The 2021 Sundance Film Festival was virtual. In the past years, we haven’t been able to share our results and have them influence your ability to purchase a ticket to see one of the films but this year we can! Below is a collection of our quick reactions from some of this years Sundance Film Festival.

CODA

Based on the 2014 French film “La Famille Belier,” “CODA” gets its title from the acronym for Children of Deaf Adults. That’s what Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is, the only hearing person in her family. She’s a self-possessed, assertive but frustrated young woman when she’s with her family, particularly on the fishing boat, where her father and brother make a living — but as a child who was bullied after growing up with ASL as a first language, she’s withdrawn and timid in school. In a way, she’s isolated from her family because she can hear, and from her classmates because of her family. Hear our initial reaction:

SUMMER OF SOUL

Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity. Hear our initial reaction:

JOHN AND THE HOLE

John and the Hole is a 2021 American drama film directed by Pascual Sisto and written by Nicolás Giacobone. The film stars Charlie Shotwell, Jennifer Ehle, Michael C. Hall, Taissa Farmiga and Ben O’Brien. A coming-of-age psychological thriller that plays out the unsettling reality of a kid who holds his family captive in a hole in the ground. Hear our initial reaction:

IN THE EARTH

In the Earth is a 2021 American-British horror film written and directed by Ben Wheatley. It stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires and Reece Shearsmith. As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Hear our initial reaction: