This year’s Sundance Film Festival was a smashing success, full of many amazing and ground-breaking pieces of cinema. So undoubtedly this list, like every year’s, was hard to make. But nevertheless, here are the top five best films.
5. “Cutting Through Rocks”
Starting at number five we have “Cutting Through Rocks,” a documentary about Sara Shahverdi breaking through patriarchal traditions, teaching girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. This is a film full of heart and bound to make viewers cry by the end. With a runtime of 92 minutes its quick pacing will leave you hoping for Sara’s future success. The importance of Sara’s work is undeniable and the way it is showcased makes viewers want to contribute towards her worthy cause. The editing is simplistic to let Sara take the stage and tell the story she needs to. The distribution for this film is still unfortunately unknown but will most likely be making its rounds at other major films festivals like TIFF or SBSW.
4. “Kiss of the Spider Women”
At number four we have “Kiss of the Spider Women,” a film about Valentíne, a political prisoner who is put in a prison cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. They both slowly fall in love with one another as Molina shares a story of their favorite Hollywood film. The story was first written as a book in 1976, adapted into a stage play in 1983 then adapted into a film in 1985 before finally becoming a Broadway hit musical in 1993 and winning that year’s Tony award for best musical. The new 2025 film follows the structure of the most recent Broadway adaptation. With amazing juxtaposition between the gloomy prison sequences and the bright and technicolored Hollywood story this film will take hold of viewers as quickly as they can look at the screen. For a film written almost 50 years ago, it has brilliantly fresh takes about gender and sexuality. Molina, a gender-queer homosexual, is unabashedly themself, clearly showing the harsh realities of being a queer person in this heteronormative world. With Valentíne constantly trying to help the revolution he is a part of, he shows the power of revolution and protest. This film is a powerful tale of love, escapism, and staying proud of who you truly are. With a runtime of 128 minutes not a second is wasted. Unfortunately, this film has yet to find a US or International distributor; however, it will most likely find one at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
3. “Andre Is a Idiot”
For number three we have “André Is an Idiot,” a documentary detailing the hilarious André as he battles colon cancer. This film is hysterical, full of funny gags and many random pieces of humor; all while André battles with something as serious as stage four colon cancer. But André, instead of freezing in fear, decides to laugh at the insanity of it all. Viewers see a glimpse of his life as imamate moments pass them by. The film shows how his family battles with the thought of losing a husband, a father, a best friend. André was a bright gem of a human being, and he will be sorely missed. This film was his magnum opus, and its beauty shines bright as he reminds viewers to get a colonoscopy. With a runtime of only 87 minutes, we see the life of a wonderful man. With distribution by Sandbox Films, viewers can soon find it on many streaming platforms and at future 2025 film festivals.
2. “The Ugly Stepsister”
At number two we have the horror film “The Ugly Stepsister,” a terrifying body horror. This film follows Elvira as she competes with her new beautiful stepsister to win the hand of the prince. This film is a masterpiece on the deconstruction of the performative femininity demanded by toxic masculinity. Like its predecessor “The Substance” this film uses the body horror sub-genre to show the issues of body alteration for the intention of pleasing others. However, where these films differ is in execution. Using the Cinderella story model, The Ugly Stepsister invites the audience to reexamine their preconceived notions of the common fairytale. This film also does not shy away from the evils of the patriarchy. The ending is painful to watch and caused visceral reactions from the audience. The Ugly Stepsister clearly states that patriarchy is vile.
With an excruciating 105-minute runtime, this film is full of shocking moments that are sure to stay with you. With Shudder acquiring the rights to The Ugly Stepsister, it will be available to watch on Shudder in 2025.
- “The Virgin of Quarry Lake”
And finally, at number one we have “The Virgin of Quarry Lake,” a brilliant surrealist film following Natalia as she works through the troubles of teen romance all set during the economic crisis of 2001. A wonderfully fresh and shocking film full of teen drama interspliced with violent sequences. It is a masterclass in surrealist filmmaking full of sequences which will have viewers wondering if any of it is real. Having a breezy 90-minute run time this film will surprise and confuse viewers by the end. Unfortunately, the distribution for this film is unknown but we are hoping it will be picked up by a major distributor.
