One of many impacts of COVID on the Sundance Movie Competition was the discount of the influential U.S. Dramatic Competitors program from generally as many as 16 earlier than the pandemic to 10-12 since. (It’s 10 this 12 months.) These tighter applications not solely gave Sundance its first Finest Image win in “CODA,” there have been current standouts like “Passing,” “All Filth Roads Style of Salt,” “Good One,” “A Actual Ache,” and “Sorry, Child.” (Though it’s price noting that none of these received—Grand Jury style and the consensus when these movies descend from the mountains typically don’t align.) It will get one pondering which movies from this comparatively tiny program could have that type of affect. For my half of this system (Robert Daniels is dealing with the opposite 5), there’s just one, and it’s the perfect movie of Sundance thus far.
Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” is a devastating drama a few lady navigating trauma and worry at far too younger an age. It’s spectacular each in kind and content material as De Araújo not solely guides her exceptional forged to transferring performances however wraps them in filmmaking that helps and elevates them. It’s a movie that not solely understands that folks are imperfect however that everybody, even kids, will sometime be taught that it’s okay to dwell a life with just a little little bit of worry. We are able to’t put our kids or ourselves in bubbles, and we don’t have the precise reply to each query. That is such a strong piece of filmmaking that it stands alongside all the glorious movies within the intro to this dispatch and even surpasses a couple of.
Damien (Channing Tatum, doing his greatest work since “Foxcatcher”) goes jogging to Golden Gate Park one morning along with his eight-year-old daughter Josephine (the exceptional newcomer Mason Reeves). She runs forward and he doesn’t notice that she’s taken a special fork within the path, leaving her alone for a couple of minutes. She spots a girl (Syra McCarthy) getting into a public lavatory, solely to see her adopted by a person (Philip Ettinger), who then pulls her from the ability, beats her, and rapes her, as Josephine watches from behind a tree. Warning to anybody with such a set off: That is graphic, horrible stuff, made much more unsettling as a result of we all know a baby is watching.
Naturally, considered one of Josephine’s first responses is confusion. She is aware of one thing could be very fallacious, however she doesn’t even know what intercourse is at this age, a lot much less rape. Reeves is breathtakingly good in these scenes when it looks like Josephine’s world has actually cracked open, and De Araújo helps her interior journey with an unforgettable alternative: Inserting the rapist, who we be taught is called Greg, in the identical bodily area as Josephine, as if he’s actually haunting her, a real monster below her mattress or in her closet. As Greta Zozula’s assured digital camera glides by means of the room, Greg would possibly simply be sitting within the nook or standing behind a curtain. He’s at all times there, at all times threatening.
The menace turns into realer as Damien and Jo’s mom Claire (Gemma Chan) debate what to do to assist Josephine, particularly as she begins to lash out at college and get more and more terrified that Greg will discover her. After the sufferer decides to not testify, the authorities want Josephine to take action to place this monster away. However is that good for her? The place do justice and defending this baby intersect?
There are additionally complicated questions on methods to assist Josephine heal. Damien and Claire too rapidly brush apart remedy, however dad insists on a self-defense strategy, signing Jo up for martial arts. Claire needs to speak to Josephine about how life isn’t honest or protected; Damien needs to verify she will be able to shield herself. Each are proper; each are fallacious. Each have their hearts in the precise place, however De Araújo permits us to appreciate that they’re imperfect too. Though it’s price noting that De Araújo stays nearly solely locked into Jo’s POV, generally actually capturing from it, which suggests this by no means not her story.
De Araújo makes use of sufficient self-aware formal selections that it’d push out some viewers, however it’s a reminder to this critic of how a lot kind can help content material. As an alternative of placing emotional monologues or fraught conversations into her script, she pushes up the quantity on an intense rating by Miles Ross (arguably a notch or two an excessive amount of, however the combine might be dialed again earlier than launch) or comes up with a technique to amplify the emotional journey by means of her visible selections. There are some photographs in “Josephine” which might be arduous to observe, however it additionally comprises some formidable, sleek, humanist filmmaking, a real merging of storytelling and the visible medium of movie. In any case, generally phrases aren’t sufficient.
There’s additionally a dearth of dialogue in Adam Meeks’ tender “Union County,” though extra to a fault generally. No matter points I could have with this heartfelt drama about dependancy and restoration in Ohio, one can’t deny its good intentions. Meeks shot the movie with the assistance of the particular Grownup Restoration Undertaking and opens his drama with actual individuals in stated program doing their court-mandated testimonials about their work and restoration. At occasions, “Union County” has a little bit of a “Nomadland” vibe, incorporating fictional characters into a really actual world. It’s no criticism of the work of the performers right here to say that the precise individuals who have been by means of these struggles are extra riveting, even in 30-second bursts. I needed to know extra about nearly each considered one of them, however, after all, one shouldn’t criticize a film for not being a documentary on the identical topic, even when Meeks opens that door.
As an alternative of creating a doc, Meeks tells the story of Cody Parsons (a strong Will Poulter), who’s on his highway to restoration. There isn’t any area at both of the lads’s properties, so he’s residing in his automotive, however he will get a job working at a manufacturing unit along with his brother Jack (Noah Centineo), additionally an addict. As is the case with lots of people in restoration, their lives are easy by design: work, house, court docket. Don’t fiddle. Don’t make errors.
In fact, errors are made, however by no means in a manner that feels exploitative or sensational. If something, “Union County” can nearly really feel too subdued, as if Meeks was so cautious to not do one thing that is likely to be perceived by the individuals he clearly grew to like and admire in Union County as exploitative. That’s admirable, however it makes for a drama that may really feel a bit pulseless at occasions, so delicate that it comes aside in your arms.
Having stated that, the compassion is contagious. It helps that Poulter and Meeks are clearly on the identical web page with the younger actor doing simply the perfect dramatic work of his profession. The low-key strategy signifies that Poulter doesn’t get any huge monologues, compelled to convey a lot of his ache and anxiousness by means of physique language. It’s an awesome efficiency in a film that seeks to show the hundreds of individuals battling drug dependancy on this nation into extra than simply statistics.
Cody is an abnormal man in an abnormal a part of the world who simply needs to dwell an abnormal life. Habit is the cruelty that makes being abnormal so tough. Whereas “Union County” may not add sufficient new to the dialog to make it actually standout, it does remind us of the humanity that ought to actually be all that issues.
One of many greatest disappointments of Sundance 2026 has been Giselle Bonilla’s “The Musical,” a bitter comedy that has one thought and doesn’t even discover that properly. Stated thought is that spite is as highly effective a motivator as any emotion, however it’s embedded within the story of a center college trainer who’s genuinely a reasonably terrible human being, somebody not possible to root for. Nobody would argue {that a} movie has to have a likable protagonist—have a look at “Marty Supreme” for an instance of methods to make a great film about an asshole—however there must be one thing to carry onto, one thing relatable and even humorous sufficient to maintain the proceedings entertaining. Spending time with Doug Leibowitz (Will Brill) is so poisonous that you simply begin to root for him to fail in his quest to destroy his enemy.
Doug’s goal is Principal Brady (Rob Lowe), a smooth-talking soundbite machine who’s obsessive about getting his center college a Blue Ribbon of Tutorial Excellence. Such a quotation requires completely no controversy, after all, which ends up in drama trainer Doug’s plan to get his children to carry out in a very offensive musical about 9/11. Why does Doug need to destroy Brady’s desires? The hunky principal stole his semi-girlfriend Abigail (Gillian Jacobs), though that relationship was so transient that nobody else within the college knew about it. Sure, “The Musical” is a few man who seeks vengeance as a result of a short work relationship didn’t work out. Effectively, that and he clearly hates his life on this small city and desires he was writing performs on Broadways. Did I point out he’s type of obnoxious?
It may not be as damaging that Doug is such an uninteresting jerk if Bonilla took the time to develop the characters round him. Lowe has little to do, Jacobs will get a miserable non-part, and even the youngsters are barely developed past one persona trait. As an alternative, we spend all our time with this Travis Bickle of the center college scene.
Perhaps worst of all, nearly none of “The Musical” is definitely humorous. The play that Doug writes is so broadly terrible that it’s baffling, and Bonilla telegraphs the massive reveal—that it’s about 9/11—within the opening credit. It will get one pondering of the higher model of this movie through which the offensive play is definitely good and even has a single memorable music. It solely provides to the insult that not solely is Doug a very horrible trainer, he’s a worse playwright.
