I’ve had a connection with Park City my whole life. Traveling here during the summer and winter since I was a toddler is part of what unites my family. But it’s second to what unites us the most: movies. It may have partly been because of my brother and dad, who’ve pursued careers in the entertainment industry, or the family movie nights and passionate dissection of them after that left an indelible impression on me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found independent film to be a rich path for exploration. In my opinion, movies with a smaller budget and pared-down aesthetics have the capacity to be uniquely resonant and illuminative. They often feel more devoted to their characters than most modern blockbusters and corporate-mandated movies. This is why Sundance has been an incredible beacon for independent creators and their visions. And hopefully for me one day.   Sundance’s founder, Robert Redford, loved Utah’s landscape and saw it as a potent breeding ground for up and coming independent filmmakers. Sundance created labs to provide them with the resources they need to develop and tell their stories. Utah and Park City have been intrinsically associated with the festival, which is why this year is particularly poignant and momentous. Not only did Redford pass away last year, but Sundance is now moving to Boulder, Colorado, after being held in Utah for more than 40 years.  As an aspiring film student, I’ve always wanted to experience the fever Sundance generates. The festival felt like the perfect melding of my passion for movies in a location I’ve known and loved since I was young, but its films were always slightly too mature for my age. Entering my junior year of high school, I would finally get to attend. Not just as a cinephile, but as a reporter for my school newspaper. Covering the festival and reviewing the films from the perspective of a high schooler was a unique article idea. With everything that marks this year as a pivotal transition for the festival, it was fortuitous for me to have the privilege to participate. It was a crossroads of what I want to study in college and finally getting the chance to attend with my mom, who has attended every festival since we’ve had a home in Park City.  The first film I saw was “Tuner.” It follows a piano tuner with a hearing disorder that makes him sensitive to sound but he discovers he can use it to crack safes. The film has equally thrilling and stressful sequences, but it really shines during its quiet scenes. The protagonist’s gentleness beautifully contrasts the film’s overall intensity. After the screening, I asked the director, Daniel Roher, why he casted Leo Woodall in the main role. He was very enthusiastic and said that Woodall had a sensitive quality in his past performances that suited the main character’s pathos.  The second day we saw “Josephine,” which was widely lauded as the festival’s best film. It follows an 8-year-old girl’s emotional journey after witnessing an assault. It is shot entirely from her perspective and chronicles how she navigates aggression and gender dynamics. Many of this year’s films depicted precocious and trouble-making children and how they process mature subjects. The jurors were sitting in front of us and included director Nisha Ganatra (“Freakier Friday”). I waved at her before the screening, since I had previously watched her films with my mom. She asked if I was a film student, and we talked about which films we had seen and liked the most at the festival. Getting to exchange opinions about movies with a director who showed curiosity and interest in my thoughts was one of the highlights of my Sundance.  On the third day, we saw “Wicker.” It follows a lonely fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, who requests that a magical basket weaver craft her a husband. Her wish is granted but he is made entirely of wicker. Its main conflict arises when the village questions the validity of their happy union while also growing jealous of them. But what’s sweet about “Wicker” is that even though the fisherwoman’s husband is made out of wicker, he shows her more compassion than anyone else in the village. After the screening, I got to ask Colman about what made her want to be in the film. She simply said she wanted to play “her [the fisherwoman]” and wanted to see what the wicker husband would look like. Getting to actually interview one of my favorite comedic actresses made me ecstatic.  We then saw “The Gallerist,” which follows an art gallerist attempting to sell a dead body after a shocking accident. During the QA, I asked Natalie Portman, who played the lead and also produced the film, how she developed her character’s physicality. In the film, she uses hand-movements and subtle comedic choices that enhance her character’s desperation. Portman credited the film’s hair and makeup and eccentric shoes that gave her character a specific look and gait. I went home that evening elated, never thinking I’d actually get to interview actors I’d grown up watching and idolizing. Having insight into their creative process immediately after the screening provided enriching context you just can’t get elsewhere.  Sundance and I are both entering a major transition soon, so it was apt that I could attend at this moment in my life. It immersed me in the emotional realities of each film’s characters in a completely novel way, and validated my passion for cinema while allowing me to dissect movies on a deeper level. Having access to the creators and being surrounded by people who all shared the same enthusiasm for movies was exhilarating and rewarding. Now that Sundance’s time in Utah has concluded, Park City will continue its tradition of communal film screenings through Park City Film. Let’s hope the festival’s incredible essence can remain in the years to come! Luc Penella, 17, attends H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, a high school in Arlington, Virginia. The post Sundance and me, at the cusp of transformation appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less