Sundance Film Festival — A–Z of films

There is no effort to sanitise characters' lives in order to get a message across, and as a result the film never feels preachy.

Ernst invites viewers to engage with a cis character whom many will find easier to relate to and, through this, shows them what the world really looks like the other way round.

The very nature of Tsemel's passion for her projects makes this a compelling watch

It’s all watchable enough if lacking real dramatic tension.

This consideration of multiple lives, rather than one constructed arc serves to underline the sense that each person is only a small cog turning in the bigger wheel of the machine.

Michod has created a deeply pessimistic but fascinating world lit by excellent cinematography and set to a moody score.

Having delivered shock and awe in the first half on the film, Baichwal turns in the second half to projects that are small but growing fast, new approaches to old ways of doing things.

Despite knowing, thanks to the consumption of a dozen or so books, how things would play out...I still found myself tensing up when we see the Eagle lunar lander begin its descent

The real joy in the film lies in watching what started out as barren land gradually bloom over the years.

The rituals set in motion at the start, also tune us into the wavelength of portent, so that a heron's feet on a rug or the sound of locusts carry at least as much threat as the site of a loaded gun.

Although the film is nowhere near as terrifying as it's made out to be, its shunning of shock tactics in favour of distant sound effects and creepy environments creates a psychological terror which is far more disturbing.

The film has a personal touch and an honesty that surpasses clever writing and naturalistic acting.

Whilst one cannot imagine that the film provides quite the propaganda he might have hoped for, understanding the subtlety of what Klayman has created requires a type of empathy that it's not clear he possesses.

The problem - and it's a massive, elephant in the room style problem - is that it is very hard to tell whether this is a woke film trapped in a judgemental body or vice-versa.

Despite the raw power of its performances, the film suffers from an impulse to spell out some of its points.

Rarely becoming laugh-out-loud funny to compensate for any sophistication in the conceit, Corporate Animals is at its best when it takes the ludicrous scenario into the craziest, ickiest areas.

Ever cursed to wear a half-sealed translucent franju-esque mask that makes her scars even more visible, Jade is a single mother and an acid attack survivor.

Sometimes a film is interesting despite its director.

There's a lot of ground to cover, but Costa keeps a strong grip on the material

By avoiding serial cliches, director Joe Berlinger touches on a different level of revelation.

Wang proves adept at slowly and gently building up the onion layers of this family as more and more of them come into each other’s orbit.

Disabled people just haven't had this kind of representation.

A bravura piece of work.

At times this documentary risks becoming too obvious; at others, Lane's sharp eye for the mistakes people make in assuming things to be obvious is what makes it work.

The film works wonderfully as an introduction to this important fashion designer for those who never heard of him or connected his name to Seventies minimalist style.

The directors let the humanism shine out without resorting to sentimentality, capturing moments of joy, such as the pleasure of shared, sticky honey with the same lack of artifice as moments of pain or grief.

This is a highly personal work that opens the door on some dark truths of Hollywood and fame, but it also doesn’t quite know what to do to elevate itself beyond a peep show into human misery.

By being specific, the filmmakers put relatable "faces" to the bigger picture, showing rather than telling us exactly how the system 'works' for those who become trapped in it.

The film’s visuals are at their best when contrasting truth and lies.

There’s plenty of judgement to be passed, especially by cranky old writers like myself, but Mandelup does an admirable job of presenting her subjects on their own terms.

There's layer upon layer of clever artifice here, yet the result is something that feels fresh and sexy.

The documentary is clearly on the side of candidates, which is fine, but it could also benefit from a bit more scepticism and empathy for its auxiliary subjects.

We don't see the much of the immediate aftermath of death here, but instead are treated to the way grief can linger, catching anger and guilt in its wake

Memo to filmmakers: If you’re looking for a failsafe plan to make a delightful film, try showcasing the breadth of Emma Thompson’s talents.

The Lodge hinges on a powerhouse performance from Keough, who inhabits the troubled Grace so completely that we can stay with her even as her ability to distinguish what's real and what isn't breaks down.

The inevitable sadness is balanced by so much joy and energy that it's a delight to watch.

There's a rare intelligence to this film, which explores issues around race, wealth, class, gender and what it means to be a real American in a nuanced, multifaceted way.

Alex Holmes' documentary is brilliant.

There's a genuine beauty here - this is as much a love letter to love as it is the story of a complicated relationship and the branches (Broomfield included) that sprang from it.

There are some good stories - various myths around the filming of Alien are punctured, but one of the film's central theses is a mythological one.

By keeping the camera in the back of the ambulance largely at a level above that of the various patients, Lorentzen ensures the film never becomes voyeuristic.

Unlike a more conventional refugee documentary - shot by an outsider parachuting in - this is an intimate and ongoing study in which the family have complete agency, lending the film an additional ring of truth.

Landes' film has the queasy, uneasy feel of a nightmare - and that's before magic mushrooms are involved.

The film is refreshing in its willingness to countenance multiple viewpoints and look at what's right for individuals rather than taking sides in one of the more heated debates within the Deaf community.

Kier, Goldblum, and Lavant are never less than fantastic in their portrayal of modes of crazed, unreliably self-assured masculinity.

A film that looks back, that gazes also into you.

There’s a refreshing straight-forwardness to Gavin Hood’s Official Secrets.

Wang and Zhang are to be commended for fitting as much in as they do, even if it does mean the film roams about rather than having a single focus.

Everything about Batra's film is constructed around longing.

This is an actors' movie through and through, with all of them pulling off the key emotional scenes magnificently.

The problem with The Report is that despite this ongoing relevance, its powerful subject matter, the capable cast and an impressive script, it never builds up the impetus it ought to have.

Moody images don't make for high drama and even at a trim 87 minutes, the story feels stretched.

Tightly structured and well-shot

Longinotto has always had a knack for getting interviewees to open up in such a way that even they can seem surprised at what they end up saying.

This is a treat of a film.

The costumes in The Souvenir speak volumes about female and male desire and the search for identity that garments can encompass.

Over the course of 95 minutes, we'll come to learn that the writer was, in some ways, a canary in the coal mine of today's rise in extreme right-wing views and the way many who espouse them have latched on to populist agendas in modern politics.

Though the story is a small one, the emotional charge crackles with strength.

In terms of mood, directors Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage do a lot with a little, allowing the plot to coil round the characters.

As an atmospheric snapshot, it's sure to raise a smile.

We are never allowed to lose sight of the fact that, whilst a little tiger may regard humans as playmates, a big one will regard them as a delicious meaty snacks.

Longstanding fans will enjoy her extensive contributions, as considered and witty as ever.

Blair's sharp injection of pace helps to zip past any cliches so fast that you don't have much time to register them.

Director Martha Stephens uses a palette full of soft browns and pastels designed to evoke nostalgia but shows us plenty of cruelty just under the surface.

What really matters is the positive energy - from the scripting to the lively colour scheme, there's a sense of maximum fun being had by all concerned at all times.

Nagahisa...understands and embraces the complexity of early adolescence, when kids are finding their own way,