Skipping the Swag Bags

By: Robert Davis, Jason Killingsworth, Tim Regan-Porter, Josh Jackson

That a film festival would feel the need to print up buttons reminding people to “Focus on Film,” says a lot about what goes on in Park City, Utah, in late January. But our Paste Sundance correspondents were apparently hypnotized by the lapels of their fellow parka-wearing denizens, and thus did their best to avoid direct sunlight, catching six or seven films most days, leaving the stargazing and hobnobbing to others (and even failing to join me for a quick morning on the so-deserted-you-feel-like-you’re-in-a-Stephen-King-novel slopes).

OUR PICKS

Away From Her | Possibly the best love story at Sundance, this film involves an elderly couple confronting Alzheimer’s and is helmed by 28-year-old first-time feature director, actress Sarah Polley. (In theaters May 4)

Son of Rambow | A funny, unpredictable comedy about two English boys in elementary school in the ’80s who are profoundly affected by Stallone’s First Blood.

Longford | If it’s impossible to overextend grace, Tom Hooper’s latest shows how far the virtue can be stretched, misunderstood and taken advantage of. Jim Broadbent plays the titular saintly Lord, who visits prisoners, including the notorious Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton). (Airing now on HBO)

Great World Of Sound | Craig Zobel’s film about two normal Southern guys who get swept up in a talent-scouting racket draws pained chortles due to the beyond-earnest—yet fabulously mediocre—acts auditioning. Zobel put out real ads in papers and filmed the audition sequences with hidden cameras so the performers’ responses would be genuine. The results seem destined for cult-classic status.

Once | The “neo-realist musical” Jean-Luc Godard joked about but never made is an unadorned look at two Dubliners connecting through music. Starring The Frames’ Glen Hansard, it sounds like a folk-pop album and looks like a faded corduroy jacket.

The Pool | Exploring the chasm between classes never felt so devoid of agenda, condescension and stereotype. Director Chris Smith’s latest looks at Goa, India, through the eyes of a “room boy” obsessed with the pool at a nearby wealthy estate.

Waitress | The final film from late actor/director Adrienne Shelly is a simple, warm, funny story about a woman who loves making pies.

The King of Kong | Showing at Sundance’s even more indie alternative, Slamdance, this doc about the recent battles for the Donkey Kong world record is a fascinating character study embedded in an enthralling Rocky-for-Geeks narrative. Picturehouse will release the film this summer, and New Line has tapped the director for a fictional remake.

Also, read about Mike White's Year of the Dog here.