2022 Sundance Film Festival: Movies To Be Excited About

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival kicks off this week and, as I’ve written many times, this festival is very near and dear to my heart. I started attending the Sundance Film Festival back in 2011 as a volunteer for the festival and over the last couple of years have had the honor of covering the festival as a member of the press. This is a film festival I truly love. I love the focus on independent cinema and the mystery every year of not knowing what we are going to get. What new filmmakers will be discovered? Which film or films will break out from the festival? 

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival, like the 2021 festival, will be held virtually this year due to the recent rise of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. Though being in the mountains of Park City, Utah for the festival is an unbelievable experience, I am still excited to cover the festival virtually this year. As usual, there are a lot of exciting titles playing at this year’s festival from all genres from all over the world and while I won’t be able to see all the movies playing, I will do my best to see and cover as many movies as I can. These are ten of the most exciting titles playing at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

 

 

 

892

What It’s About: A Marine war veteran faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life. 

Why I’m Excited: 892 sounds gripping and intense and stars John Boyega in the lead role. Anytime Boyega is in a movie, I get excited, especially after his work in last year’s Red, White, and Blue chapter of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe. This film also marks one of the final performances from the late Michael K. Williams, who was one of my favorite character actors before his untimely death last year.

 

CALL JANE

What It’s About: A married woman with an unwanted pregnancy lives in a time in America where she can’t get a legal abortion and works with a group of suburban women to find help. 

Why I’m Excited: Call Jane marks the feature directorial debut for Phyllis Nagy, the Oscar-nominated writer for Carol. The story sounds timely and interesting a should be a showcase for Elizabeth Banks, an actress I like a lot who finally gets the chance to flex her dramatic chops

 

THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE

What It’s About: Cecilia travels to her father’s farm after he has a heart attack. Back in her childhood home, Cecilia is met by her long-deceased mother whose presence brings to life a painful past chorused by the natural world around them.

Why I’m Excited: First of all, this is probably the best title from any movie at this festival. But the film also sounds like a dark, haunting family drama about ghosts from our past, a topic that always fascinates me.

 

DUAL

What It’s About: A woman opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis but when she recovers her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail, leading to a court-mandated duel to the death.

Why I’m Excited: Writer/director Riley Stearns is an exciting indie talent. I first noticed him with his short film The Cub, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and I really enjoyed his last film, The Art of Self Defense. The film stars Karen Gilan, an actress whose filmography is getting more and more interesting with every role that she takes.

 

EMERGENCY

What It’s About: Ready for a night of partying, a group of Latino college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an emergency.

Why I’m Excited: Director Carey Williams turns his award-winning short film of the same name into a feature film starring RJ Cyler (the scene-stealing quick-trigger from last year’s The Harder They Fall). Williams showed his inventiveness with last year’s R#J, which had its premiere at Sundance, so couple that creativity with awards-caliber material, and we could have something special on our hands.

 

EMILY THE CRIMINAL

What It’s About: Down on her luck and saddled with debt, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to deadly consequences.

Why I’m Excited: Aubrey Plaza has quickly become one of the most interesting actresses working today. Though many associate her with her comedic work in Parks and Recreation, Plaza’s recent performances in films like Ingrid Goes West, Black Bear, and Happiest Season have shown Plaza’s range as a more dramatic actress. This sounds like a juicy role Plaza is bound to crush.

 

FRESH

What It’s About: The horrors of modern dating seen through one young woman’s defiant battle to survive her new boyfriend’s unusual appetites.

Why I’m Excited: This year’s Midnight category is loaded with interesting titles, most notable Fresh. Starring Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, the vague premise sounds like this could be a cannibal horror movie, which is always a good time.

 

HONK FOR JESUS, SAVE YOUR SOUL

What It’s About: In the aftermath of a huge scandal, Trinity Childs, the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist Mega Church, attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs, rebuild their congregation.

Why I’m Excited: Another feature film adapted from a short film, Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul sounds like a powerhouse comedy starring superstars Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown. Put those two actors in anything and I’ll watch it.

 

SIRENS

What It’s About: Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.

Why I’m Excited: My most anticipated documentary of the festival sounds incredibly fascinating. Seeing the only female-led thrash metal rock band in the Middle East is exciting, but seeing a film about Middle Eastern culture and how these women survive in it with doing what they do should be a rather eye-opening experience.

 

WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD

What It’s About: Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant young woman at school.

Why I’m Excited: When You Finish Saving the World marks the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg, which is intriguing enough to make me want to see the film. But, the film also stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard and while I’m not the biggest Wolfhard fan, Moore is an icon and one of the great actresses of our generation.

 

 

You can check out the entire festival catalog and all the movies playing at the 2022 Sundance Film, as well as purchase festival tickets here.

 

 

 

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