The Sundance Film Festival is one of the biggest cinematic events that everyone wants to be part of. The mere mentioning of it to someone who is not going draws “ooos” and “ahhs” and jealousy.
Though everyone would love to go to the Academy Awards, Sundance is accessible to “real” people. But since it’s held in January in Park City, Utah, most don’t find themselves able to make the trip. Well, during this Intersession I was fortunate enough to become one of the admired, an official Sundance 2011 attendee.
We arrived in the small city of Park City, Utah a day before the festival actually began, which allowed me to watch and understand how the madness of Sundance really unravels.
In the beginning streets and restaurants were empty. The city was a quiet haven surrounded on all sides by snowy mountains — before the thousands of people descended for the film festival.
A large part of the city’s economy depends on Sundance, and there is no shortage of changes that it’s unwilling to undergo for it. Streets are closed off, stores are taken over and changed into “Sundance Headquarters” or “Filmmaker Lodges,” and prices are raised.
I was lucky enough to attend the festival with a friend who was not only a veteran Sundancer, but whose father is also in the film industry, which allowed me an extremely privileged look at Sundance.
It helps to go with someone who knows what they’re doing because it makes understanding everything from the bus schedules to how to line up before a film easier.
Also, if they get you into the right places and know the good bars to go to, then you’re much more likely to see celebrities.
For example, I only saw a few celebrities not in an exclusive party or during a Q&A — one of whom was Elijah Wood, and I don’t really know how famous he’s considered these days.
But the real purpose of Sundance is to immerse yourself in as many movies as time (and money) will allow. Tickets to films are fifteen dollars each, so if you plan on attending fifteen movies it adds up.
There are certain ticket packages and passes to buy ahead of time too, which is what most savvy moviegoers do. If you plan to wing it and show up at the festival without pre-bought tickets, then be prepared to spend a lot of time in lines.
Patrons without tickets must arrive two hours early to get a waitlist spot, then come back thirty minutes before the movie begins to see if they’ll get in at all — a risky game, though I got into all my waitlist films.
It’s cold outside while waiting in line, but you forget that and all mention of time completely when you enter the cinema, are engulfed in darkness and settle in for roughly the next two hours.
There are numerous different movie theatres that are scattered throughout the city, but an extremely efficient bus system makes it easy to get from one to the other.
Choosing your films can be quite a crapshoot because almost all the films are premiering at the festival, with very little critical buzz surrounding them. So picking is based mainly on actors, directors, subject or if there’s a studio already attached to the film.
My friends and I chose quite well, and attended the worldwide premier of some movies and voted for some films that were in competition (up for winning an award).
My favorite film that premiered (out of competition) was Win Win.
Directed by Tom McCarthy, Win Win is about a failing lawyer and wrestling coach (Paul Giamatti) who tries to keep his family happy (and not broke) by taking legal custody of one of his elderly clients. But his client’s unknown teenage grandson runs away to be with his grandfather thereby changing the lawyer’s world even further. Giamatti’s character is warm and sympathetic, not overly sardonic and bitter like many of Giamatti’s roles.
The movie also includes Amy Ryan (The Office), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Hangover) and Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace, The Station Agent). Tambor and Cannavale are both hysterical, and Ryan’s performance is honest.
The film is hilarious, but has heart and seriousness. I found it a much more pleasing comedy than the much anticipated Cedar Rapids — which you’ve seen the trailer for if you’ve seen Black Swan.
Just because a movie is at Sundance though does not necessarily make it great. Take the premiere of David Mackenzie’s Perfect Sense, for instance. This is an apocalyptic film starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green about humans losing every one of their senses. It’s an interesting concept gone terribly awry, as the film lacks any explanations and simply moves forward without any momentum or reason.
For example, there are far too many scenes of Green and McGregor having sex than ever needed — even though they are both extremely attractive people. Another mediocre film was Like Crazy, which actually won the Grand Jury Dramatic prize.
The movie follows a couple in a long-distance relationship, depicting their difficulties, stress and passion. But in the end, Drake Doremus’s film is repetitive and gives the audience little to care about.
Other films that I did like included Terri by Azazel Jacobs, Submarine by Richard Ayoade, Martha Marcy May Marlene by Sean Durkin (check it out to see the Olsen twins’s other sister) and the comically bizarre The Details by Jacob Aaron Estes. These may or may not get a wide theatrical release, so keep your eyes out for them.
And for those of you who were wondering, no, I did not see James Franco.
