The Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 15 Best Films of Sundance 2024

A Different Man

Writer-director Aaron Schimberg offers an endearingly twisted take on actors, playwrights, egos and the plight of the disfigured. The provocative, dark A24 comedy centers on an aspiring thespian with neurofibromatosis (played with tongue-in-cheek gravitas by Sebastian Stan) who finds a cure, only to long for the life he had when his face was still deformed. Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson (who has neurofibromatosis himself) shine in key supporting roles. — JORDAN MINTZER

Exhibiting Forgiveness

Artist Titus Kaphar’s tender directorial debut feature is bolstered by a stellar André Holland as a painter who attempts to reconcile with his father (the wonderful John Earl Jelks) at the urging of his mother (an always invaluable Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). Preoccupied by questions of love and attachment — and flaunting a breathtaking sense of composition — Kaphar proves to be a keen and insightful portraitist of Black life. — LOVIA GYARKYE

Freaky Tales

If it takes doing an MCU movie for filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel) to plunge into the kind of exhilarating creative exorcism that Freaky Tales represents, bring on the superheroes. Not even their distinctive indies like Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind can prepare you for the kinetic energy, imagination and righteous battles — both rap and blade slice-and-dice — of this love letter to the Bay Area, told in four interconnected underdog stories starring Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis and Ben Mendelsohn. — DAVID ROONEY

Frida

Taking the helm for the first time, editor Carla Gutiérrez (RBG) pushes past the dime-a-dozen “icon” label to face Frida Kahlo on her own terms, drawing upon the Mexican artist’s illustrated diaries and letters. The riveting documentary’s archival riches also include an extraordinary selection of photographs and footage. Honoring Kahlo without resorting to sensationalism, but also letting her speak, the film conjures the spell of a remarkable person’s company. — SHERI LINDEN

Gaucho Gaucho

The new film from The Truffle Hunters doc-makers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw takes them to the mountainous Salta region of northwest Argentina to capture the passion, spirituality and profound symbiosis with nature of a community of cowboys and cowgirls. The film accesses captivating characters who very clearly relish their freedom from contemporary society. But the real stars are the magnificent black-and-white images. — D.R.

Good One

The modesty of India Donaldson’s first feature makes the gradual exposure of its protagonist’s emotional depths all the more transfixing. Contrasting the intimacy of its gaze with the expansive beauty of its woodland setting, the drama chronicles a camping trip taken by a college-bound 17-year-old (Lily Collias), with her dad (James Le Gros) and his best buddy (Danny McCarthy). It’s an exceptionally strong calling card for both the writer-director and the young lead. — D.R.

In the Summers

Alessandra Lacorazza’s quiet debut film is a kind of visual poem, an enveloping ode to experiences shared by a father and his daughters. Chronicling the complicated relationship between a New Mexico man and his two kids over the course of four summer vacations, the drama, like last year’s Sundance stunner All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, sways to its own rhythm. It’s a subtle and sensitive exploration of forgiveness and healing. — L.G.

I Saw the TV Glow

A phenomenal Justice Smith plays an alienated teenager who finds comfort in his friendship with a cool older girl (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and the young adult sci-fi television show they both love. In a style reminiscent of vintage Gregg Araki, with hints of Donnie Darko and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jane Schoenbrun’s knockout drama of adolescent angst is about the places we escape to when we don’t feel at home in the real world — and the brutal truth that even fantasy has its limits. —  JOURDAIN SEARLES

Luther: Never Too Much

That Luther Vandross hasn’t gotten the documentary treatment until now is surprising, considering his imprint on the music industry. Dawn Porter rectifies that with an ebullient portrait, making striking use of rehearsal footage, concert videos, old interviews with Vandross and newer ones with his friends and family. Porter takes the media attention on the R&B balladeer’s body (he long struggled with his weight) as an entry point to examine Vandross’ desire to be loved. — L.G.

My Old Ass

It’s always a nice surprise to encounter a fresh face who’s also a natural screen presence. That’s very much the case with the captivating Maisy Stella, who plays Elliott, a teen about to head off to college, in Megan Park’s warm blend of comedy, romance and whimsical fantasy. The fact that the newcomer gets to bounce off Aubrey Plaza, in peerless sardonic form as Elliott’s advice-dispensing future self, just sweetens the deal. Not since Toy Story 3 has a movie been so in touch with the tender feelings associated with leaving home and saying goodbye to childhood. — D.R.

Presence

It’s an invigorating feeling to know early on in a movie that you’re in confident hands, and Steven Soderbergh conveys that assurance instantaneously in his nail-biting, single-setting ghost story. Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday and newcomer Callina Liang star as a family on the brink of falling apart when they move into a new home. It’s clear from the start that the house will be a major character. But even more significant — and chilling — is the point of view behind the subjective camera that gives this masterfully executed horror film its title. — D.R.

A Real Pain

A laugh-out-loud odd-couple movie whose emotional wallop sneaks up on you, Jesse Eisenberg’s wonderful sophomore directorial outing follows two cousins (played by Eisenberg and a delightful Kieran Culkin) who travel to their ancestral home in Poland to honor their grandmother. Exploring the conflict of Americans grappling with their own troubles, however minor, while attempting to be mindful of the punishing experience endured by their elders, it’s a Holocaust movie with a fresh perspective. — D.R.

Sugarcane

Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s gut punch of a doc investigates the abusive legacy and devastating impact of Catholic-run Native American missionary schools in Canada. The film’s sensitivity to the ongoing pain of its subjects is one of its principal achievements. Yet the directors handle their heavy topic without despair, weaving in surprising moments of levity, uplifting their interviewees and embracing the turbulent emotional arc of the investigation. — L.G.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

In their deeply moving and deftly modulated documentary, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui trace the titular subject’s Hollywood and personal histories alongside the tireless activism for disability awareness that sprang from his paralysis following a 1995 equestrian accident. One of the things that makes Super/Man so satisfying is that, for a film in which tragedy and loss play such a central part, it’s rich in hope, kindness, gratitude and the resilience of the human spirit. — D.R.

Union

In their smart, nuanced and compelling documentary, Stephen Maing and Brett Story follow the fledgling Amazon Labor Union in the 2021 quest to organize workers at Amazon warehouses in Staten Island. Using unobtrusive direct-cinema techniques, the film does something more interesting than tell a simple David versus Goliath story; it captures the frustration and elation of trying to do the right thing in an impossible historical moment. — DANIEL FIENBERG

This story first appeared in the Jan. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.