Another amazing Sundance film festival has come to a close, and as always, we at ForReel had the privilege of experiencing a number of phenomenal films over the course of the 10 day festival.

As we like to do, Taylor Beaumont and myself hopped on a video call with our friend Taylor Baker from Drink In The Movies in Seattle to discuss which films we saw that stood out the most to us. Including discussion on films like Lucy And Desi, Resurrection, Emergency, and a favorite for all of us, Palm Trees And Power Lines, we revisit film highlights and summarize the Sundance 2022 experience overall.

We also discussed other standouts midway through the festival in our Mid Festival Discussion video. In case you missed it, here are other favorite films we’ve covered:

And now, without further ado, I’m excited to share my top three films at Sundance 2022. They are:

#3 - AFTER YANG

With a copious amount of buzz since its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, it's fair to say that After Yang was among my most anticipated films to see at Sundance. 

In After Yang, one family is distraught to find their humanoid android companion for their daughter, Yang, has ceased operating. In an effort to repair him, Jake (Colin Farrell) discovers Yang’s memory bank, consisting of many seconds-long moments. The more he dives into these memories, the more he understands what Yang had unexpectedly learned about life.

The film - existing in a naturalistic realm of sci-fi - is a beautiful depiction from the perspective of this family and through the eyes of Yang. It’s mellow in tone, and adept at connecting with audiences on an emotional level.

With solid performances and wonderful visuals, After Yang is a film I cannot wait to revisit, preferably in a theater, because it’s an experience that’s worth being entirely enveloped in.

#2 - CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH 

Having just recently seen and thoroughly enjoyed Cooper Raiff's debut feature film Shithouse you could say I'm late to the party. Which is the perfect expression as Raiff plays a newly enlisted party starter in this sophomore film, Cha Cha Real Smooth. As writer, director, and lead actor in Cha Cha Real Smooth, Raiff crafts a story that is relatable and heartwarming while keeping his brand of coming-of-age storytelling fresh.

In Cha Cha Real Smooth - practically a spiritual sequel to Shithouse - Raiff plays a post college 23 year old struggling to find a direction in life. But when he meets a mom and her autistic teenage daughter at a bat mitzvah, his life is invigorated by both their presence and this new party-hosting career. But, her personal life and his lack of anger management threatens to upend everything.

Raiff is exceedingly proficient at curating a feel-good experience, allowing Cha Cha Real Smooth to fill that space of general audience adoration at Sundance that CODA owned last year. Raiff takes these characters in interesting and unexpected directions that reflect a more realistic and relatable perspective of people and relationships.

And while some may criticize his choice in film titles, I think they serve as a preview of the quirkiness that Raiff naturally builds into his stories and narrative experiences. So enjoyable in fact, especially in this sophomore feature film, that you may feel the urge to cha cha real smooth by the end.

#1 - YOU WON'T BE ALONE

They say "don't judge a book by its cover," as in, don't let a knee-jerk judgment cause you to miss out on what could be a fantastic story. In the same way, sometimes, you can't judge a movie by its opening act. Such is the case for You Won't Be Alone, a movie I struggled to connect with at first, but ultimately - as I'm thrilled to report here - became my favorite film of this year's Sundance.

Taking place in a remote region amongst Macedonian mountains, the film follows a shape-shifting witch who, by taking the form of recently deceased villagers, learns the culture of this isolated community. With the presence of her stern and pessimistic mentor constantly looming, she experiences life - the woes and wonders of it - from various perspectives to ultimately realize for herself what it means to be alive.

Though audiences may find it bewildering at first as they acclimate to the slow and seemingly eccentric nature of storytelling, this debut feature film from Goran Stelvisky maintains a dedicated sense of tone and mood throughout the film. And once audiences establish their footing with the film, the direction in conjunction with brilliantly prosed narrative and Terrance Malick-style cinematography escalates the experience into the upper echelons of phenomenal storytelling. 

“Be open to the experience,” was the advice that editor Luca Cappelli offered to first-time audiences in my interview with him about his work on the film. “I think it’s something that takes you into really interesting, uncharted territory.” You Won't Be Alone indeed offers a cinematic storytelling experience unlike anything audiences will encounter this year in film. And with that being the type of thing I seek out at film festivals, You Won't Be Alone is exactly the kind of film I needed this year at Sundance.