I know it’s kind of a bummer that in-person events are still iffy in 2022. But virtual events have been a nice way for those of us who live in the middle of nowhere to get to have access to things we wouldn’t normally get to see – such as the Sundance Film Festival, which was virtual for 2022 once again. I had the opportunity to watch 12 total films over the past week, and now I’m ranking them, from worst to best, as well as offering you what information I know about when you’ll be able to see them if you missed them at Sundance. All reviews are spoiler-free!

12. Something in the Dirt

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Written by Justin Benson. Starring Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.

Of the 12 movies I watched last week, this one is the only one that I would say I disliked. There was an interesting idea in there somewhere. Two men living in an apartment complex in Los Angeles witness a supernatural phenomena, and they decide to make a documentary about it. From there, however, this movie is kind of like watching two guys talk to each other about stuff they know in a constant battle to sound smarter, cooler, and more philosophical than the other. Wait, it wasn’t kind of like that. That’s exactly what this was. A huge waste of time, and I would not recommend anyone bothering with it.

If you must watch it, though, I’m sure someone will distribute this movie at some point. I don’t have any information on who that will be and when or why anyone would want to do that. But you know, you do you.

11. Call Jane

Directed by Phyllis Nagy. Written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, and Wunmi Mosaku.

This movie was fine, and the performances were great. I was especially excited to see Wunmi Mosaku, who was a standout for me in Lovecraft Country, and I absolutely loved her in His House. This movie tells the story of a married woman in the 1960s (Elizabeth Banks) who joins the Jane Collective to fight for abortion rights. This unfortunately feels like a timely subject matter, given the way women’s rights to healthcare are currently under threat. Given the harsh realities of abortions and the things women have had to do to get abortions when they’ve been made all but illegal, this movie felt highly sanitized – like a Lifetime movie about abortions. Also, while Wunmi Mosaku’s character speaks out on behalf of women of color, it feels a little like tokenism. Generally, this movie comes off as a film for white feminists.

Call Jane is still finalizing a distributor, but aims to be in theaters later this year. Meanwhile, a documentary about the Jane Collective, The Janes, which also premiered at Sundance, will air on HBO later this year. While I didn’t see The Janes, I get the sense that this might be a better look at the realities of the Jane Collective, if you’re interested in knowing more about this organization.

10. Emily the Criminal

Directed and written by John Patton Ford. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Kim Yarbrough, Bernardo Badillo, and Kara Luiz.

Emily the Criminal is the story of Emily, a thirty-something year-old woman who is drowning in student debt. Wow, I didn’t realize Sundance was screening a movie about me, but here we are. The difference between me and this Emily? This Emily (played by Aubrey Plaza) turns to a life of crime—specifically credit card fraud—to pay off her debt. There was nothing wrong with this movie whatsoever. The dialogue was great. Aubrey Plaza delivered an incredible performance. But for a thriller, it just wasn’t very thrilling? Even when Emily was in danger, I never felt like I was on the edge of my seat.

Emily the Criminal is another film that does not yet have a distributor.

9. Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul

Directed and written by Adamma Ebo. Starring Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Austin Crute, Conphidance, Devere Rogers, Avis Marie Barnes, and Nicole Beharie

In the aftermath of a huge scandal, Trinitie Childs, the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist megachurch, attempts to help her pastor husband, Lee-Curtis Childs, rebuild their congregation. This movie was funny if a little long, and I was surprised when I discovered that this was originally a short film. Regina Hall as Trinitie is great in this, and Sterling K. Brown is nearly as good as Lee-Curtis, but this is very much Regina Hall’s show. This was told in a mockumentary style, but I wish the movie had leaned into the mockumentary format a little more. At times, I forgot about it, and I felt like there were missed opportunities for humor.

If you want to see this one, you’ll have to wait. Again, I have no distribution info for it yet!

8. Master

Directed and written by Mariama Diallo. Starring Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, and Julia Nightingale.

Regina Hall Sundance Movie #2! This one is a social horror film that explores the experiences of three Black women—two professors and one student—who experience disturbing events at a predominantly white college in New England. This was an enjoyable watch, but it was also very scattered. I can’t talk about why and how this film fell apart without spoiling things. But I will say this. Sometimes you watch a film that doesn’t quite come together in the end and that’s okay because it leaves what really happened up to your interpretation. I feel like that’s what Diallo was going for in this movie. However, it didn’t seem like Diallo knew how all of the pieces fit together, either, and so what we ended up with was a movie that felt like “Let’s throw some things at the wall and see what’s scary.”

This horror film will be available on Amazon in March.

7. Nanny

Directed and written by Nikyatu Jusu. Starring Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, and Morgan Spector.

First of all, congrats to Nikyatu Jusu for winning the Grand Jury Prize for her film Nanny. Apparently, Jusu is only the second Black woman director to win the prize, and the first horror director to do so. This film follows Aisha (Diop), an immigrant Nanny who is trying to make a new life in New York City for herself and eventually her son (whom she plans to bring to the US after she’s all set up in the country). Aisha cares for the child of an Upper East Side family, and yeah, she has to deal with a lot of rich white people BS. I enjoyed this movie, and there is some truly horrifying imagery used throughout the film to heighten tension. However, I think I would have liked this one even more if it hadn’t been advertised as a horror film. This was more of a suspenseful and tragic character study, and I appreciated that about it.

Nanny does not have distribution yet, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more about it soon.

6. When You Finish Saving the World

Directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. Starring Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, and Alisha Boe.

When You Finish Saving the World is Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut and it’s an adaptation of his audio play of the same name. The story is primarily about the relationship between a mother and son. Ziggy (Wolfhard) is a high school student who performs original folk-rock songs to his online fan base. Evelyn (Moore) runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. When Evelyn meets a mother and teenage son at the shelter, she decides to take the young boy under her wing. Both Evelyn and Ziggy are highly unlikeable characters, and this is one of those comedies where you’re cringing for the characters. I was nervous to see what dumb thing they were going to do next. This is either going to work for you or not, depending on if you can handle those kinds of stories. I really enjoyed it.

A24 financed, produced, and will distribute this film, which is part of producers Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s first-look deal with A24.

5. Dual

Directed and written by Riley Stearns. Starring Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, and Beulah Koale.

When Sarah (Gillan) discovers that she’s dying from an incurable disease, she opts for a cloning procedure that will allow for the clone to live on in her place after her death. So imagine everyone’s surprise when Sarah makes a miraculous recovery. Sarah tries to get her clone decommissioned, but the clone refuses, and the two must now fight to the death in order to decide who will get to live on as the real Sarah. This satirical sci-fi movie was funny, thought-provoking, and just a really enjoyable experience. I have some qualms about the ending, but as this is a spoiler-free review, I will just leave it at that.

I have heard that there is a similar film on Apple TV+ called Swan Song. This movie seems to be more dramatic and less comedic, but otherwise the premises are similar. I will have to watch Swan Song and report back!

AMC Networks’ RLJE acquired the rights to Dual, and the film should have a theatrical release later this year.

4. Am I OK?

Directed by Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro. Written by Lauren Pomerantz. Starring Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, and Molly Gordon.

Kelli has already talked about this movie in her most-anticipated films of the year list. But in case you missed it, here’s the deal. Lucy (Johnson) and Jane (Mizuno) have been best friends their entire lives. When Lucy comes out to Jane, it sends her on a personal journey that tests their friendship and her sense of self. This movie was really cute and fun, and I loved seeing the friendship between these characters, which felt real and natural. This wasn’t a huge, life-changing story, but not every movie needs to be.

I have no distribution information for this one either, but I’m sure it’s coming, y’all! Be patient!

3. Piggy

Directed and written by Carlota Pereda. Starring Laura Galán.

We knew there was going to be more horror up here at the top, y’all! Piggy is a slasher-type horror film about Sara, a teen who is bullied about her weight by a clique of girls in her village. But when the girls who made Sara’s life a living hell are violently kidnapped, everything changes. Okay, so, here’s another one of those horror films where some of the details are left ambiguous, and a lot of elements of the story are open to interpretation. However, this one worked much better than Master because there was direction and clear purpose that was worth thinking about and discussing. Slasher movies aren’t usually my favorite kind of horror, but this film does some interesting things that take it beyond your average slasher genre fare.

I’m sorry, I have no distribution information for Piggy either! Sad day!

2. Living

Directed by Oliver Hermanus. Written by Kazuo Ishiguro, based on the original screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Bill Nighy, Amy Lou Wood, and Alex Sharp.

Living is a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s classic film Ikiru. Set in London, this film follows Williams (Bill Nighy), a stuffy bureaucrat who finds new meaning in a public park project after he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness. It’s like Parks and Recreation but dramatic and sad. Okay, but really, this film was really lovely. Obviously, the script was great (we Stan Kazuo Ishiguro), and Billy Nighy was wonderful. I feel like a lot of people are going to be talking about this one come next year’s award season.

Sony Pictures Classics recently acquired this film, and we should expect a theatrical release later this year.

1. Hatching

Directed by Hanna Bergholm. Written by Ilja Rautsi. Starring Sophia Heikkilä and Siiri Solalinna.

Hatching is Finnish director Hanna Bergholm’s feature debut. Tinja (Solalinna) is a teenage girl who is finding it difficult to please her image-obsessed mom (Heikkilä). She spends all her time preparing for a gymnastic competition, but nothing she does makes her good enough for her demanding mother. Then a bird flies into their picture-perfect home, disrupting their lives. When Tinja finds the wounded bird in the woods, she brings its egg home, hatching a creature that will change everything. This film is a disturbing film of body horror and psychological terror. And the practical effects? Great. There are so many images from this movie that I can’t get out of my mind. What more can you ask for from a horror film?

IFC Midnight has acquired the rights to this film. It will be in theaters and on demand starting April 29th.

And that was Sundance 2022, everyone! Did you catch any of the movies? Let me know your favorites.