PopHorror Let's Get Scared
This year at Sundance Film Festival 2022, there was a wide variety of films available, and as always, I try to focus first on horror, but I also got the opportunity to screen several outside of our usual coverage. What did I think? See below as I sort through the remainder of my Sundance viewings, and find out which I recommend you check out upon wide release!
SCIENCE FICTION/DRAMA SELECTIONS
Dual, directed by Riley Stearns
In a world where clones can be purchased for people facing an imminent death, Sarah (Karen Gillan: Guardians of the Galaxy) is faced with a hard choice when she gets, then beats, a terminal illness; accept death or duel her clone to the death to see who “deserves” their life most. Obviously, such a premise comes with a dark sense of humor pre-loaded, which makes sense, given Riley Stearns’ last film, the dark comedy The Art of Self Defense. More than a few other critics have noted the dry form of delivery that Stearns has his performers give, but once I understood the reasoning behind the dry, affectless performance style, I “got” this movie. Stearns has a very particular style of humor dependent on the emotional contrast, and while it’s dark, it hits a home run for me.
Gillan gets a lot out of her dual roles as Sarah and Sarah’s Double, playing their differences quite well while making each subtly distinct. By the time the two meet up in the third act, it will take a sharp audience member to notice the small clues and differences between the two presented in the film, but it’s well worth it to do so. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad TV series) has a lot of fun with his small role as Sarah’s combat instructor for her court mandated duel, playing him up with a Eastwood-esque, gravelly voice and seriousness that only accentuates the comedic bits he gets. RECOMMENDED, especially for fans of dry science fiction like The Outer Limits and The Double.
Something in the Dirt, directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
When a film is introduced by the directors proclaiming, “We make weird films,” with wide smiles on their faces, you can tell you’re in for an experience. That is certainly an accurate and fair statement and summation of the directing and acting duo Benson and Moorhead, two men who constantly strive to tell strange stories on smaller budgets and with easily accessible tech for their given means and situations. They are truly impressive examples of people following their creative spark, and I admire them for it. Ironically, Something in the Dirt is an example of how that passion can twist a person and cause conflict.
While I mentioned in my Horror Roundup that the unfortunate fact of Covid has led to many restrictions in how a filmmaker can make and produce films, Benson and Moorhead seem less constrained by the restrictions, instead making a smaller and focused film that makes it seem like a challenge they were eager to rise to rather than shrink away from or groan about. This latest one is largely focused on two neighbors in a rundown apartment complex with a passion for film who see a chance for fame and recognition after discovering a mysterious object acting in a way it shouldn’t, naturally… This leads the two down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, forcing them to face each other and their own personal reasons for pursuing the project.
Having worked together for nearly a decade now, it’s impressive to see the new and creative ways the two bounce off each other, on and off screen. RECOMMENDED for fans of the duo, as well as those who love conspiracy theories!
After Yang, Directed by Kogonada
I’ve always been drawn to stories about artificial humans and their sapience ever since I was a child watching Pinocchio or even the creatively produced but ultimately flawed Bicentennial Man. I think at this point in technological development in our species, there are a lot of peripheral concerns about the ifs and inevitable whens of the singularity (the moment machines reach an equivalent level of sentience to humanity). However, most films outside of the family-oriented fare mentioned before tend to look at the mechanical human as OTHER, as something outside of us we can never hope to understand, and often should rightfully fear.
Instead, After Yang has a more introspective and soul-searching approach. When his daughter’s companion and caretaker android encounters a lethal technical error, Jack (Colin Farrell: In Bruges) must navigate Yang’s memory banks to decipher what he can do to move forward, both emotionally and within his family unit, now that he has lost an integral part. Kogonada uses some intriguing and immersive camera techniques and set design to portray the not so distant future in a grounded way that helps convey Jack to the audience along the other character’s soulful and introspective journeys. RECOMMENDED but be warned, this is not your traditional story about AI, with a thriller bent, like, say, Ex Machina. It’s a drama about memory, grief, loss, and recovery, and if you can get on board based off that, I would certainly recommend checking it out.
If you’d like to see our thoughts on the horror and thriller films we were able to view, please check out our link HERE.
