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Sundance Film Festival · 2015

Sundance Film Festival 2015

Premieres

Programme

18 films · 12 reviews

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Brooklyn

Review preview for Brooklyn

With old-school romance pumping through its veins, fans of the genre will find this a pleasing indulgence.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
1950s Ireland: Eilis must confront a terrible dilemma — a heartbreaking choice between two men and two countries.

(Country: Ireland, UK, Canada; Year: 2015; Director: John Crowley; Writer: Nick Hornby, based on the novel by Colm Tóibín; Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Fiona Glascott, Jane Brennan, Brid Brennan, Eileen O'Higgins, Michael Zegen, Maeve McGrath, Emily Bett Rickards )

Full review

World premiere.

Digging For Fire

The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Joe Swanberg; Writer: Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg; Stars: Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Melanie Lynskey, Jake Johnson, Sam Rockwell, Chris Messina, Sam Elliott, Jenny Slate, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judith Light, Jane Adams, Mike Birbiglia, Timothy Simons)

World premiere.

Don Verdean

Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Jared Hess; Writer: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess; Stars: Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, Jemaine Clement, Danny McBride, Will Forte, Leslie Bibb, Steve Park, Sky Elobar, Michael Flynn, Connor Williams, Andrew Dee Jones, Dave Bresnahan, Gerry Garcia, Jake Van Wagoner, Yaniv Moyal)

World premiere.

The End Of The Tour

Review preview for The End Of The Tour

Ponsoldt's film is more interested in what lies beneath the skin of the men than the covers of the book.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
The story of a five-day interview between a Rolling Stone journalist and David Foster Wallace.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: James Ponsoldt; Writer: Donald Margulies, based on the book by David ; Stars: Anna Chlumsky, Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Mamie Gummer, Joan Cusack, Ron Livingston, Mickey Sumner, Lindsey Elizabeth, Dan John Miller, Noel Fletcher, LaTrallo Presley, Stephanie Cotton, Gina Ferwerda, Joel Thingvall, Ken Price)

Full review

World premiere.

Experimenter

Review preview for Experimenter

Almereyda jumps straight into the experiment which, over half a century later, is as fascinating and timely and important as ever.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
A drama about the life of Stanley Milgram and his famous experiments on obedience.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Michael Almereyda; Writer: Michael Almereyda; Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Jim Gaffigan, Taryn Manning, Tom Farrell, Winona Ryder, Kellan Lutz, Lori Singer, Anton Yelchin, John Leguizamo, Josh Hamilton, Ned Eisenberg, Dennis Haysbert, Anthony Edwards, Edoardo Ballerini, Donnie Keshawarz, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Emily Tremaine, Harold Takooshian)

Full review See: Interview with Harold Takooshian about Stanley Milgram and Experimenter , Article about the Experimenter reception at the New York Film Festival , interview with Michael Almereyda about Experimenter

World premiere.

Grandma

Review preview for Grandma

Weitz wisely has no time for fluff - these are clever women charting tricky territory and spending 78 minutes in their company is an easy choice to make.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A woman tries to help her granddaughter raise funds for an abortion.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Paul Weitz; Writer: Paul Weitz; Stars: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Elizabeth Peña, Nat Wolff, Sarah Burns, John Cho, Sam Elliott, Mo Aboul-Zelof, Colleen Camp, Skya Chanadet, Frank Collison, Meg Crosbie)

Full review

World premiere.

I'll See You In My Dreams

A sudden loss disrupts Carol's orderly life, propelling her into the dating world for the first time in 20 years. Finally living in the present tense, she finds herself swept up in not one, but two unexpected relationships that challenge her assumptions about what it means to grow old.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Brett Haley; Writer: Marc Basch, Brett Haley; Stars: Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place, Reid Scott, John Beasley, Max Gail, Mark Adair-Rios, Jocelyn Ayanna, Ashley Spillers, Shoniqua Shandai, Patricia Belcher)

World premiere.

I Am Michael

Review preview for I Am Michael

There is too much of the ring of the academic argument and, especially for a film so concerned with the spiritual, not quite enough soul.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
The controversial true story of a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Justin Kelly; Writer: Justin Kelly, Stacey Miller; Stars: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Leven Rambin, Daryl Hannah, Avan Jogia, Charlie Carver, Lesley Ann Warren, Devon Graye, Jenna Leigh Green, Evie Thompson, Blake Lee, Reema Sampat, Blake Young-Fountain, Raymond T. Williams)

Full review

World premiere.

Last Days In The Desert

Review preview for Last Days In The Desert

García's cautiousness clogs up the human drama.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
An imagined chapter at the end of Jesus's fasting in the desert.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Rodrigo García; Writer: Rodrigo García; Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ciarán Hinds, Tye Sheridan, Ayelet Zurer, Susan Gray)

Full review See: Keeping score: Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurrians talk about Last Days In The Desert, Enemy and Wolfpack , Ewan McGregor and Rodrigo Garcia talk about Last Days In The Desert

World premiere.

Lila & Eve

Lila, a grief-stricken mother reeling from her son’s murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve, who urges her to take matters into her own hands to track down her son’s killers. They soon embark on a journey of revenge, but also recovery.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Charles Stone III; Writer: Pat Gilfillan; Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Viola Davis, Aml Ameen, Shea Whigham, Andre Royo, Chris Chalk, Yolonda Ross, Rey Hernandez, Michole Briana White, Marisela Zumbado, Whitney Goin, Atkins Estimond, Ian Casselberry, Ron Caldwell, Gino Vento)

World premiere.

Mississippi Grind

Review preview for Mississippi Grind

As a road movie it is surprisingly static

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
On the road with gambling addicts who live high and lose loads.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck; Writer: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck; Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Alfre Woodard, Robin Weigert, Teri Wyble, Christopher Heskey, Stephanie Honoré, Jane McNeill, Patrick Kearns)

Full review

World premiere.

Mistress America

Review preview for Mistress America

The dialogue sparkles all over with wit and joy and perceptiveness.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
Two young women have unpredictable adventures in New York City and beyond.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Noah Baumbach; Writer: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig; Stars: Lola Kirke, Greta Gerwig, Kathryn Erbe, Heather Lind, Michael Chernus, Matthew Shear, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Cindy Cheung, Frank Iacuzzo, Dean Wareham)

Full review

World premiere.

Reckless (Zipper)

Review preview for Reckless

For an erotic thriller it's pretty short on both thrills and eroticism.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
A high flying lawyer develops a habit of using escort services, putting his marriage and career in danger.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Mora Stephens; Writer: Mora Stephens, Mora Stephens, Joel Viertel, Joel Viertel; Stars: Lena Headey, Alexandra Breckenridge, Elena Satine, Dianna Agron, Patrick Wilson, John Cho, Penelope Mitchell, Ray Winstone, Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher McDonald, Christopher Heskey, Christian Oliver, Patrick Kearns, Daniela Lavender, Judd Lormand)

Full review

World premiere.

Seoul Searching

Comedy set in the '80s about a group of foreign-born Korean teenagers who meet at a Seoul summer camp to learn what it means to be Korean. The three boys, from the US, Mexico, and Germany, then meet three girls who rock their world.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Benson Lee; Writer: Benson Lee; Stars: Justin Chon, Jessika Van, In-Pyo Cha, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Crystal Kay, Byul Kang, Albert Kong, Heejun Han, Rosalina Leigh, Ji-a Park, Sue Son, Nekhebet Kum Juch, Uatchet Jin Juch, Steve Noh)

World premiere.

Sleeping With Other People

Review preview for Sleeping With Other People

If this is romance, it's dead.

Amber Wilkinson · 1.5 out of 5
A couple who lost their virginity to each other meet 12 years later and try to help one another find a lasting relationship.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Leslye Headland; Writer: Leslye Headland; Stars: Alison Brie, Jason Sudeikis, Amanda Peet, Natasha Lyonne, Adam Scott, Marc Blucas, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrea Savage, Daniella Pineda, Remy Nozik, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Megan Guinan, Sawyer Shipman, Jordan Carlos, Jamil Mena) , Trailer

Full review

World premiere.

Ten Thousand Saints

Based on the acclaimed novel, Ten Thousand Saints follows three lost kids and their equally lost parents as they come of age in New York's East Village in the era of CBGB, yuppies, and the tinderbox of gentrification that exploded into the Tompkins Square Park Riot of 1988.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini; Writer: Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Eleanor Henderson, based on the book by Robert Pulcini; Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Ethan Hawke, Emily Mortimer, Asa Butterfield, Emile Hirsch, Avan Jogia, Julianne Nicholson, Jeff O'Donnell, Henry Kelemen, Lawrence Whitener, Nancy Ellen Shore, Michael Elian, Krista Tunnell, Nadia Alexander, Charlotte Ubben)

World premiere.

True Story

Review preview for True Story

Something happens in the courtroom that puts a hammer to the spanner

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
A disgraced reporter gets involved in a cat and mouse game with an accused killer.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Rupert Goold; Writer: Rupert Goold, David Kajganich, based on the book by Michael Finkel; Stars: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Maria Dizzia, Conor Kikot, Charlotte Driscoll, Stella Rae Payne, Robert John Burke, Byron Jennings, Gretchen Mol)

Full review

World premiere.

A Walk In The Woods

Review preview for A Walk In The Woods

One of the hardest things to find to recommend to people is a good mainstream film, not aimed at children, that involves no violence or untimely death - this is a charming example of that rare breed, may they never become extinct.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A travel writer and a friend he hasn't seen for years embark on the Appalachian Trail.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Ken Kwapis; Writer: Michael Arndt, Bill Bryson, Bill Holderman; Stars: Nick Offerman, Emma Thompson, Kristen Schaal, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Chrystee Pharris, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Derek Krantz, Linds Edwards, Tucker Meek, Fred Galle, John Kap, Walter Hendrix III, Hayley H. Long)

Full review See: Nick Nolte on stunts and nature in A Walk In The Woods

World premiere.