The 2016 Sundance Film Festival is carrying on this week, full of inspiration and art. It’ll run from January 21st through the 31st in Park City, Utah, and we’re beyond excited for some of the upcoming films being shown at the festival.
1. Certain Women
This female-dominant film tells the complex stories of three women in a small town in Montana, each facing different struggles. The women are portrayed as a night-school teacher being pursued by a student, a wife in a struggling marriage, and a lawyer negotiating a hostage situation. Lots of heavy material to work with—but we love that it’s showing how much stress a woman can work under.
2. Equity
Sundance features more empowering women with this film, which highlights a female investment banker working harder than ever to score a promotion at her firm on Wall Street. She tries to make moves in a post-financial crisis world, and the stakes are high.
3. Swiss Army Man
Daniel Radcliffe makes an intriguing appearance as a dead man who washes up on the shore of the island Hank, played by Paul Dano, who has been living alone. This provides a connection to civilization for Hank, and the two new friends embark on a journey to reunite Hank with his love interest. Definitely not your average desert-island movie.
4. Goat
Hazing in fraternities is discussed at Sundance via this film featuring Nick Jonas as a 19-year-old attempting to prove his manhood. When he pledges his brother’s frat, he has no idea what brutal situations he and the others will face. It’s about time a film covering such an important issue got the attention that this one is.
5. Lovesong
When Sarah, played by Jena Malone, isn’t connecting with her husband, she chooses to go on a road trip with her daughter and her best friend, Mindy. The friendship between Sarah and Mindy does not survive the road trip, but, years later, Sarah tries to rekindle things days before Mindy’s wedding. We love the promotion of healthy female friendships that this movie shows.
6. Weiner-Dog
Who couldn’t love a movie with a title like that? This movie is about exactly what it sounds like—a Weiner dog. It follows a dachshund, and the effects the dog can have on many people. However, don’t let the simplicity fool you—it has some dark humor to it.
7. Love & Friendship
This film, set in 18th-century England, shows the dramatic relationship between a widow and her daughter—one where the mother is playing matchmaker for her daughter, and herself. We love the idea of another movie set in the 1700s, and are especially excited to see the wardrobe!
8. Newtown
A new documentary comes to Sundance, showing us the effects that the Sandy Hook shooting has had on the community. It discusses dealing with the grief of the 26 deaths, as well as the debate on gun control. It’s definitely an important and relevant-as-ever issue that we need to continue talking about.
9. Life, Animated
This touching film shows us the magic that Disney movies truly hold when Owen Suskind, an autistic boy, slowly learns how to interact with the people around him, after fully immersing himself in the kind-hearted movies. This coming-of-age story will definitely bring the waterworks in the best way.
Which film are you most excited to see? Let us know!