And then I wondered if I had the wrong movie, but I didn’t care, because I was enjoying the discovery process so much.
I’d read a description and I thought I knew what it was about - doofus loves kids’ TV show and is obsessed with re-creating it - until the film actually started. I’ve written about this one already, so I won’t go into much detail here, except to say that this winning comedy, starring Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney, completely surprised me. Bryan Bishop Christian Sprenger / Sundance Institute Brigsby Bear A Ghost Story has stuck with me in the most rare and uncommon of ways, and the most impressive thing about the film is that each time I think back to it, I discover some new element to love. But in the days since, I’ve talked about it with colleagues, continuously returned to its patient beauty in my thoughts, and even woke from a dream that I’m pretty sure was inspired by the film. Walking out of the theater afterward, I wouldn’t have said I liked it.
And then, after the movie had gotten weirder, stranger, and more evocative than I could have ever anticipated, I realized it was a beautiful ode to loneliness, loss, and the fierce courage it takes for us flawed human beings to accept fate and move on when tragedy strikes. Then I found it to be a pretty ingenious origin story about a poltergeist haunting. Then I found it to be utterly self-obsessed with a wordless pie-eating scene that stretched on for at least 10 minutes. When the film started, I discovered it was beautifully shot and fascinating. I knew it had been shot in secret I knew it featured Rooney Mara and I knew Casey Affleck played a character who dies and shows up as a ghost dressed in a white sheet. When I walked into David Lowery’s A Ghost Story, I had no idea what to expect. Andrew Droz Palermo / Sundance Institute A Ghost Story Here are our favorite movies from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Dramas set in the Deep South, stories of a Brooklyn invasion, and one of the strangest supernatural movies ever made… there was a lot to take in. But when you go to a film festival you also watch a lot of films, and this year we saw an eclectic collection of titles across all types and genres. So pop the popcorn, pour the wine, and smash that play button, 'cause you've got some serious watching to do.Sundance this year was filled with virtual reality, protest marches, and days and days (and days) of snow.
And to be clear, none of these movies are perfect representations, but they're a start, and the best part of all is that you can stream them all right this very second. Each story offers different insights into the LGBTQ+ community. These queer films, in no particular order, are some of the best that have premiered over the decades. Representation matters, ya'll! And having all of these stories that anyone can relate to but told with queer voices is a big part of making sure the film industry is on its way to becoming more inclusive. These movies all share super important stories that need to be told from the LGBTQ+ perspective, from the coming-of-age experience, to exploring sexuality and gender identity, to falling in love and the pain of heartbreak. But thankfully, there are a number of movies that do a really great job of celebrating the life and culture of the community. When it comes to accurately representing members of the LGBTQ+ community in media, the film industry as a whole still has a looooong way to go.