Sundance Film Festival 2021
by Col Needham | created - 16 Dec 2020 | updated - 01 Aug 2021 | PublicThis is a list of all the movies I have seen from Sundance 2021, in chronological viewing order (see also the titles remaining on my pre-festival interest list and my Top Picks list). Films #1-#4 were seen before the festival; #5-#40 onwards were watched virtually at home during the festival.
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1. Violation (2020)
Unrated | 107 min | Drama, Horror
A troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.
Directors: Dusty Mancinelli, Madeleine Sims-Fewer | Stars: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili
Votes: 4,377
2. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
R | 126 min | Biography, Drama, History
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
Director: Shaka King | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback
Votes: 91,433
3. Land (I) (2021)
PG-13 | 89 min | Adventure, Drama
Edee, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world and retreats to the wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.
Director: Robin Wright | Stars: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Sarah Dawn Pledge, Kim Dickens
Votes: 15,844
4. The World to Come (2020)
R | 105 min | Drama, History, Western
Somewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.
Director: Mona Fastvold | Stars: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott
Votes: 11,003
5. Censor (2021)
84 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond | Stars: Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin
Votes: 19,826
6. In the Same Breath (2021)
95 min | Documentary
How did the Chinese government turn pandemic cover-ups in Wuhan into a triumph for the Communist party?
Director: Nanfu Wang | Stars: Alex Azar, Bill de Blasio, Anthony Fauci, Xi Jinping
Votes: 1,841
7. One for the Road (2021)
Not Rated | 128 min | Drama
Boss, a high-end club owner living in New York, receives a call from his estranged best friend in Thailand, revealing he has terminal cancer and needs his help to complete a final bucket list.
Director: Baz Poonpiriya | Stars: Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Yayaying Rhatha Phongam, Thanapob Leeratanakachorn, Natara Nopparatayapon
Votes: 1,290
8. CODA (2021)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
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 passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
Director: Sian Heder | Stars: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant
Votes: 164,784
9. Bring Your Own Brigade (2021)
R | 119 min | Documentary
An investigation into our landscape's hidden fire stories and on-the-ground experiences of firefighters and residents struggling through deadly fires.
Director: Lucy Walker | Stars: Trina Cunningham, Mike Davis, Don Hankins, Chad Hanson
Votes: 360
10. Human Factors (2021)
102 min | Drama, Mystery
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, Sabine Timoteo, Jule Hermann, Wanja Valentin Kube
Votes: 679
11. In the Earth (2021)
R | 107 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia
Votes: 11,631
12. On the Count of Three (2021)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jerrod Carmichael makes his directorial debut and stars in On the Count of Three, a darkly comic feature about two best friends, Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott), on the last day of their lives.
Director: Jerrod Carmichael | Stars: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, Lavell Crawford
Votes: 8,762
13. John and the Hole (2021)
R | 103 min | Drama, Horror, 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: 4,722
14. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)
PG | 107 min | Documentary, Family, History
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.
Director: Marilyn Agrelo | Stars: Frank Biondo, Linda Bove, Fran Brill, Northern Calloway
Votes: 1,357
15. Mass (2021)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama
The parents of both the shooter and one of the victims of a school shooting tragedy agree to meet and talk in an attempt to move forward.
Director: Fran Kranz | Stars: Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney
Votes: 17,492
16. Knocking (2021)
78 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
Director: Frida Kempff | Stars: Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm, Ville Virtanen, Krister Kern
Votes: 1,695
17. Coming Home in the Dark (2021)
TV-MA | 93 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A schoolteacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take his family and him on a nightmare road trip.
Director: James Ashcroft | Stars: Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell, Matthias Luafutu
Votes: 7,626
18. The Cursed (2021)
R | 111 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
In rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger - and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.
Director: Sean Ellis | Stars: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, Roxane Duran
Votes: 16,540
19. The Sparks Brothers (2021)
R | 140 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
A musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Beck, Jane Wiedlin
Votes: 6,049
20. A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)
Not Rated | 108 min | Documentary
Documentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.
Director: Rodney Ascher | Stars: Nick Bostrom, Joshua Cooke, Erik Davis, Philip K. Dick
Votes: 2,181
21. How It Ends (2021)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
In this feel-good apocalyptic comedy, Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) embarks on a hilarious journey through LA in hopes of making it to her last party before it all ends, running into an eclectic cast of characters along the way.
Directors: Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein | Stars: Zoe Lister-Jones, Cailee Spaeny, Whitney Cummings, Tawny Newsome
Votes: 4,291
22. Pleasure (2021)
R | 109 min | Drama
Bella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.
Director: Ninja Thyberg | Stars: Sofia Kappel, Zelda Morrison, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock
Votes: 22,407
23. Together Together (2021)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
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: 9,265
24. Marvelous and the Black Hole (2021)
81 min | Comedy, Drama
A teenage delinquent teams up with a surly children's party magician to navigate her dysfunctional family and inner demons.
Director: Kate Tsang | Stars: Miya Cech, Rhea Perlman, Leonardo Nam, Beth Hall
Votes: 2,453
25. Ma Belle, My Beauty (2021)
96 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: 522
26. Son of Monarchs (2020)
R | 97 min | Drama
A Mexican biologist living in New York returns to his hometown, nestled in the majestic butterfly forests of Michoacán. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his hybrid identity, sparking a personal metamorphosis.
Director: Alexis Gambis | Stars: William Mapother, Paulina Gaitan, Tenoch Huerta, Electra Stone
Votes: 358
27. First Date (II) (2021)
Not Rated | 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, Nicole Berry
Votes: 704
28. Superior (2021)
99 min | Drama, Thriller
On the run, Marian returns to her hometown to hide out with her identical twin sister, Vivian, altering the trajectory of both their lives.
Director: Erin Vassilopoulos | Stars: Alessandra Mesa, Ani Mesa, Pico Alexander, Jake Hoffman
Votes: 401
29. Life in a Day 2020 (2021)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Drama
Life In A Day 2020 will call on millions of people around the world to film their lives on July 25.
Directors: Kevin Macdonald, Howard Hong, Danica Jensen, Despina Mirou, Mário Filipe Neves, Ferhat Sendag | Stars: Despina Mirou, Olivia Castanho, Shaira Yasmin Berg, Mário Filipe Neves
Votes: 784
30. 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. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating world, she realizes that she's not the killer they want her to be.
Director: Karen Cinorre | Stars: Grace Van Patten, Mia Goth, Soko, Havana Rose Liu
Votes: 1,947
31. Passing (I) (2021)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
"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: 16,520
32. Jockey (2021)
R | 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: 1,426
33. Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)
103 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
A notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley
Votes: 14,045
34. R#J (2021)
91 min | Drama
A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Director: Carey Williams | Stars: Camaron Engels, Moe Irvin, RJ Cyler, Siddiq Saunderson
Votes: 93
35. Wild Indian (2021)
90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
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, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth
Votes: 1,693
36. 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, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha
Votes: 3,976
37. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
PG-13 | 118 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
Director: Questlove | Stars: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty
Votes: 13,868
38. Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
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: Rita Moreno, Justina Machado, Norman Lear, Frances Negron-Muntaner
Votes: 1,022
39. 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: 448
40. Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story (2021)
TV-PG | 95 min | Documentary, Adventure
Pioneering scuba diver Valerie Taylor, who has dedicated her life to exposing the myth surrounding our fear of sharks.
Director: Sally Aitken | Stars: Jeremiah S. Sullivan, Valerie Taylor, Ron Taylor, Rodney Fox
Votes: 626
41. El Planeta (2021)
79 min | Comedy, Drama
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: Ale Ulman, Amalia Ulman, Nacho Vigalondo, Genoveva Garcia Castanon
Votes: 980
42. Night of the Kings (2020)
R | 93 min | Drama, Fantasy
A young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.
Director: Philippe Lacôte | Stars: Bakary Koné, Steve Tientcheu, Jean Cyrille Digbeu, Rasmané Ouédraogo
Votes: 2,860
43. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)
93 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world's most beautiful boy. 50 years later, that shadow still weighs upon Björn Andresen's life.
Directors: Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri | Stars: Kristina Lindström, Luchino Visconti, Mario Tursi, Björn Andrésen
Votes: 1,935
44. Cryptozoo (2021)
Unrated | 95 min | Animation, Action, Crime
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, Alex Karpovsky, Zoe Kazan
Votes: 2,141
45. Misha and the Wolves (2021)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, 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 | Stars: Misha Defonseca, Karen Schulman, Jane Daniel, Joni Soffron
Votes: 3,339
46. Writing with Fire (2021)
Not Rated | 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 | Stars: Meera Devi, Shyamkali Devi, Suneeta Prajapati
Votes: 1,661
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