SUNDANCE 2024 | Pre-Fest Part 1: Must-See Feature Writing/Directorial Debuts
Image courtesy of Sundance
THE MOOGAI
Program: Midnight
Director: Jon Bell
Screenwriter: Jon Bell
Synopsis: A young Aboriginal couple bring home their second baby. What should be a joyous time takes a sinister turn as the mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to take her baby.
Why This Is A Must-See: When attending festivals, I’m always looking for the next sleeper hit, and The Moogai has all components to be that next horror phenomenon. Adapted from the 2020 short film by the same filmmaking team, The Moogai is Jon Bell’s feature directorial debut, and if it’s anything like his short film, Sundance audiences are in for a tense and suspenseful experience.
The short film, which screened as part of the 2020 SXSW lineup, utilized its 15 minute runtime to build simmering tension around this enigmatic child-stealing spirit haunting the new parents at the center of the story to great effect. Expanding on that lore is an opportunity to capitalize on prolonged mounting suspense, and hopefully, an impactful finale.
In many ways, The Moogai has the potential to recreate much of what made The Babadook such a horror success, where paranoia and fragile headspaces can let horrific entities run amuck on these characters’ lives. It’s a great premise for Bell to begin his feature filmmaking on, and with many players who were involved with films like The Babadook and Talk To Me behind The Moogai, I expect this will be something really special to experience at Sundance.
Image courtesy of Sundance
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES
Program: Premieres
Director: Kobi Libii
Screenwriter: Kobi Libii
Synopsis: A young man, Aren, is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier
Why This Is A Must-See: The concept comes off as if Ryan Coogler or Jordan Peele were given rights to develop a Harry Potter spin off. Neither Coogler nor Peele are involved with this project (although, composer for all three Jordan Peele features, Michael Abels, is at the conductor’s podium for the Magical Negroes score), but it’s actor Kobi Libii who takes on African American satire in his directorial debut.
In the cast, we have Justice Smith as the main character - and also attending Sundance for his role in Jane Schoenbrun’s highly anticipated sophomore film I Saw The TV Glow. David Alan Grier also stars in the film after appearing in two high profile holiday season films, Candy Cane Lane and The Color Purple. Michaela Watkins is also in the film, returning to Sundance following the success of last year’s Sundance sleeper hit, You Hurt My Feelings.
Cord Jefferson’s own feature directorial debut, American Fiction’s, has taken North America by storm since its premiere at TIFF, and may have potentially set the stage for Magical Negroes to thrive. I personally am very curious at what messages Libii has to offer this story, and how well it integrates with entertainment, production value, and emotional value.
Image courtesy of Sundance
LITTLE DEATH
Program: NEXT
Director: Jack Begert
Screenwriters: Jack Begert, Dani Goffstein
Synopsis: A middle-aged filmmaker on the verge of a breakthrough. Two kids in search of a lost backpack. A small dog a long way from home.
Why This Is A Must-See: “Odd” seems to only scratch the surface of what we might expect from the experience of watching Little Death. The Sundance description goes on to describe this seemingly zany film as a “barbed showbiz satire” transitioning to an “introspective hangout vibe”. That kind of tonal swing seems daring enough to pique my interest.
But while “odd” can be a risky bet to spend precious time on at Sundance, there is a modicum of reassurance to be had. Director and producer Darren Arrynofski is a producer of the film, and those familiar with projects he’s been involved with may glean a better idea of what to expect.
And of course, the film features a promising cast including Dominic Fike (Euphoria), Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Jenna Malone (also attending Sundance for her role in the highly anticipated A24 film Love Lies Bleeding), and the legendary David Schwimmer (FRIENDS).
At the least, Little Death is poised to offer one of the most unique cinematic experiences at Sundance this year; it just might be the exact type of film that could be perfect to watch with a Sundance audience.
Image courtesy of Sundance
Dìdi (弟弟)
Program: US Dramatic Competition
Director: Sean Wang
Screenwriter: Sean Wang
Synopsis: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
Why This Is A Must-See: Sean Wang is certainly a rising star in the filmmaking world. Not only did his short film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma) debut at SXSW 2023 to win the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, but it was acquired by Disney and is now also on the Oscars shortlist.
Listening to how Wang talks about his projects, it’s clear that a lot of love, passion, and lived experience is infused in the stories he wants to tell. It only helps that his background as a Google Creative Lab 5 alum and a Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab fellow will likely serve him well in capturing these stories in the meaningful way he intends.
With all of that said about Wang as a filmmaker, the premise of this story sounds like something audiences are going to walk away from being deeply moved by. Mom and son stories can be profound emotional when done well - the Cascadia Film And TV Critic Association award winning 2022 film Riceboy Sleeps is certainly a testament to that. That’s where my expectations are at with Dìdi - meaning Sean Wang just might leave another festival with more awards for his work.