[Sundance ’23] Must see films coming to the Sundance Film Festival

Some of the biggest names appearing in feature films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival include members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mia Goth once again showcasing the aura she brings to genre films, and a look at the exotico from El Paso, Texas that made lucha libre history. Here are some of the movies we cannot wait to see at Sundance.

AUM: The Cult at the End of the World

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

On the morning of March 20, 1995, a deadly nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway sent the nation and its people into chaos. This in-depth examination of the group responsible looks at the beginnings of the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) doomsday cult and the events that ultimately led them to being designated as a terrorist organization.

Cassandro

Gael García Bernal stars as gay luchador Saul Armendariz, the man who would go on to become Cassandro, the “Liberace of lucha libre”. Exoticos have a long history in Mexican wrestling. Played by men who appropriate feminine qualities in campy and silly portrayals, they play against the machismo that is a heavy part of Latin culture and are often hated. Cassandro looks at how one person became a superstar and the effects on his personal  life.

Infinity Pool

The last time Brandon Cronenberg was at Sundance, he wowed festival goers with the grotesquely beautiful Possessor. He also spoke with AIPT about his future projects, one of which he described as a beach resort satire. Starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, Infinity Pool looks like it will be one of the most shocking movies of the festival. This sci-fi horror follows a couple that live a life filled with violence and hedonism. A tragic accident has them facing a zero tolerance policy for their crime.

Magazine Dreams

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Glen Wilson

Jonathan Majors will be all over the place in the first months of 2023, with significant roles in the next Ant-Man and the Wasp movie and Creed III. His first project of 2023 will screen at the Sundance Film Festival. Killian Maddox lives with and cares for his ailing grandfather. As he works out obsessively between his part time job at a grocery store and court mandated therapy sessions, he dreams of bodybuilding superstardom. But are his disconnect from others and the permanent harm he is doing his body worth it?

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Amateur occultist Marcus J. Trillbury, aka Onyx the Fortuitous, is misunderstood at home and work, but his dreams for a new life seem to be answered when he lands a coveted invitation to the mansion of his idol Bartok the Great for a ritual to raise the spirit of an ancient demon. It soon becomes clear that everything is not as it seemed. Onyx along with the fellow Bartok devotees who have arrived must fight to keep their very souls.

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

A great album cover stands the test of time and will even be recognizable to those who are not fans of the musician. Filmmaker Anton Corbjin (Control) looks at the duo behind some of the most iconic artists of the 1970s. Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell used their creativity and unconventional methods to help form the visual identities of musical legends like Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney.

You Hurt My Feelings

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

An all star cast that includes Julian Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) and Tobias Menzies (The Crown) star in a film about insecurities, privilege, and narcissism. Beth (Louis-Dreyfus) is a novelist who has been working on the follow-up to her memoirs for years. When she overhears he husband Don (Menzies) tell his brother Mark he does not like the book, she feels betrayed. It is an affront that even decades of a loving committed marriage can change.