Sundance 2018

Past experience has taught me that there is usually one turd among the shining jewels, although not so this year, with one day to go. My least favorite, Sorry to Bother You, is a bizarre take on racism and our fucked up society and still has enough crazy, fresh scenes to keep it careening along. The twisted plot reflects a mad scientist at the helm, a correct assumption, as Boots Riley, the director, is quite a character. The portrayal of the always intrusive world of telemarketing hit some hilarious notes when showing the moments those annoying calls interrupt.



Lizzie, the story of Lizzie Borden of "killed her parents with 40 whacks" fame, stars Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart (who I previously thought could not act, but I have since changed my mind).  As a native New Englander, I was perhaps more familiar with the history of the murder, which occurred in Fall River, Massachusetts, although I did not recall that she was acquitted of the grizzly crime.

A quick google search displays a crazed looking woman, leaving no doubt in my mind as to her guilt. Since there is no real reckoning of exactly what transpired during the murders, the director rightly took liberties filling in the time line and circumstances.  Additionally, the cast and crew visited (and bravely slept in) the real house, now a functioning bed and breakfast, booked years in advance. They concluded, due to the small size of the home, (unlike the expansive Georgia house used for filming) there was no way house maid Maggie could have been oblivious to what was occurring during the murders, even if she was outdoors washing windows, as was determined via witnesses.  Apparently the murders occurred 90 minutes apart, shedding doubt upon the claim of no complicity in the crime.  Portraying the father as a domineering bully, who forced himself upon the maid, seems wholly plausible as a potential motive for murder by a woman who was veering on the edge of sanity to start with.

An interesting tidbit is Maggie the maid moved west to Montana post-trial and lived to 82, apparently choosing refuge in far away Montana after what must have been a traumatizing experience, whether or not she was involved in the crime itself.

My favorite, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, is the true story of cartoonist John Callahan, who landed in a wheelchair after a drunken night of partying and resultant car crash, starring Joaquin Phoenix and an unrecognizable Jonah Hill.  You can't go wrong with Gus Van Sant in the director's chair weaving the story of Callahan's climb back to life after the devastating accident. Often funny and accompanied by the artist's cartoons, which he needed both hands to draw, it is a poignant story of reckoning and redemption. You'll cringe when you see Phoenix as Callahan racing around in his motorized wheelchair darting through traffic.  A must see.

Another standout, The Rider, tells the heart-wrenching true (although fictionalized) story of bucking bronc rider Brady Jandreau, whose young career came to an abrupt end with a dire head injury.  The cinematography captures the pain and struggle of Brady and the stark, expansive beauty of the Dakotas.  He shares the screen with his real life father and autistic sister, reflecting their familial ties. The many scenes of Brady with the horses is reason enough to see the film, although it is evident the creatures were not fond of having cameras in their faces.  This hindered displaying Brady's intimate connections with them, to the detriment of the film, since those bonds provide such a core element of his being.  In the end though, it is a beautiful film.