Another Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, and while the lineup this year didn’t necessarily blow either of us away, we managed to seek out some solid films that left an impression.

2020 proved to be the year of the female director festival-wide, in fact, half of the films we saw were directed by women. Stories about celebrities, strippers, and cartoon characters all took center stage this year, with most still waiting for a distributor to secure an upcoming theatrical or streaming release. Here are the films we saw and enjoyed at this year’s festival.

Wendy

After Benh Zeitlin first blew audiences away with his debut film Beasts of the Southern Wild back in 2012, people have long awaited the director’s follow-up film. Eight years later, audiences were finally treated to that film – Wendy – a re-imagining of the beloved Peter Pan tale. Co-written with his screenwriter sister Eliza, Wendy captures what makes Zeitlin such a visionary and inspiring filmmaker. Telling the story of Peter Pan through the eyes of Wendy (Devin France), Wendy shows how Peter (Yashua Mack) and the lost boys all came to be. Zeitlin’s affinity of conjuring Bayou magical realism makes this a perfect source material to adapt and another incredible outing.

Read more: ‘Wendy’ Review: A Gorgeous Ode to Never Growing Up

 

The Nowhere Inn

St. Vincent plays herself, sort of, in The Nowhere Inn, a mockumentary that satirizes celebrity culture and the enigma that is the indie rockstar. Directed by Bill Benz and co-written by Annie Clark and Carrie Brownstein, Clark aka St. Vincent goes down the Joaquin Phoenix route in I’m Still Here as she enlists her best friend, Portlandia star and Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein, to capture her “relatableness” while on tour. Turns out, Clark is pretty boring when not on stage, and Brownstein encourages her to add a little spice to her life to make the documentary interesting. Clark takes this suggestion too far, and over the course of the film, her erratic and growing diva behavior goes from funny to frightening.

The Nowhere Inn is a bizarre output from all involved but its eccentric nature and stark commentary on authenticity and reality make for a fascinating watch. Annie Clark is in on the joke as she pokes fun at herself, her career, and her relationships (including a special appearance by Dakota Johnson who acts as a hybrid of Clark’s infamous previous partners Kristen Stewart and Cara Delevingne). There’s no denying this film is weird. That’s the point. However, because of this, it may have difficulty finding distribution due to the very small target audience. Despite its obvious consumer-friendly challenges and big-screen future, fans of off the wall content (that doesn’t necessarily make sense) will have an interesting time trying to digest The Nowhere Inn. It definitely helps if you’re a fan of St. Vincent, otherwise, this may not be the best film for you.

Watch: St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein Cryptically Talk About ‘The Nowhere Inn’

 

Kajillionaire

Miranda July’s Kajillionaire follows a family of three whose lives revolve around turning one hustle into the next. Oddball outsiders whose very existence require them to stand apart from society in order to break it down and gamify it, director Miranda July similarly stands outside the norm to put life’s more strangely beautiful moments onscreen; such as the beauty of soap suds that overflow through a factory ceiling, to pondering some of life’s biggest questions like what to do when the big earthquake hits. Led by performances from Evan Rachel Wood and Richard Jenkins, Kajillionaire is a fusion of magic and ordinary life that entertains questions of larger universal life, making this one to watch should it find distribution post-Sundance.

Read more: ‘Kajillionaire’ Review: A Family of Scammers Long For Connection

 

Shirley

Josephine Decker returns to Sundance after her award-winning film Madeline’s Madeline with another captivating dramatic entry, Shirley. Starring an eccentric Elisabeth Moss as famed author Shirley Jackson and the ever-wonderful Michael Stuhlbarg as her husband Stanley Hyman, Shirley tells the story of a young couple (Odessa Young, Logan Lerman) whose life becomes forever changed by the odd couple. After accepting room and board in exchange for household chores and companionship, Rose (Young) becomes an accidental muse for Shirley, a famed horror writer who spends her days chain-smoking over her typewriter in the musky home office of her large Victorian house.

Decker’s signature style of euphoric imagery and layered, complicated female protagonists in control is the film’s strongest calling card. Moss gives a phenomenal performance as a kooky yet brilliant artist whose inner turmoil is a constant battle. Not to be overlooked is Michael Stuhlbarg, who delivers yet another scene-stealing monologue that is almost as memorable as his Call Me By Your Name performance. Beautifully captured by Sturla Brandth Grøvlen (Victoria, Wendy), who juxtaposes light and dark to create unforgettable moments and a moody score by Tamar-kali, Shirley is a hauntingly powerful film about a strong woman, made by a strong woman.

Read more: If No Other Film Comes Out This Year, ‘Shirley’ Might Just Be The Year’s Best

 

Zola

Based on a real-life tweet-storm of a stripper’s whirlwind adventure to the Deep South, Zola generated solid buzz before even arriving at Sundance having been the product of a bidding war that ultimately went to A24. It’s fitting that Zola found its home at the same arthouse shop that made the bad-girls in bikinis romp Spring Breakers, a spiritually similar movie. But Zola taps into the language of the internet using a ton of different styles and a wholly unique vision, which can be credited to the film’s director, Janicza Bravo, who made Lemon. While it’s a beautifully shot movie, Bravo makes Zola more of a deadpan comedy than ROFL-road movie, and it’s one of the things that I wish this movie delivered more on.

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Wake Up

Booksmart director Olivia Wilde and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Margaret Qualley combine their creative energy as they explore the reality of technology-obsessed culture in the branded short film, Wake Up. Backed by computer goliath HP and produced by The Lab at Anonymous Content, Wake Up is a beautifully shot cautionary tale about the increase in isolation and its unintended consequences of emotional detachment caused by an addiction to technology.

When a young woman (Qualley) wakes up, alone, in a hospital with no relocation of how she got there, she sets out to find answers. However, everyone she attempts to connect with is transfixed by their smartphone, computer, or other electronic devices, ignoring the outreach and bid for belonging from our tech-less protagonist. Using her dance background, Qualley gracefully moves and breezes through New York City’s densely populated area, literally reaching out to strangers for connection, eye contact, and acknowledgment. Shot by legendary cinematographer Matthew Libatique and scored by indie artist Perfume Genius, Wake Up is a dreamy foreshadowing that a world devoid of human connection is not a joyous one. Let technology aid us in making the world a more connected place, not act as barriers to drive us further away from each other.

 

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story

One of the most disgusting, vile, and demented shows of all time, Ren & Stimpy also stands as one of the most singularly influential artistic achievements of the 90s. Beloved by the cult following that took to it, a new documentary (funded by Kickstarter) chronicles the creation of Ren & Stimpy and the team behind it, including the brilliant yet tyrannical creator John Kricfalusi. It’s a time capsule that shows the brilliant animators who put the cartoon on paper at a time when animation was at a low point. The doc captures interviews from all of the people involved, including John Kricfalusi, who speaks to the infamous end when he was fired from the show’s second season. As the doc continues to show with John’s substantiation, we learn of a very problematic history with fans and aspiring animators, which makes the whole thing even more disturbing. It’s fitting that, like John, it’s Ren & Stimpy‘s avant-garde hideousness that makes the show unforgettable.

Read more: ‘Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story’ is Here–You Eeediot!

 

Whirlybird

In Matt Yoka’s debut feature documentary, Whirlybird, audiences are taken on a visual journey in the City of Angels in the 90s through the lens of journalist Bob Tur and his wife Marika Gerrard, the couple responsible for capturing the iconic ariel video footage of the OJ Simpson pursuit, the Rodney King riots, the Northridge earthquake, and so much more. Infamous for his risky (and often illegal) methods of “getting the shot,” Bob was a relentless reporter, in love with the excitement and thrill of the chase. However, the documentary digs deeper, beyond his success as a journalist, and into Bob’s volatile, explosive, and obsessive behavior that puts not only his relationships but his physical and mental health at risk.

In the world of journalism, Bob Tur is credited for revolutionizing breaking news by changing the way news was captured: via helicopter. Bob and Marika were never far from a crime scene, murder, fire or flood – hanging out of a helicopter, camera in hand and ready to film. However, Bob’s personal life was fraught with torment. Not only was he constantly fighting with his wife, his employees, and the authorities, he was also struggling to accept himself as a trans man, which the documentary only focuses on in the last fifteen or so minutes of the film. The story of Whirlybird is primarily about the revolution of the news industry, not the reinvention of Bob Tur, who now goes by Zoey. Unfortunately, more focus on his personal struggle would have made this film a lot stronger and more memorable.

Bob was the original TMZ. He was a pioneer, and his legacy will never be forgotten. However, through raw and vulnerable interviews, he admits to living a life full of regret. It’s as if he questions if this was all even worth it, a difficult sentiment to hear someone say aloud. The relentlessness of capturing the headline news will affect any man over time, much like it did Bob Tur. For Angelinos especially, Whirlybird – with original music by Ty Segall – is a fascinating retrospective of our city from above as we navigate the fine line between serenity and chaos from among the clouds.

Read more: ‘Whirlybird’ Review: Capturing Serenity and Chaos Over the Clouds