Films seen at Sundance 2013

by Amber Wilkinson, Daniel Patterson

These are the films we've seen in our Sundance 2013 coverage.

Who is Dayani Cristal?
Two Mothers - Sundance 2013
Two Mothers - Sundance 2013 #2
Two Mothers - Sundance 2013 #3
Matthew McConnaughey's rejuvenation continues in Jeff Nichols' Mud
Newlyweeds
This Is Martin Bonner
This Is Martin Bonner #1
This Is Martin Bonner #2
Jeff Nichols' directing Mud - Sundance 2013

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Out this week

La Bola Negra

Review preview for La Bola Negra

La Bola Negra was an unfinished work in a life cut short but the film named (variously) for it is extension and tribute and triumph.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5

Drama exploring the inter-connected lives of three gay men.
Ghost Town

Review preview for Ghost Town

More poetic than narrative, its disparate stories connecting as a sort of shared elegy to what and whom has been lost.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5

Documentary takes a ride in a series of taxis in a Japanese city that was devastated by a 2011 tsunami.
Godzilla Minus Zero

Review preview for Godzilla Minus Zero

The first Japanese production to be shot specifically for IMAX, there's plenty big on that big big screen.

Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5

Japan, 1949. Pilot Kōichi, his wife Noriko and adoptive daughter Akiko are attempting to recover from Godzilla’s recent attacks. But just as everything seems settled, a new danger emerges.
I Play Rocky

Review preview for I Play Rocky

Anchored by Anthony Ippolito’s performance – he not only bears a striking resemblance to Stallone, but his physical and verbal mimicry is uncanny.

Paul Risker · 3 out of 5

Sylvester Stallone, then a failing actor, writes the ultimate underdog story and must fight for his chance to play the role of a lifetime - Rocky Balboa.
Manipulation

Review preview for Manipulation

The film’s locations are a feast for the eyes.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5

Across Europe and beyond, a powerful elite society operates in plain sight while exerting unseen control.
One In A Million

Review preview for One In A Million

The most volatile, morally complicated material is treated as turbulence to pass through rather than weather to be reported.

Edin Custo · 3.5 out of 5

Filmed over 10 years, one girl’s epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience.
Raise The Red Lantern

Review preview for Raise The Red Lantern

With its beautiful look and haunting themes and sublime performances, Raise The Red Lantern is Yimou’s master work.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5

The fate of a concubine in a rich man's household.
Rocky

Review preview for Rocky

Credit is due to John G Avildsen for directing (he won one of three trophies), but the real victory here belongs to Sly.

Stephen Carty · 5 out of 5

An underdog boxer gets a shot at the big time.
Think Of England

Review preview for Think Of England

This is about war being fought in a moral maze as Hawkins considers the invasion of space owned by others and the way that borders, both physical and ethical, can be redrawn from a very corporeal perspective.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5

During the Second World War group of six people is delivered to an uninhabited island with a secret mission – to make some pornographic films which in the government’s opinion should boost the fighting morale of the boys at the front.
V For Vendetta

Review preview for V For Vendetta

In making V a symbol of vengeance, valiance and victory, V For Vendetta does for a letter of the alphabet what Kill Bill did for the colour yellow.

Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5

In the near future, Britain is a fascist state into which a mysterious, masked terrorist dares to fight fear with flames
Wild Horse Nine

Review preview for Wild Horse Nine

Malkovich and Rockwell are magnetic.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee are dispatched from Santiago to Rapa Nui.

Latest reviews

Godzilla Minus Zero

Review preview for Godzilla Minus Zero

The first Japanese production to be shot specifically for IMAX, there's plenty big on that big big screen.

Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5

Japan, 1949. Pilot Kōichi, his wife Noriko and adoptive daughter Akiko are attempting to recover from Godzilla’s recent attacks. But just as everything seems settled, a new danger emerges.
A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing

Review preview for A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing

It’s a daring approach for a first feature.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5

After a series of misfortunes, Michael rents a cheap bedroom and comes to terms with the state of the world, via online encyclopedias and edutainment videos. He becomes fixated on an English businessman who is mismanaging a local lough.
The Spiral

Review preview for The Spiral

Up until the end laced with cheap pseudo-biblical references, this horror-drama serves as a fun and thrilling ride.

Marko Stojiljkovic · 3 out of 5

A woman unexpectedly shows up at her daughter’s home to reveal the truth about their family.
Musk

Review preview for Musk

In endeavouring to provide real insights about the man, Gibney has to dig through a weight of illusion and affectation

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5

A detailed look at the tech billionnaire.
Hollow Trees

Review preview for Hollow Trees

The film is competently shot, with some nicely directed chases and a central action scene in the dark that stands out.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5

Years after a devastating war, a hardened survivor and a young boy are forced from their home by creatures capable of imitating humans. As they journey north in search of refuge, their fragile bond is pushed to its limit.
The Devils

Review preview for The Devils

It’s a frenetic ride, but one that builds to a sombre climax.

Jeff Robson · 4.5 out of 5

A rebellious priest in 17th-century France is falsely accused of witchcraft.
Piccolo Piccolo

Review preview for Piccolo Piccolo

With its collage-style animation, you feel as though you could almost reach out and touch the mountain landscapes and characters.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5

A tiny mouse, wanting to forget her little worries, decides one day to climb a very high mountain.
Dead Howling

Review preview for Dead Howling

If this film has one thing to distinguish it, it’s its werewolf concept.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5

A werewolf hunts zombies after losing his family. He meets two humans seeking sanctuary and joins their quest, protecting them with his powers. Their journey grows perilous as zombies start evolving.
Crawlers

Review preview for Crawlers

It’s a monster movie by the numbers and yet its creators have a good understanding of how to give viewers what they really don’t want.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5

Tenants at Paradiso Palms apartments fight a deadly spider invasion.
Morelife

Review preview for Morelife

It’s a journey filled with quirky little incidents, as often in tales like this, but they all register a little differently in light of Shawn’s suicidality.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5

A young man's plan to jump into an icy river at night is interrupted by a half-man half-fish there for the same reason. These two strike a bargain to find a rare morel mushroom, hoping it will provide something worth living for.
The Naughty Seat

Review preview for The Naughty Seat

There’s plenty going on but this story of naughtiness and friendship unfolds in a way that is easy to follow for even the youngest audiences.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5

Never trust a penguin with your soup.
Odessa

Review preview for Odessa

Director Harald Swinkels steers the film with consummate skill, every scene telling its own layered story.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5

In the wake of World War Two, a devoted father guides his fleeing family across the Dolomites. He is gentle with his son, and running for a reason.
Manipulation

Review preview for Manipulation

The film’s locations are a feast for the eyes.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5

Across Europe and beyond, a powerful elite society operates in plain sight while exerting unseen control.
The Cull

Review preview for The Cull

The Cull is well suited to an experienced horror audience ready to engage with [its] ambiguities.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5

A remorseful ex-con tries to make a fresh start in an woodland cabin, but his past isn't finished with him.
Lucky Liam

Review preview for Lucky Liam

Well crafted, brilliantly delivered, and lots of fun to watch.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5

Taken to a forest to be killed, Lucky Liam sees a chance to survive when a rookie hitman awkwardly interrupts the execution.
Before I Do

Review preview for Before I Do

There’s an intelligent dissection of ideas going on here, and an acknowledgement of the frequent mismatch between ideals and emotions.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5

A young man invites his closest group of gay pals to a remote cabin in the Berkshires to celebrate his upcoming marriage, but between the catching up, skinny-dipping, and Meryl Streep karaoke, old flames and new secrets start to come out.
Letters from the Silenced Country

Review preview for Letters from the Silenced Country

Fear... runs through Letters like a dangerous and unpredictable electric current, emphasised by the stark black and white animation, the black crosshatching and sharp strokes of which feel like distilled violence in themselves.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5

A hybrid documentary portraying contemporary Belarus through the individuals who have endured imprisonment, repression, and exile — voices from a silenced country, suffocated by the regime.
Wild Horse Nine

Review preview for Wild Horse Nine

Malkovich and Rockwell are magnetic.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee are dispatched from Santiago to Rapa Nui.
I Love Boosters

Review preview for I Love Boosters

I suspected there'd be ideas introduced that lesser films would attempt to spin out while this grabbed another and another and another, and so it came to pass.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5

A crew of professional shoplifters takes aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
La Bola Negra

Review preview for La Bola Negra

La Bola Negra was an unfinished work in a life cut short but the film named (variously) for it is extension and tribute and triumph.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5

Drama exploring the inter-connected lives of three gay men.

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