My Top Films for Sundance Film Festival
My name is Autumn Davis, I’m a junior, and my major is biochemistry. Growing up, my father and I loved to watch cult classic films such as Phantasm and Dazed and Confused.
The five films that I have selected to watch are The Blazing World, Marvelous and the Black Hole, On the Count of Three, Playing with Sharks, and Eight for Silver.
The Blazing World is a feature film that entails Margaret who is haunted by the death of her sister drowning. As Margaret spirals further into dark thoughts, she tries to exorcise the demons that are responsible. This film is directed by Carlson Young who is a female director and also an actress.
Marvelous and the Black Hole is a coming of age story that involves a child that is enrolled in a summer course after acting out after the death of her mother. The child soon becomes friends with a magician after participating in a magic act. This film is sure to be a heartfelt film that addresses life after the death of a loved one and grief.
On the Count of Three is a comedy that uses dark humor to talk about feeling out of control and hopeless. Val and his best friend, Kevin, agree to a suicide plan; however, they have a few things to attend to first.
The film Eight for Silver takes place in the late nineteenth century and is a horror movie that forces the audience to take a look at the monster inside men. In this film, a curse has been placed on a village that causes the villagers to have nightmares and for a child to be murdered. At first the village assumes that it was a wild animal attack but a pathologist suggests there may be something else deep in the woods.
Playing with Sharks is a documentary that revolves around Valerie Taylor. Taylor is most known for her work as a marine conservationist and her underwater cinematography. In this film, Taylor looks back at her life’s work and talks about conservation efforts.
Two other films that I would love to watch include John and the Hole and Knocking. John and the Hole features a 13 year old boy named John who finds an uncompleted bunker and decides to kidnap his own family and lock them in the bunker. John does this in order to go home and do whatever he wants. This film also features Taissa Farmiga, who is an actress most commonly known from American Horror Story and has acted in other horror films. The second film that captured my attention is Knocking. Knocking features a woman named Molly who continues to hear knocking coming from the ceiling. Molly begins to question her sanity due to a previous traumatic event and a current heat wave.
Looking at the list of films that I have accumulated, there was a recurring theme of horror and grief. All of the films I have chosen except Playing with Sharks has a theme of either horror or grief. While looking at the program list, there was a recurring theme of using current events such as COVID, technology, and environmental topics. Although most of the films that I have chosen to watch do not use this theme, it is sure to be relatable to everyone.
Linked here is an article written by Lauren M about Marvelous and the Black Hole. https://youngasianhollywood.com/movies/im-in-love-with-marvelous-and-the-black-hole.
Sundance Film Festival: https://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/about
