The 2023 Sundance Film Festival will offer us movie buffs a ton of fresh indie movies to tuck into from January 19-29, and viewers had best get ready to join in with some exciting adventures and unexpected discoveries because they’re going all-out. Pariah, Clemency, and CODA are recent dramas that had their Sundance debuts within the last few years.

Several brand-new drama films will be presented at Sundance this year. A diverse selection of excellent dramatic movies, including ones with beautiful cinematography, understated performances, and an innovative edge, appear to be offered by the festival as well. Let’s look at the movies that were selected for the U.S. Dramatic Competition program this year.

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A Thousand and One

     Focus Features

Set in the 1990s, A Thousand and One tells the story of a mother named Inez (Teyana Taylor) whose reckless life of crime has led her son to be put into the foster care system. In one last attempt at getting her family back, Inez kidnaps six-year-old Terry. The film sets out to restore the mother and son’s lives in the heart of New York City as the secret of how they came to be together threatens everything. Longing for a sense of security, Inez will do what is necessary to protect her son, their home, and their identity. Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who will produce the film for distribution, told Variety, the “script absolutely floored us with its insights, emotions, and humanity, and we are thrilled.”

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

     A24

Raven Jackson is the author and director of the forthcoming movie All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. Charleen McClure, Chris Chalk, Sheila Atim, and Moses Ingram, are the main actors. Under his Pastel label, Barry Jenkins is a producer. The movie follows Mack, a Black woman, charting her development, romances, and sorrows in Mississippi from youth until adulthood. This movie is skilled on both the visceral and sensory levels, showcasing the incredible abilities of the creators.

Fair Play

     MRC Film

Fair Play, writer-director Chloe Domont’s incendiary cinematic debut, is a gripping psychological thriller that uncompromisingly confronts the damaging relationships between men and women. The film sets lovers, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), against one another in a society that is changing faster than the standards can keep up with. When the stakes rise above even the erratic wealth of their law firm customers, the relationship between Emily and Luke becomes vicious. The awkward clash of empowerment and ego is untangled in Fair Play with razor-sharp accuracy in its language and dramatic cinematography.

Fancy Dance

     Confluential Films

In the movie Fancy Dance, Jax’s (Lily Gladstone) sister vanished, and she took on the responsibility of raising her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson). On the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma, the two are struggling to make ends meet and Jax spends all her free time trying to find her sister. Roki is getting ready for a forthcoming powwow and risks being put into Jax’s father Frank’s (Shea Whigham) custody if they can’t find her mother. What starts as a search for a missing family member turns into a study of how Indigenous women navigate modern society and the ideas of a broken legal system.

Magazine Dreams

     Tall Street Productions

Killian Maddox wants to become a famous bodybuilder in Magazine Dreams. While Maddox shares a home with his elderly veteran grandpa, he incessantly exercises in between court-ordered treatment sessions and part-time jobs at a supermarket. Maddox struggles to understand social signs and manage his explosive anger, but he secretly has feelings for the amiable cashier. Doctors tell Maddox that his goal is permanently harming his body, yet he nevertheless pursues the harmful course. Lead actor Jonathan Majors is well-known to Marvel fans for playing He Who Remains, who originally appeared in Loki’s season finale. He will play Kang the Conquer in the forthcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania film, reprising his previous role with an updated name.

Mutt

     Strange Animal Entertainment

Mutt is a story about Feña’s struggle as a trans man to navigate life as he makes connections with individuals from his past that take place over the course of one wild day in New York City. In an effort to restore peace, Feña must learn to put his faith in family, romance, and friendship bonds from the past to forge new connections. A lot of people struggle with this on a daily basis, and Mutt tackles it in a warm, real, and poignant way. What impact does transitioning have on individuals and their associations? In order to convey the intricacy of trans life, Latinx life in America, and human existence in general, Mutt employs kindness for each character’s suffering.

Shortcomings

     Topic Studios

Randall Park, who has a number of writing and directing credits across television, makes his much-awaited feature film directing debut, per Deadline, with Shortcomings. Park acted in the six-season critically acclaimed comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, which will be familiar to many fans. Shortcomings centers on Alice (Sherry Cola), a vivacious best friend of Ben (Justin H. Min), a pessimistic movie theater manager. Together, the characters overcome challenges to their personal development such as Ben’s deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki), Alice’s propensity for serial dating, and other issues. The screenplay was adapted by Adrian Tomine, who also acted as the movie’s executive producer, and is based on the graphic novel of the same name.

Sometimes I Think About Dying

     Mirror Image Films

The independent drama Sometimes I Think About Dying both stars and is produced by Daisy Ridley. The full-length film follows Fran, a girl trapped in her own bubble of dragging through life, and is based on the play Killers by Kevin Armento, as well as the short film of the same name. Fran considers death more frequently than she considers the meaninglessness of her life. A date, a piece of pie, a chat, and a spark follow when she makes the new man at work giggle. Fran herself, who can’t seem to handle the sensationalism brought to her calm existence, is the only thing getting in their way.

The Accidental Getaway Driver

     K Period Media

In The Accidental Getaway Driver, Long, a Vietnamese driver living in Southern California, responds to a late-night transport request. He grudgingly agrees, picking up Tây and his two friends, while still wearing his jammies. However, the men, who recently escaped from an Orange County jail, hold Long captive and force him into their escape scheme by detaining him at gunpoint. The fugitives and their captive hide out at a motel when problems develop, and a tense waiting game ensues. The film’s spectacular images and moody design create an unsettling tension that is occasionally broken up by moments of warmth and comedy. Inspired by true events, this is more than a crime picture; it’s a moving depiction of a lonely elderly man’s quest to find his way home.

The Persian Version

     Marakesh Films

The Persian Version tells the tale of Leila (Layla Mohammadi), who is from two rival nations. Leila, an Iranian-American, aspires to harmony and acceptance of her conflicting cultures while resolutely defying the labels that society so readily assigns to her. She makes an effort to keep her personal life and her family life apart while her huge family congregates in New York City for her father’s heart surgery. When a secret is revealed, it forces Leila and her estranged mother Shireen (Niousha Noor) to explore their shared past and realize how similar they are. The Persian Version tells a touching tale of family, belonging, and the inescapable power of pop music while giving an authentic portrait of a lady who is unabashedly herself.

The Starling Girl

     2AM

The Starling Girl uses a troubled quest to comprehend Jem Starling’s (Eliza Scanlen) increasingly complex thoughts about herself, her family, and the spirituality that has always guided her life to depict the coming-of-age tale of the 17-year-old. Jem strives to find her place in the rural Kentucky town of conservative Christians. Worrying that her passion for dancing could possibly be wicked keeps her from even experiencing her greatest delight, the church dance group. Jem is torn between her developing sexual identity and her natural aversion to her mother’s urging that they should start dating. She receives support from her youth pastor Owen (Lewis Pullman), who is also drawn to her, which helps her feel better about her confusion. This leads to an affair that will alter everything Jem believes.

Theater Camp

     Gloria Sanchez Productions

Theater Camp chronicles the tragedy and hilariousness that ensue when AdirondACTS tenacious creator Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma. Kids from all over come to the plucky theater camp in New York that serves as a sanctuary for aspiring actors for the summer. With their leader unavailable, her naive son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is charged with maintaining things. A group of awkward counselors, including Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon), must work together when Troy faces impending financial collapse before the show on opening night. Theater Camp is the type of funny film that could easily become a cult classic. With effortlessly memorable lines and goofy, endearing characters, hardcore fans will be emerging from the woodwork any day now.