The Sundance Film Festival made somewhat of a comeback in 2019, with many praising the fest for a lineup of movies that brought many buyers to the table. There were several high-profile acquisitions this year, thanks to a film slate that could be described as more accessible to general audiences, featuring movies that are sure to have a life beyond the arthouse cinema. 

Fandango spent several days in Park City, Utah at this year's festival, and we watched a whole ton of movies. We've since returned, and brought with us a list of the top ten films you should immedately put on your radar. 

 

1. Blinded By The Light (pictured above)

The Movie In One Sentence: Bruce Springsteen is to this movie what ABBA is to Mamma Mia.

Why We Loved It: Not only is it a pure love letter to the music of Bruce Springsteen, but its story -- a coming-of-age tale of a Pakistani teen from outside London whose love of Springsteen inspires him to find his voice and stand up for what he believes -- is honest and pure, and so delightful to watch. This isn't just a movie for people who like Bruce Springsteen -- it's a movie for anyone who's ever been moved, challenged or inspired by the lyrics of a song.

Release Date: TBD. The film was acquired by New Line and will hit theaters later this year.

 

2. Little Monsters

The Movie In One Sentence: A kindergarten teacher and an unmotivated former musician must team up to protect a class of kids from a zombie invasion while on a school trip to an animal park.

Why We Loved It: It's gloriously gory and stuffed with some amazing R-rated humor, but apart from the blood and foul language, this is a film that has so much heart. It's essentially a love letter to kindergarten teachers, and how they will stop at nothing to keep our children safe and protect them from the horrors of the world. Lupita Nyong'o, starring in her first of two horror movies this year, is outstanding in the role of a teacher tasked with fighting off zombies like a badass while at the same time convincing a group of frightened 5-year-olds that nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Plus, Josh Gad, playing a disgustingly obscene kids' show host, steals scenes left and right. We expect Little Monsters to be one of the year's most talked-about horror movies, and one right up there with memorable horror-comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland.

Release Date: TBD. NEON and Hulu have acquired the film and it will hit theaters later this year.

 

3. Apollo 11

The Movie In One Sentence: A documentary about the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, as told entirely through archival footage and audio.

Why We Loved It: Apollo 11 premiered at Sundance only a few months after First Man hit theaters, and while both track the same story of the first men to walk on the moon, the documentary is more about the journey, whereas First Man is more about the man. What we loved so much about Apollo 11 was the execution, including incredible archival footage from 1969 that was cleaned up and looks as if it was shot yesterday. The film is unique in that everything we see and hear is taken from the archives, and you really do feel as if you're in that spaceship with those astronauts as they prepare for the most historic flight in human history. Apollo 11 is a triumph in filmmaking, and a film everyone should try to experience, if only because it is so different from anything you have ever watched before.

Release Date: TBD. NEON will release the film later in 2019.

 

4. I Am Mother

The Movie In One Sentence: Following an extinction event, a robot is tasked with repopulating the earth from inside a hidden bunker.

Why We Loved It:  I Am Mother was one of the most buzzed-about sci-fi discoveries at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. With clear nods to icons in the genre space like James Cameron and Ridley Scott, I Am Mother has the brains of a film like Ex Machina and the grit of a film like Terminator. It's small and intimate in its excution, but big and brave in its storytelling. More on the film and why it made waves at Sundance can be found in our interview with the writer and director.

Release Date: TBD

 

5. Late Night

The Movie In One Sentence: A late-night host (Emma Thompson) makes a last-ditch effort to remain relevant by adding a woman (Mindy Kaling) to her all-male writing staff.

Why We Loved It: Mindy Kaling writes and stars in a film that's incredibly timely, yes, but it's also fascinating to go behind the scenes of a late-night show to see the inner workings of how these daily shows come together. Kaling, surrounded by an ensemble full of familiar character actors, shines in the role of a whip-smart woman out to prove that her love and knowledge of her new boss's work supersedes the experience she does not have in the world of late-night television. Meanwhile, Thompson, playing an older woman whose career is suddenly threatened by a younger male comic, is fierce and wildly entertaining in a role reminscent of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

Release Date: TBD. Amazon Studios acquired Late Night and will release it later this year.

 

6. Brittany Runs a Marathon

The Movie In One Sentence: Brittany decides to make changes to her hard-partying unhealthy lifestyle by training to run the New York City Marathon.

Why We Loved It: Jillian Bell has deserved her own movie for awhile now, having been the best part of pretty much every film she's in. From 22 Jump Street to The Night Before, Bell has proven her immense comedic chops, and here she's fantastic as an overweight New Yorker desparately trying to find the motivation to lose weight, discover her self-confidence and rectify her love life, all while training to run a marathon. It's a sweet, hilarious film about the often impossible journey to finding your best self.

Release Date: TBD. Amazon Studios has acquired the film and will release it later this year.

 

7. Sweetheart

The Movie In One Sentence: A woman washes up on a deserted island and, while stranded, must figure out a way to survive the deadly monster that appears each night in search of prey.

Why We Loved It: What's great about Sweetheart is that it takes the familiar trapped-on-an-island storyline and significantly increases the intensity by injecting a monster into the mix. Now, not only does our hero (played by Kiersey Clemons) have to figure how to survive the elements and find food, water and someone to rescue her, but she must also contend with a creature that's tall, strong, fast and nasty. Directed by JD Dillard (Sleight), Sweetheart is small, intimate and short (82 minutes) in its execution, but damn, will it keep you on the edge of your seat.

Release Date: TBD. Blumhouse Productions is in charge of this one, and they will release it later this year.

 

8. The Biggest Little Farm

The Movie In One Sentence: A couple living in Santa Monica decides to trade their tiny apartment for life on a farm.

Why We Loved It: We were totally blown away by this documentary about a couple who leave the city life behind in order to take on the ambitious task of building a farm and all the crazy obstacles that go along with it. The Biggest Little Farm is not just a documentary about two people building a farm. It’s about hope and heartbreak, life and death, and how it’s your hardships that make a dream feel more real. When you can overcome the bad days, the good days make you feel more alive.

Release Date: NEON will release the film on April 5, 2019

 

9. The Farewell

The Movie In One Sentence: Grandma has cancer and is dying -- except no one has told her yet -- and so a family travel to China to stage a fake wedding in order to say their goodbyes. 

Why We Loved It: In her first dramatic role, Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean's 8) leads an ensemble cast in a film that's as much about saying goodbye to a loved one as it is about celebrating the act of coming together as a family. There's humor and heart, and we loved how Chinese culture and traditions took center stage for this story that, believe it or not, is actually based on real-life events experienced by the film's director, Lulu Wang. 

Release Date: TBD. A24 has picked up The Farewell and release it later this year.

 

10. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

The Movie In One Sentence: A man in search of a place to call home breaks into a super expensive house in San Francisco that was built by his grandfather after it's vacated by the homeowners.

Why We Loved It: There is so much going on in this debut feature from writer-director Joe Talbot. It's both a love letter to San Francisco and the neighborhoods we never get to see portrayed on film, as well as a film about finding a place to call home in a city that's rapidly evolving and slowly finding no use for you. Anyone will multi-generational ties to a city will certainly dig this and feel this, and relate to the feeling of wanting to honor and respect your roots even if what you love about the place you call home no longer exists. 

Release Date: TBD