Sundance 2022 Preview: Kicks's Flick Picks
by Rosalie Kicks, The Old Sport
As much as I was looking forward to climbing the snowy hills in Park City, Utah I have to admit, watching flicks from the comfort of my robe with a warm hot chocolate in my hand is not that bad either.
Sadly, with the most recent surge of omicron Sundance has made the decision to go full-on virtual for a second year in a row. Nothing can take away from the in-person fest feeling. However, Sundance has done a great job of trying to bring that experience into homes. Last year’s online platform was fairly easy to navigate and allowed viewers from around the world to be part of the festival fun. As a filmmaker and movie lover, it is such an exciting time in terms accessibility and I am so excited to catch this year’s Sundance offerings. Here are just a handful of flicks that I am most excited to check out.
The Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday, January 20 and runs until Sunday, January 30. Tickets are available here.
This flick had me with two words: Mannequin Head.
I have quite a fondness for dolls (Learn more about this in the pages of our Fall 2021 print zine here which features flicks about dollz, mannequins and wax!). So when I read that this movie’s plot involves the creation of a “cheeky companion” out of random parts, I was intrigued. Brian lives a lonely life in a Welsh Valley until he stumbles upon an abandoned mannequin head. He decides to give his found item a new life and creates a robot pal he names Charles. Everything seems to be going swell until Charles pines to learn what lies outside the door. The synopsis mentions that it “echos Frankenstein” which has led me to believe that director Jim Archer made this film specifically for me.
Premieres January 23 at 1pm eastern and screens again on January 25 at 10am eastern. Tickets available here.
A tween gymnast discovers an injured bird in the woods and decides to bring home its peculiar egg to nest until it is ready to hatch. Her intention may have been to have a new BFF the likes of E.T. but instead she quite possibly may have a Stripe on her hands. Director Hanna Berholm’s film is premiering in the midnight section at Sundance which is known for thrills ‘n chills. Well, Hanna, come in with the weird.
Premieres January 23 at 1:55am eastern and screens again January 24 at 10am eastern. Tickets available here.
Leonor Reyes had once been a household name within the Filipino Film Industry after success of a slew action films. With her accolades in the past, she now finds herself swimming in debt and struggling to make ends meet. When she comes across an advertisement from someone seeking screenplays, she decides to put pen to paper and finish a long abandoned script. However, after she is bonked on the head with a television the lines between reality and fantasy fade as Leonor seeks the perfect ending for her script… and quite possibly her personal story? Martika Ramirez Escobar’s feature debut sounds like just the madcap, goofy escape I am looking for right now.
Premieres January 21 at 11:30pm eastern and screens again January 23 at 10am eastern. Tickets available here.
In the spring of 1972 the police captured seven women that went by the name Jane. Together they built an underground network to help women seeking safe, affordable and illegal abortions. My only hope is that when watching this I am gaining insight into the past and not the future.
Premieres January 24 at 7:45pm eastern and screens again January 26 at 10am eastern. Tickets available here.
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into The Future
Thought to be a corpse, Magdalena rises to the surface in a polluted river in the south of Chile. When she waltzes back into her family’s life, chaos ensues. Described as being filled with “fantasy, mystery and magical realism,” this leaves me with the impression that, for a feature debut, it may be a bit ambitious. Heck though, I am always excited to see a filmmaker take chances and here’s hoping that Francisca Alegria will be a new-found fave.
Premieres January 23 at 8pm eastern and screens again January 25 at 10am eastern. Tickets available here.