Sundance: Still Kicking

I hereby declare that Manohla Dargis of the New York Times has excellent taste. Maybe you already knew that. Look:

That isn’t to say that gems like “Sugar,” “Ballast” and “Momma’s Man” are studio bound, only that they will be seen here and discussed and will seep into the culture. They will probably be bought by a micro-distributor that will release them with a lot of love and not enough money, but they will be part of the discussion.

One theme of that discussion will be the emergence of a new American realism. Although my favorite fiction films at Sundance were different in theme and tone, they were united by stylistic commonalities, a feel for the still moment — and, importantly, for beauty — a grounded sense of place and some obvious influences, including the Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. What was missing from even the most intimate of these works was the solipsism that characterizes one Sundance mainstay, the kind with anguished young men who yearn to break free of their families and towns so they can run away to film school (or a Sundance Institute lab) and turn their suffering into entertainment.

Yes, yes, yes. That’s three of my four.

Sundance officially ends Sunday night, but most of the press and industry folks are gone by Friday. They’ve already fanned out and discovered what they are and aren’t interested in, and ten days is a long time to be away from the office. Even though I’m more than ready to go home at this point, I usually stay until Sunday—leaving mid-day—partly because it’s only in these final days that Sundance begins to feel like a normal festival to me. The press screenings stop and I spend most of my time in public screenings with regular moviegoers, waiting in line, hearing about faves. It’s a totally different vibe.

And it also gives me a few more days to see a few more movies—the talked-about features that I’ve so far missed and the unheard-ofs that slipped below everyone’s radar—so it’s too early for a Sundance wrap-up for me. There’s more to come. Stay tuned,