The annual Sundance Film Festival is back in Park City and Salt Lake City for another 11 days of cinema. The festival started on Jan. 23 and continues through Feb. 2. Sundance works as one of the largest film festivals in the United States, giving smaller, independent films and artists the time to show off their work for a larger audience of critics and moviegoers. Here are a handful of new movies playing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Only two films into his filmography, director Mstyslav Chernov continues to prove himself as one of the most important voices working in the sphere of documentary cinema. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” is Chernov’s follow-up film to “20 Days in Mariupol,” which won Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards.
“20 Days in Mariupol” follows a group of Ukrainian journalists documenting the atrocities of the Russian invasion from February to March of 2022. The documentary is a powerful, scary and personal look at how war ruins the lives of innocent people.
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” continues this narrative, but this time, Chernov follows a group of soldiers working to liberate Andriivka, a small Ukraine village taken over by Russia in September of 2023.
Similar to “20 Days,” Chernov is not afraid to cut away from the violence of war. The film puts the audience in the perspective of these young soldiers as they travel just a little bit over a mile through several life-threatening situations. Chernov uses a lot of the same storytelling hallmarks as his previous work, one of which is his use of narration. The decision to use his own voice-over in certain parts of the film adds weight to this story, as if he is showing the audience his diary entries. It feels raw and personal, almost like it should not be looked at, but it needs to be looked at; these stories need to be told.
On another note, Chernov has pushed the boundaries of how he makes his films. Despite most of the film being made up of camera footage that came from soldier’s helmets, the camera work still manages to impress. Chernov also does an effective job at choosing who he wants to be the subjects of this story; it makes the weight of this military mission all the greater.
One of the most fascinating points of the documentary comes at the end of this harrowing story when the soldiers ask questions about what this war means, how long they will be fighting or will they be doing this for the rest of their lives. While Chernov feels deeply pessimistic about the prospects of this situation, some soldiers remain hopeful despite the peers they have lost along the way. Similar to “20 Days,” there is a likely chance that “2000 Meters” will get lots of buzz at the 2026 Academy Awards.
“Omaha”
“Omaha” is the directorial debut from filmmaker Cole Webley. This slice-of-life drama follows a struggling single father, played by John Magaro, during what seems to be the 2008 financial crisis. After vacating their home in Nevada, this father and his two children travel across the country to Omaha, Nebraska in hopes of finding a solution to their problem. However, that solution might not be what any of the characters want.
“Omaha” plays it completely earnest, sticking to as much realism as a Sundance drama can. It is this level of sincerity that makes the film both so heartwarming and devastating at the same time. “Omaha” features charming scenes of this family enjoying an afternoon on the Bonneville Salt Flats or at a zoo, but all of these moments have an underlying feeling of melancholy due to the uncertainty of their future. The film taps into an anxiety that many Americans, but especially parents, had at the time of the financial crisis.
This film relies heavily on the performances of two children, Molly Belle Wright, who plays a nine-year-old girl named Ella, and Wyatt Solis, who plays a six-year-old boy named Charlie. Such prominent performances from children can either make or break this type of film. Luckily for “Omaha,” both child stars succeed at bringing the realism to their roles. Wright and Solis are able to tap into the young sibling feeling that makes the film feel so personal. Wright also does an exceptional job playing off Magaro, who has a more reserved and stoic performance. There is no denying that “Omaha” feels like a chapter of Richard Linklater’s 2014 film “Boyhood.”
The end of “Omaha” is going to be an interesting point of conversation once the film gets a wider release. As much as one might hope for the film to have a bright and happy Hollywood ending, it does not. The film commits completely to that sense of realism, meaning that characters are going to hurt each other and make very human mistakes when at an all-time low. While the ending might not be satisfying to viewers, the film does make a powerful statement about the Safe Haven Law that Nebraska passed in 2008.
“Rabbit Trap”
“Rabbit Trap” is the new Welsh folk-horror film starring Dev Patel and directed by Bryn Chainey. The film tells the story of Darcy, played by Patel, and Daphne, played by Rosy McEwen. The married couple is living in a mostly remote countryside in 1976. Both work in the world of sound and audio as they record experimental music using the environments around them. The couple’s world is thrown into a bizarre frenzy when a nameless child, played by Jade Croot, appears at their home.
The film that Chainey has crafted is often moody and works well when creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. It should also be expected that the film’s sound design is top notch which adds to the film’s darker tones when used effectively.
Darcy and Daphne have no children, which is a point that the film tries very hard to emphasize. Croot’s character pushes hard to become their child. Croot’s performance as the unnamed child becomes progressively more eerie as the film goes on. This unnamed child builds an interesting world and mythology around the forestry area that these characters live in, an aspect of this story that the movie could have spent a bit more time developing. The film is at its strongest when exploring how the world of audio production and the world of mythology intertwine.
Even though the performances given by the small cast of actors are a highlight, any insight into who these characters are and what motivates them is an important point that goes largely unnoticed. The character of Darcy, for example, has haunting nightmares, but these nightmares do not seem to have any larger implications for the film or its themes. It is instances like this that make “Rabbit Trap” start to feel a bit hollow in what it has to offer, even if the production design and technical sides of the film are well done.
“Rabbit Trap” falls into the trap of being one of those films that is trying to do and say a lot. In some instances, it is successful in its mission, but most of the time, “Rabbit Trap” feels a bit undercooked in the areas that could use a bit more substance.
“Touch Me”
“Touch Me” is the new film from queer filmmaker Addison Heimann. This sci-fi horror comedy feels like Katy Perry’s “E.T.” became a movie. The film follows the story of Joey and Craig, who, after a series of misfortunes in their personal life, fall back on Joey’s ex-boyfriend, Brian, who might be an alien trying to take over the world.
“Touch Me” is not going to be a movie for everyone. It is often loud, annoying and gross. Although, if you are a horror fan, there might be some new and interesting ideas brought to the table during the second half of the film, where the gross-out visuals really start to come to life.
There are a lot of technical filmmaking elements that breathe life into the movie. The editing is very unique and gives the movie a sense of personality. The lighting during the film’s most horrific scenes does an effective job of bringing the alien-ness of it all to life. The performances given by the three leads of the film have a lot of chemistry, and they play off each other’s energy well and look like they had fun making this movie. One of the most memorable performance moments in the film is when Olivia Taylor Dudley gives a one-take monologue that sets up the groundwork for the story.
Even with these positives, some of the larger thematic elements of the film regarding gender and sexuality get sidelined in the absurdity of what all goes down in the movie. The film focuses a lot of its energy on the characters coping with mistakes and trauma from their past. At its core, “Touch Me” argues that people rely too much on temporary fixes for their problems. This is shown through how Brian can use his powers to reduce anxiety for a short amount of time and how Brian uses a type of healing crystal to help the characters with their problems. It might not be the best movie to have come out of Sundance this year, but “Touch Me” is at its strongest when commenting on how people need to value one another to work through hard times.