriela de Faría, Denise Dorado
Votes: 52
Category: Next
45. Searchers (2021)
81 min | Documentary
Alternately humorous and touching, Searchers draws on encounters with a diverse set of New Yorkers as they navigate their preferred dating apps, searching for their special someone.
Director: Pacho Velez | Star: Ruddy Harootian
Votes: 21
Category: Next
46. Son of Monarchs (2020)
97 min | Drama