The Sundance 2022 Scorecard

Critics Consensus: Whether as a story of one couple's quixotic quest or simply a stunning collection of nature footage, Fire of Love burns bright.

Synopsis: Fire of Love tells the story of two French lovers, Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Miranda July

Directed By: Sara Dosa

Critics Consensus: A moving look at Sinéad O'Connor's remarkable life and career, Nothing Compares is enriching viewing whether or not you're a fan of her work.

Synopsis: NOTHING COMPARES is the story of Sinéad O'Connor's phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sinéad O'Connor

Directed By: Kathryn Ferguson

Critics Consensus: A tough but rewarding watch, Happening puts a personal face on an impossibly difficult choice and its heart-rending aftermath.

Synopsis: France, 1963. Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she falls pregnant, she sees the opportunity to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquéro

Directed By: Audrey Diwan

Critics Consensus: Sensitively written and beautifully acted, Girl Picture captures the whirlwind of teenage emotions without sacrificing narrative maturity and depth.

Synopsis: Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö work after school at a food court smoothie kiosk, frankly swapping stories of their frustrations and expectations regarding love and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aamu Milonoff, Linnea Leino, Sonya Lindfors, Cécile Orblin

Directed By: Alli Haapasalo

Critics Consensus: Bursting with ideas and ambition, Neptune Frost is difficult to describe -- and just as hard to resist.

Synopsis: In an otherworldly e-waste camp made of recycled computer parts, a subversive hacking collective attempts a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse, Eliane Umuhire, Elvis Ngabo

Directed By: Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman

Critics Consensus: Equal parts entertaining and informative, Lucy and Desi takes a palpably affectionate look at the lives and legacies of its groundbreaking subjects.

Synopsis: From director Amy Poehler, Lucy and Desi explores the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Bette Midler

Directed By: Amy Poehler

Critics Consensus: Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community.

Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown ("The Order of Myths", "The Great Invisible") returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for and historic... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Margaret Brown

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This feature-length documentary follows the epic rivalry between iconic boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez in the 1990s sparked a cultural divide... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Oscar De La Hoya, Julio César Chávez

Directed By: Eva Longoria

Critics Consensus: My Old School's unique approach to an outlandish true story makes for entertaining -- and ultimately rather thought-provoking -- viewing.

Synopsis: In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alan Cumming

Directed By: Jono McLeod

Critics Consensus: Three Minutes - A Lengthening movingly captures a moment in time while honoring lives soon to be cut short by unimaginable horror.

Synopsis: Three Minutes - A Lengthening presents a home movie shot by David Kurtz in 1938 in a Jewish town in Poland and tries to postpone... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Glenn Kurtz, Maurice Chandler

Directed By: Bianca Stigter

Critics Consensus: Frighteningly timely and powerfully persuasive, The Janes offers a unique opportunity to look back at a pivotal chapter in American history through the eyes of those who helped define it.

Synopsis: In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Seven women were arrested and charged. The accused were part... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes

Critics Consensus: An earthbound story with its eyes on the stars, Mars One finds universally resonant themes within one Brazilian family's specific struggles.

Synopsis: The Martins family are optimistic dreamers, quietly leading their lives in the margins of a major Brazilian city following the disappointing inauguration of a far-right... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damião, Cícero Lucas

Directed By: Gabriel Martins

Critics Consensus: Tantura dives into a man's struggle to reckon with events that some may call means to freedom and others a massacre -- the birth story of many, if not all, civilizations.

Synopsis: The tape-recorded words "erase it" take on new weight in the context of history and war. When the State of Israel was established in 1948,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Teddy Katz

Directed By: Alon Schwarz

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Filmed over four years of hope and crisis, TO THE END captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Varshini Prakash, Alexandra Rojas

Directed By: Rachel Lears

Critics Consensus: Aftershock points a sobering spotlight on a public health crisis, maintaining a heartbreaking focus on its tragic human cost.

Synopsis: Following the deaths of their partners due to preventable childbirth complications and medical negligence, two bereaved fathers galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee

Critics Consensus: Taking a brilliantly unobtrusive approach, A House Made of Splinters uncovers heartbreak and hope while observing the generational effects of war.

Synopsis: As the war in Eastern Ukraine takes a heavy toll on poor families living near the frontline, a small group of strong-willed social workers work... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marharyta Burlutska, Anjelika Stolyarova, Olga Tronova

Directed By: Simon Lereng Wilmont

Critics Consensus: The Worst Person in the World concludes Joachim Trier's Oslo Trilogy with a romantic comedy that delightfully subverts the genre's well-worn tropes.

Synopsis: The Worst Person in the World is a modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie, Maria Grazia Di Meo, Renate Reinsve, Herbert Nordrum

Directed By: Joachim Trier

Synopsis: Comic-director W. Kamau Bell explores Bill Cosby's life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable influence through interviews with comedians, cultural commentators, journalists and... View Full Synopsis

Critics Consensus: Living sets a high bar for itself in setting out to remake a Kurosawa classic -- and director Oliver Hermanus and star Bill Nighy clear it in triumphant fashion.

Synopsis: LIVING is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke

Directed By: Oliver Hermanus

Critics Consensus: A message movie in a hard horror shell, Hatching perches between beauty and revulsion -- and establishes director Hanna Bergholm as a bright new talent.

Synopsis: In HATCHING, 12-year-old gymnast, Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), is desperate to please her image-obsessed mother, whose popular blog 'Lovely Everyday Life' presents their family's idyllic existence... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Siiri Solalinna, Sophia Heikkilä, Jani Volanen, Oiva Ollila

Directed By: Hanna Bergholm

Critics Consensus: Taking the form of a classic college comedy while adding some socially relevant function, Emergency is as smart and disturbing as it is hilarious.

Synopsis: Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are both seniors in college about to embark on an epic night of Spring... View Full Synopsis

Starring: RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter

Directed By: Carey Williams

Critics Consensus: Sexual awakening stories aren't in short supply, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande proves you can still tell one with a refreshing -- and very funny -- spin.

Synopsis: In GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE, two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Love, Actually) embodies the candor and apprehension of retired teacher Nancy Stokes,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack, Isabella Laughland, Charlotte Ware

Directed By: Sophie Hyde

Critics Consensus: Led by an outstanding Thandiwe Newton, God's Country rewards patient viewers with a slow-burning but ultimately explosive story of inexorable conflict.

Synopsis: When a college professor in the remote mountains of the American West confronts two hunters she catches trespassing on her property, she’s drawn into an... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Thandiwe Newton, Dan Gravage, Tanaya Beatty, Jeremy Bobb

Directed By: Julian Higgins

Critics Consensus: Providing a brilliant (and too-rare) showcase for veteran actors Dale Dickey and Wes Studi, A Love Song tells a small, stirring tale with quiet grace.

Synopsis: Faye (Dale Dickey) is a lone traveler biding her time fishing, birding and stargazing at a rural Colorado campground as she awaits the arrival of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi, Michelle Wilson, Benja K. Thomas

Directed By: Max Walker-Silverman

Critics Consensus: We Met in Virtual Reality takes a visually striking approach to its investigation of human interactions on the VR plane, with surprisingly poignant results.

Synopsis: Filmed entirely inside the world of virtual reality (VR), this immersive and revealing documentary roots itself in several unique communities within VR Chat, a burgeoning... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Joe Hunting

Critics Consensus: Impressively researched and persuasively argued, Riotsville, USA tears at the roots of modern American law enforcement.

Synopsis: Welcome to RIOTSVILLE, USA, a turning point in American history where the protest movements of the late 1960s came into conflict with increasingly militarized police... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Sierra Pettengill

Critics Consensus: Entertaining and informative, 2nd Chance uses its subject's incredible story to offer a dark reflection of the American dream.

Synopsis: In 1969 a bankrupt pizzeria owner, Richard Davis, invented the modern-day bullet proof vest. To prove that it worked, he shot himself -- point blank... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Richard Davis

Directed By: Ramin Bahrani

Critics Consensus: A taut thriller that contains a wealth of social commentary, Emily the Criminal is stolen by Aubrey Plaza's terrific work in the title role.

Synopsis: Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jonathan Avigdori

Directed By: John Patton Ford

Critics Consensus: Something in the Dirt reaffirms Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as sci-fi storytellers with a distinctive -- and darkly alluring -- vision.

Synopsis: When neighbors John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realize documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Sarah Adina Smith, Wanjiru M. Njendu

Directed By: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead

Critics Consensus: Brought hauntingly to life by Laura Galán's committed performance, Piggy deftly deploys genre thrills in service of sharp social commentary.

Synopsis: With the summer sun beating down on her rural Spanish town, Sara hides away in her parent's butcher shop. A teenager whose excess weight makes... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Laura Galán, Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Irene Ferreiro

Directed By: Carlota Pereda

Critics Consensus: As carefully and impressively constructed as its title would suggest, The Cathedral offers an absorbing, impressionistic child's-eye look at family life.

Synopsis: An only child’s meditative, impressionistic account of an American family’s rise and fall over twenty years.

Starring: Monica Barbaro, Brian d'Arcy James, Geraldine Singer, Mark Zeisler

Directed By: Ricky D'Ambrose

Critics Consensus: A touching dramedy that wears its heart proudly on its sleeve, Cha Cha Real Smooth further affirms writer-director-star Cooper Raiff as a talent to watch.

Synopsis: Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante

Directed By: Cooper Raiff

Critics Consensus: Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. has some broad targets but refuses to take cheap shots at them, instead offering a pointed, well-acted satire of organized religion.

Synopsis: Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is a satirical comedy starring Regina Hall as Trinitie Childs -- the proud first lady of a Southern Baptist... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Austin Crute, Conphidance

Directed By: Adamma Ebo

Synopsis: An intimate portrait of rapper Kanye West, charting his life and career filmed over two decades; it showcases both his formative days trying to break... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kanye West, Yasiin Bey, Jay-Z

Critics Consensus: A striking lesson in empathy, I Didn't See You There offers crucial perspective on the need for inclusive spaces and attitudes.

Synopsis: Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his apartment, a disabled filmmaker examines the history of disability and their invisibility... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Reid Davenport

Directed By: Reid Davenport

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Documentarian Christine Choy tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre to find closure on an abandoned film she began shooting in 1989.

Starring: Christine Choy

Directed By: Violet Columbus, Ben Klein

Critics Consensus: Although it may strike some as too artsy for its own good, You Won't Be Alone puts a thoughtfully fresh spin on familiar horror tropes.

Synopsis: Set in an isolated mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, YOU WON'T BE ALONE follows a young girl who is kidnapped and then transformed into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta

Directed By: Goran Stolevski

Critics Consensus: With impressive clarity, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing reveals corporate corruption that's enraging in its callousness and frightening in its scope.

Synopsis: An investigation into the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, exploring both the root causes and the human cost.

Directed By: Rory Kennedy

Critics Consensus: Uneven yet steadily absorbing, Resurrection benefits greatly from Rebecca Hall's outstanding work in the leading role.

Synopsis: Margaret’s life is in order. She is capable, disciplined, and successful. Soon, her teenage daughter, who Margaret raised by herself, will be going off to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman, Michael Esper

Directed By: Andrew Semans

Critics Consensus: Led by Anna Diop's strong central performance, the smartly disquieting Nanny is a promising debut for writer-director Nikyatu Jusu.

Synopsis: In this psychological horror fable of displacement, Aisha (Anna Diop), a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal, is hired to care for the daughter of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector

Directed By: Nikyatu Jusu

Critics Consensus: Brian and Charles may test the patience of quirk-resistant viewers, but the innate charm of this odd couple comedy is easy to compute.

Synopsis: BRIAN AND CHARLES follows Brian, a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Earl, Chris Hayward, Louise Brealey, Nina Sosanya

Directed By: Jim Archer

Critics Consensus: As gripping as it is upsetting, Fresh makes a provocative meal out of the horror of modern dating.

Synopsis: FRESH follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and -- given her frustration with dating apps --... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, Andrea Bang

Directed By: Mimi Cave

Critics Consensus: Although its reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, After Yang yields rich rewards for those willing to settle into its low-key wavelength.

Synopsis: When his young daughter's beloved companion -- an android named Yang -- malfunctions, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way to repair him. In the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja

Directed By: Kogonada

Critics Consensus: Although its story may lack surprises, Watcher benefits from director Chloe Okuno's chilling grip on the material -- and Maika Monroe's terrific work in the leading role.

Synopsis: As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia -- a young actress who just moved to town with her boyfriend -- notices a mysterious stranger... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman, Tudor Petrut

Directed By: Chloe Okuno

Critics Consensus: Anchored in an authentically relatable approach to its story of self-discovery, Am I OK? is further elevated by strong work from Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno.

Synopsis: Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons

Directed By: Stephanie Allynne, Tig Notaro

Critics Consensus: It can be didactic rather than truly suspenseful, but Master is an impressively well-crafted horror outing with a lot on its mind.

Synopsis: At an elite New England university built on the site of a Salem-era gallows hill, three women strive to find their place. Navigating politics and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder, Talia Balsam

Directed By: Mariama Diallo

Critics Consensus: Although its focus is somewhat narrow, Call Jane is an entertaining and dramatically effective dramatization of a pivotal chapter in American history.

Synopsis: Chicago, 1968. As the city and the nation are poised on the brink of political upheaval, suburban housewife Joy (Elizabeth Banks) leads an ordinary life... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, Chris Messina

Directed By: Phyllis Nagy

Critics Consensus: Dual brings writer-director Riley Stearns' signature deadpan style to bear on a smart sci-fi comedy that's well-led by Karen Gillan in double roles.

Synopsis: Upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, Sarah opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a sudden... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale, Theo James

Directed By: Riley Stearns

Critics Consensus: A social satire with razor-sharp teeth, Speak No Evil offers a darkly delicious treat for fans of misanthropic thrillers.

Synopsis: On a vacation in Tuscany, two families -- one Danish, one Dutch -- meet and become fast friends. Months later, the free-spirited Dutch family extends... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders

Directed By: Christian Tafdrup

Critics Consensus: Although its subject calls for a more incisive treatment, Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power is a worthy primer on the male gaze in cinema.

Synopsis: Brainwashed is based on director Nina Menkes's cinematic presentation, Sex and Power, the Visual Language of Cinema, that uses film clips by A-list directors from... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Julie Dash, Penelope Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Joey Soloway

Directed By: Nina Menkes

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Meg Smaker

Critics Consensus: Breaking struggles to effectively convey its messages, but its noble intentions are well served by John Boyega's electrifying performance.

Synopsis: When Marine Veteran Brian Brown-Easley is denied support from Veterans Affairs, financially desperate and running out of options, he takes a bank and several of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Michael Kenneth Williams

Directed By: Abi Damaris Corbin

Critics Consensus: Its characters may be hard to take, but When You Finish Saving the World makes some cogent sociopolitical points.

Synopsis: Evelyn (Julianne Moore) has devoted herself to helping people in hard times, but she struggles to connect with her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard), an aspiring... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, Alisha Boe

Directed By: Jesse Eisenberg

Critics Consensus: Framing Agnes may be frustratingly uneven as a work of cinematic storytelling, but that's often outweighed by its thoughtful expansion of established historical narrative.

Synopsis: The pseudonymous Agnes was a pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender health study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. Her clever use... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Max Valerio

Directed By: Chase Joynt

Critics Consensus: Meet Me in the Bathroom never digs too deep beneath the surface of the musical scene it commemorates, but it's a reasonably effective time capsule regardless.

Synopsis: Inspired by Lizzy Goodman’s bestselling book, MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM is an immersive archival journey through the explosive New York music scene of the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol

Directed By: Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern

Critics Consensus: Although it isn't as effortlessly engaging as the best content on the platform it's investigating, TikTok, Boom. offers a thoughtful look at modern social media.

Synopsis: Dissecting one of the most influential platforms of the contemporary social media landscape, TIKTOK, BOOM. examines the security issues, global political challenges, and racial biases... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Feroza Aziz

Directed By: Shalini Kantayya

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Cédric (42) loses his job after a sexist joke that goes viral. Encouraged by his brother -- a well-meaning nerd -- he embarks on a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Patrick Hivon, Monia Chokri, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Steve Laplante

Directed By: Monia Chokri

Critics Consensus: A series of promising ideas lost in scattershot execution, Sharp Stick stands as a disappointing setback for writer-director Lena Dunham.

Synopsis: Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth) is a sensitive and naïve 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her disillusioned mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and influencer... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kristine Froseth, Jon Bernthal, Luka Sabbat, Scott Speedman

Directed By: Lena Dunham

Critics Consensus: Alice's well-intentioned attempt to reckon with racism sadly misses the mark on multiple levels, although Keke Palmer's performance remains a consistent bright spot.

Synopsis: Alice (Keke Palmer) yearns for freedom as an enslaved person on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and disturbed owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller).... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Keke Palmer, Common, Jonny Lee Miller, Gaius Charles

Directed By: Krystin Ver Linden