There were many amazing films screened during the 11-day festival. Some have been nominated for Academy Awards, and unfortunately others may never make it into theaters. In the spirit of touting worthwhile rebellious cinema, here are my favorite films of this year’s Sundance Film Festival:

• Diego Luna makes his directorial debut with Abel. Photograph courtesy of Sundance. •

Abel
Actor Diego Luna makes his directorial debut with this charming feature film. Filmed in Mexico, Abel tells the story of a young boy (Christopher Ruíz-Esparza) who returns home after a stay in a psychiatric ward to a family unsure of how to deal with his sensitive nature and silence. In an unexpected turn, Abel transforms by waking up one morning and declaring himself father of the house. Though mildly delusional, there is something genuine in his caring nature toward his mother and siblings. Everyone embraces Abel’s new role, until a man claiming to be his father returns from ostensibly working in the U.S. The most delightful part of Abel is the authentic performances by the child actors; Abel and his brother (played by his real-life brother Gerardo Ruíz-Esparza) lack all the annoying precociousness of child actors in dramatic roles that require a hint of eccentricity. Luna, who co-wrote the script, aptly balances the film’s humor and absurdity with a heartbreaking sense of realism.

• Enemies of the People explores perspectives on both sides of Cambodia's Killing Fields.
Photograph courtesy of Sundance. •

Enemies of the People (World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Documentary)
Cambodian investigative journalist Thet Sambath has devoted his career to finding and befriending the men and women responsible for the Khmer Rouge’s Killing Fields. Co-directed with Rob Lemkin, Enemies of the People documents Sambath’s relationship with Pol Pot’s second in command, Nuon Chea, who is famously known as Brother Number Two. Members of the Khmer Rouge – notably Chea – divulge the horrific details of the Killing Fields, including how people were killed and their bodies disposed of. What Sambath’s interviewees don’t know is that his own parents and brother were among the two million people murdered by the Khmer Rouge. Sambath and Brother Number Two almost develop something like friendship as Brother Number Two awaits arrest for his crimes against humanity. The documentary is a striking cinematic achievement that successfully balances Sambath’s personal story with the testimonies of those responsible for the Khmer Rouge’s brutal genocide.

• GasLand explores the consequences of natural gas drilling.
Photograph courtesy of Sundance. •

GasLand (Special Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary)
Banjo-playing filmmaker Josh Fox’s new documentary begins with a letter from a natural gas company offering him approximately $100,000 to lease his land for natural gas extraction. Fox, whose Pennsylvania home is so picturesque it’s almost ridiculous, sets out on a 32-state road trip to investigate natural gas drilling before he decides whether or not to sign his property over for some easy money. Natural gas has been touted as a clean alternative to oil, but everyone Fox meets tells a story more horrific than the last. GasLand documents the contaminated drinking water, harmed livestock, and ruined health of residents that result from natural gas drilling. The most disturbing phenomenon is how tap water can be ignited when natural gas is in the water supply. Desperate people, in red and blue states alike, tell Fox of the catastrophic consequences of natural gas extraction. Fox takes it all in and, with his mesmerizing voice, convincingly asserts that natural gas is not the answer.

• Restrepo offers a realistically gritty look at the war in Afghanistan.
Photograph by Outpost Films, courtesy of Sundance. •

Restrepo (Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary)
It is amazing in and of itself that directors Sebastian Junger (author of a The Perfect Storm) and Tim Hetherington survived a year of filming in Afghanistan's treacherous Korengal Valley. The military platoon Junger and Hetherington were embedded with fought the Taliban in one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous and geographically challenging regions; there is daily fire from the Taliban, locals who would rather protect the Taliban than work with the Americans, and the constant threat of death at nearly every turn. Restrepo is not easy to watch, but war is an unfortunate truth. Junger and Hetherington capture this and the powerful camaraderie of the American military personnel with a gritty sense of realism. The humanity and surprising humor of the soldiers make it all the more difficult to watch when you realize that not everyone is returning home alive.

• The Kids Are All Right explores the complexities of what it means to be a family.
Photograph by Suzanne Tenner, courtesy of Sundance. •

The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko’s new feature film was the darling of the festival. Nic and Jules (Annette Benning and Julianne Moore) are a middle-aged lesbian couple whose teenage children (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) find the man who donated sperm to become their biological father. Soon they meet Paul (Mark Ruffalo) who is just too cool. He rides a motorcycle, owns a restaurant that serves locally-grown organic food, and lives in a house casually filled with mid-century modern furniture. Benning and Moore have great chemistry as a troubled couple threatened and confused by Ruffalo’s introduction into their lives. Coupled with all the real emotion and moral conundrums that inevitably follow, The Kids Are All Right is an exceptionally funny film that perfectly captures a cultural zeitgeist.

• Waiting for Superman explores the failings of the U.S. education system and the solutions needed to overhaul it. Photograph courtesy of Sundance. •

Waiting for Superman (Audience Award: U.S. Documentary)
Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary attempts to do for public education what his film An Inconvenient Truth did for global warming. But instead of Vice President Al Gore and PowerPoint presentations, Guggenheim uses a diverse group of students all challenged by the public education system. The documentary convincingly depicts the problems that hold students back, including a system that makes failing far easier than succeeding – especially for low-income students in urban areas. Guggenheim interviews educators, journalists, teachers’ unions, and reform-minded education advocates to explain how the United States has gone from being the world’s premier public educational system to an embarrassing jumble of policies and practices epitomized by schools dubbed “drop-out factories.” Despite these deflating realities, Waiting for Superman is not without hope. Guggenheim presents real alternatives that work with the current educational structure to change teaching attitudes and in turn inspire students to succeed.



About the Author
Jessica Mosby is a writer and critic living in Oakland, California. In the rare moments when she's not traveling across the United States for work, Jessica enjoys listening to public radio, buying organic food at local farmers markets, trolling junk stores, and collecting owl-themed tchotchke.