10 Standouts From the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, leaving the film world plenty to chew on for how the year’s independent catalog is shaping up. The Sundance schedule can be tricky: While a 2023 film like Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool premiered at this year's festival for a quick theatrical turnaround, the Bill Nighy vehicle Living premiered at last year’s Sundance and is just now hitting Nashville. (It's currently showing at the Belcourt and select AMC and Regal locations.)

While we’re not quite sure when you’ll get to see some of the movies on this list, you’ll want to take note of these 10 films from last month's Sundance — they're worth catching when they make their way to us. 

Bad Press

Imagine Spotlight if it were a documentary about the fight for freedom of the press in the tribal nations, and you’ll have a good idea for how Bad Press plays out. It’s one of the best American films about journalism to come along in the past decade, a genuinely shocking study on how the First Amendment isn’t a guarantee for all U.S. citizens. If you care about journalism or government transparency even in the slightest, this is a must-see documentary. Awaiting distribution. 

Beyond Utopia

Beyond Utopia is a breathless documentary with startling footage of a South Korean pastor who works to help dissidents escape North Korea. For most of the film, director Madeleine Gavin follows Pastor Seungeun Kim as he embarks on a life-threatening journey to help one North Korean family navigate a treacherous journey to freedom. None of the footage is re-created, leaving you stunned with how they were able to not only pull off the movie, but the actual journey itself. Awaiting distribution.

Fancy Dance 

Lily Gladstone is about to have a big year with her upcoming starring role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, and Fancy Dance is a heck of a showcase for what the actress does well. Here she turns in a careful, laser-focused performance as a Native American woman who must look for her missing sister while trying to take care of her niece. It’s a stirring family drama that gives Gladstone a wonderful platform. Awaiting distribution.

Fremont

Fremont is the kind of unexpected gem that makes Sundance worthwhile. A quirky dramedy about an Afghan woman who tries to assimilate in America by working at a fortune cookie factory, Fremont builds a deeply humane, surprisingly funny tale about what it’s like to build a new life. Gregg Turkington (aka Neil Hamburger) turns up in a key supporting role as a therapist, proving his ability to breathe awkward humor and remarkable pathos into his performances. Awaiting distribution.

A Little Prayer

Veteran actor David Strathairn delivers what might be the defining performance of his career with A Little Prayer. The latest from Junebug writer Angus MacLachlan, the compelling film follows Strathairn as a Southern businessman who begins to realize his son has a dark side. Jane Levy also impresses as Strathairn’s daughter-in-law. Sony Pictures Classics picked this one up for a likely awards push later this year. 

Magazine Dreams 

Jonathan Majors could snag his first Oscar nomination next year thanks to his astonishingly gritty turn in Magazine Dreams. At once an homage to Taxi Driver, Pumping Iron, Nightcrawler and The King of Comedy, the somber drama follows Majors’ troubled bodybuilder as he tries to make a name for himself with his competitive hobby. Majors’ breathtaking physicality and uncomfortable intensity might make this one of the standout performances of the decade when all is said and done. Awaiting distribution.

Sometimes, I Think About Dying 

Playing against type from her Rey/Star Wars days, Daisy Ridley establishes herself with Sometimes, I Think About Dying. She brings a lot of restraint and quirkiness to her portrayal of a reclusive office worker who begins an in-office romance with a new co-worker. The whimsical, delightfully off-kilter film feels like something ripped off of Adult Swim at times, just with a more refined filter. It’s ultimately a moving story about breaking out of your shell, and Ridley has never been better. Awaiting distribution.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

If you’re a fan of Michael J. Fox or documentaries about actors, you cannot miss Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. It’s a deeply profound meditation on the life and career of one of America’s most beloved actors. Fox bares his soul as he tells us the story of his life, warts and all, in vivid detail. Guggenheim uses well-considered re-creations to help add to the drama of his narrative. This one will be on Apple TV+ later this year, and it’s a can’t-miss experience. 

Theater Camp 

Theater Camp is a bit like Waiting for Guffman meets TikTok meets your favorite camp comedy. It’s a hilarious underdog story about an unlikely group of theater nerds (featuring Ben Platt and Molly Gordon) and one very uncultured finance bro (Jimmy Tatro) who try to save a struggling theater camp from foreclosure. Hilarious, bittersweet and grounded, Theater Camp should stand as one of the year’s better comedies. Searchlight picked this one up for theatrical release. 

You Hurt My Feelings 

The best film of Sundance 2023 was Nicole Holofcener’s surprisingly resonant You Hurt My Feelings, which might be the best film ever made about our societal inability to handle various forms of criticism. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and The Crown’s Tobias Menzies are just fantastic as a married couple who must overcome a hurdle when Louis-Dreyfus’ writer overhears her therapist husband Menzies say he doesn’t like her new book. A24 should release this one later in the year, and it’s just an absolute requirement for anyone who loves Holofcener and her character-focused dramedies.