Peg Aloi
These three Sundance films supplied very intense viewing experiences.
When given a choice, tend to choose films that are fairly harrowing to watch. The next three Sundance Fest films on my slate were often disturbing, but also powerful and inspiring on many levels.
I’ve seen a really interesting assortment of films so far. I can’t recite them all from memory, but they’re not blurring into each other, either. Not yet, anyway.
My second Sundance dispatch deals with abortion, torture and cannibalism: what a scintillating combination for a bitterly cold weekend!
The first three films I saw at the Sundance Film Festival were very high-profile premieres.
After a brief respite, we were driven indoors (again) and told to stay there, so we turned to our screens for entertainment.
Rather disappointingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the expressions of lesbian eroticism in Benedetta are very obviously depicted for the male gaze.
Stephen Sondheim’s songs told stories about people just trying to be, sung by characters struggling to make sense of a confusing world, yearning to take the next step. But his intricately structured melodies soared and tiptoed and sauntered and sometimes wisely took the long way home.
These are people behaving badly, even while they struggle to retain their dignity.
Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2021
Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year.
Read More about Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2021