And so, we danced: A Sundance Film Festival 2022 recap

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The 2022 edition of the Sundance Film Festival ended on Sunday. In the end I saw twenty feature-length films and a handful of short films crammed in between. As much as I enjoy being able to watch films from the comfort of my home, I very much miss the in-person experience that traditionally comes with the festival. With an online festival there’s almost too much structure and predictability.

Of the twenty films that I saw, there wasn’t a singular film that stands out as exceptional. I’ll admit that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed a few titles, particularly “Cha Cha Real Smooth” with another excellent performance from Dakota Johnson. Johnson is a fantastic actress who is equally fearless when it comes to the roles she takes. She constantly challenges me and redefines how I see women in this modern world.

“Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and Apple TV+ picked up the distribution rights. You’ll get to see this one soon enough.

Prior to the festival I talked with Sundance Film Festival director Tabitha Jackson about “Nothing Compares,” “Aftershock,” “Happening,” “The Janes,” and “Call Jane.” Five films that addressed women’s reproductive rights.

“Nothing Compares” is different from the other four films in that it is a documentary about Sinéad O'Connor and sees the artist pressured by her record company to have an abortion. She refused.

“Aftershock” is a frightening, contemporary look at the medical system and how Black women have been put at risk by the U.S. maternal health system. Eye opening to say the least.

Documentary “The Janes” and dramatic films “Call Jane” and “Happening” are set back in the 1960s when abortion was illegal in the U.S. and France. “Happening” was the most horrifying. “The Janes” was the most informative. “Call Jane,” with a cast that includes Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver, was the most accessible.

All five films were powerful in their own way.

I didn’t see nearly enough genre films this year. “You Won’t Be Alone,” a coming-of-age horror film, was the most memorable; “Nanny,” a film about a Senegalese immigrant who works for a wealthy couple, was the most original; “Dual,” a silly and often amusing sci-fi film with Karen Gillan that sees a woman prepare to fight her own clone to the death; “Resurrection,” a solid thriller featuring a fantastic performance from Rebecca Hall; “After Yang” was a slow burn sci-fi about memory, connection, and androids that I’ll most certainly return to; and “Master” proved to be the most layered with social commentary (and Talia Ryder).

I really enjoyed “Living,” an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” starring Bill Nighy. I’ll happily go back to that film when it is released.

Opening night film “Emergency,” the story of two Black college students who discover a white girl passed out in their living room, was funnier than I expected. More frightening as well as it explored racism in a way that a drama might not have been able to.

Documentaries included “The Mission” was a surprisingly frank look at life of a group of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries serving in Finland; “Sirens,” a film about the only all-woman thrash metal band in the Middle East, was not the film I expected, and I liked that; “Navalny,” a look at the life and poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was a revealing look into Russian politics.

I don’t really like talking about disappointments. Nevertheless, I must admit that Jesse Eisenberg’s “When You Finish Saving the World” felt a bit flat; James Ponsoldt’s “Summering” was overly soft for a tale about a group of tweens who discover a dead body; and “Instant Life,” a documentary about Yolanda Signorelli, the widow of the man who marketed Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs, proved less interesting than its story promised to be.

Ultimately, when I look back on Sundance 2022, I’ll remember missing the things that didn’t happen. Like seeing friends, talking with strangers on buses, running into filmmakers that I love and often making a fool of myself in the process. Maybe next year?