It’s the last dance for Sundance in Park City as the indie-focused festival prepares to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, next year. It’s also the first fest to go on without its legendary Oscar-winning founder Robert Redford, who died in September.
The event’s 42nd edition kicked off January 22 and runs through Sunday, February 1, with a lineup that features 105 projects — including 90 features and seven TV episodes — screening in Park City, nearby Salt Lake City and online.
Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest. Click on the movie’s title to read our full take.
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‘Carousel’
Sundance Film Festival
Section: Premieres
Director-screenwriter: Rachel Lambert
Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal, Jessica Harper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Helene York
Deadline’s takeaway: It’s a story about love lost, love found again and the cost of both with the baggage from the past, the tentativeness of the present and the questions of a future. Chris Pine is a fine actor not often given the chance to play this kind of reflective adult role, and it is perfect for him.
‘The Incomer’
Anthony Dickenson
Section: World Dramatic Competition
Director-screenwriter: Louis Paxton
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah
Deadline’s takeaway: Against the odds, and largely thanks to the core trio, The Incomer pulls together, finally addressing the story’s dark well of sadness and ending on an upbeat yet surprisingly mature and even emotional note that absolves the film for most — if not all — of its frequent forays into silliness.
