Sundance 2022 is already upon us! It seems like just yesterday that we were booting up our laptops and enjoying the first-ever all-online festival last year. Unfortunately due to the recent Omicron surge, the festival had to make the tough decision to cancel all of its in-person events this year, as well. But, we are still lucky enough to get to experience Sundance for a second year, all online at home! And that means the public is welcome to experience the festival as well! Make sure to buy your tickets here (many films are already sold out, but there are some still available). And without further ado, That Hashtag Show would love to share with all of you, the Top 5 Films We Can’t Wait to see at Sundance!
5. Resurrection
This thriller from first-time feature director Andrew Semens stars Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth. The twisty plot already has us very excited, which follows: “Margaret’s whose life is in order. She is capable, disciplined, and successful. Soon, her teenage daughter, who Margaret raised by herself, will be going off to a fine university, just as Margaret had intended. Everything is under control. That is, until David returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past.” Hall has shown us continuously that she is a powerful force of a leading lady, and she especially excels in genre fare like this (Look no further than last year’s The Night House, for a great example). If it’s anywhere as good as that film, we definitely have a winner on our hands!
4. Emily the Criminal
We have another first-time feature debut with John Patton Ford’s Emily the Criminal. Before she shows up in the next season of The White Lotus, we can see Aubrey Plaza show off her dramatic chops in this new thriller. Plaza plays the titular Emily “who is down on her luck and saddled with debt. Who gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles… Ultimately leading to deadly consequences.” Word on the street is that this is a bare-knuckle, straightforward thriller… which is unlike anything we’ve seen Plaza take on before. So, it will be very intriguing to see if she can pull this off. Our best bet is that the talented young actress is going to kill it!
3. Dual
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Writer/director Riley Stearns (“The Art of Self Defense”) brings us this new social satire/sci-fi thriller Dual. The cast alone is reason enough to buy a ticket… With the likes of Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, and Jesse Eisenberg (who we’ll be talking about in a second). The movie “centers on a woman (Gillan) who opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis. And is court-martialed to a duel to the death when she starts to recover.” Though Dual sounds a lot like the recent Apple TV+ film Swan Song… Look for this to be a much more twisted and inventive take on the cloning story. Stearns himself said that Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos is his biggest inspiration so that right there should give you an idea of what craziness to expect.
2. When You Finish Saving the World
Jesse Eisenberg writes and directs his debut feature When You Finish Saving the World, based on his bestselling audiobook. The movie stars Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore. The movie follows “high school student Ziggy who performs original folk-rock songs for an adoring online fan base. This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn, who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie and her teen son, Kyle, when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts.” Although it doesn’t have a theatrical release yet, it will be released by indie studio A24… so expect this to be one of the biggest breakout hits of the festival.
1. FRESH
Usually, films premiere at the festival first before they are picked up by a studio… But, that is not the case with FRESH. Hulu has already picked up the rights to this horror/comedy to be released on March 4th. FRESH stars Sebastian Stan (who will be showing up in another Hulu production, Pam & Tommy in February as Motley Crue member Tommy Lee) and the lovely Daisy Edgar-Jones (who was a powerhouse in Hulu’s limited series Normal People). From another first-time feature director (this is always a theme at Sundance) Mimi Cave, the film follows “Noa, a young woman “frustrated with dating apps” who takes a chance on the mysterious but charming Steve. After accepting a romantic weekend getaway with the man, Noa comes face-to-face with trouble as she must survive her boyfriend’s unusual appetite.” Cannibalism, anyone? With a plot like that and with its early pick-up, all signs point to FRESH being a surefire hit!
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival will be taking place online from January 20th-30th.
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