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The Sundance 2022 Scorecard

Sundance was back fully online, running from January 20 to 30, 2022. Discover which movies and series that played and all their Tomatometer scores! Alex Vo

#1

Fire of Love (2022)
98%

#1
Adjusted Score: 105595%
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... [More]
Starring: Miranda July
Directed By: Sara Dosa

#2

Nothing Compares (2022)
99%

#2
Adjusted Score: 102176%
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... [More]
Starring: Sinéad O'Connor
Directed By: Kathryn Ferguson

#3

Happening (2021)
99%

#3
Adjusted Score: 106251%
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,... [More]
Directed By: Audrey Diwan

#4

Girl Picture (2022)
99%

#4
Adjusted Score: 101534%
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... [More]
Directed By: Alli Haapasalo

#5

Neptune Frost (2021)
96%

#5
Adjusted Score: 99179%
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... [More]

#6

Lucy and Desi (2022)
94%

#6
Adjusted Score: 97859%
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... [More]
Directed By: Amy Poehler

#7

Descendant (2022)
100%

#7
Adjusted Score: 102393%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Margaret Brown

#8

La Guerra Civil (2022)
91%

#8
Adjusted Score: -1%
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... [More]
Directed By: Eva Longoria

#9

My Old School (2022)
92%

#9
Adjusted Score: 95810%
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... [More]
Starring: Alan Cumming
Directed By: Jono McLeod

#10
Adjusted Score: 101554%
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... [More]
Directed By: Bianca Stigter

#11

The Janes (2022)
100%

#11
Adjusted Score: 102239%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes

#12

Mars One (2022)
97%

#12
Adjusted Score: 98200%
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... [More]
Directed By: Gabriel Martins

#13

Tantura (2022)
93%

#13
Adjusted Score: 93475%
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... [More]
Starring: Teddy Katz
Directed By: Alon Schwarz

#14

Klondike (2022)
96%

#14
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: Klondike offers a bleak portrait of a war-torn Ukrainian village with the mordant wit of someone who understands that for civilians, the mundanities of life must go on.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Directed By: Maryna Er Gorbach

#15

To the End (2022)
85%

#15
Adjusted Score: 83437%
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... [More]
Directed By: Rachel Lears

#16

Aftershock (2022)
100%

#16
Adjusted Score: 100374%
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... [More]
Starring:

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#17

#18
#18
Adjusted Score: 98390%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Simon Lereng Wilmont

#19
Adjusted Score: 106934%
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.... [More]
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... [More]
Starring:

#21

Living (2022)
96%

#21
Adjusted Score: 105559%
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... [More]
Directed By: Oliver Hermanus

#22

Hatching (2022)
92%

#22
Adjusted Score: 97434%
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'... [More]
Directed By: Hanna Bergholm

#23

Emergency (2022)
92%

#23
Adjusted Score: 98612%
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... [More]
Directed By: Carey Williams

#24
Adjusted Score: 103050%
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... [More]
Directed By: Sophie Hyde

#25

God's Country (2022)
88%

#25
Adjusted Score: 90978%
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... [More]
Directed By: Julian Higgins

#26

A Love Song (2022)
95%

#26
Adjusted Score: 99009%
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... [More]
Directed By: Max Walker-Silverman

#27

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#27

#28
#28
Adjusted Score: 94717%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Joe Hunting

#29

Riotsville, USA (2022)
92%

#29
Adjusted Score: 93898%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Sierra Pettengill

#30

2nd Chance (2022)
91%

#30
Adjusted Score: 92211%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Ramin Bahrani

#31
#31
Adjusted Score: 103822%
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... [More]
Directed By: John Patton Ford

#32
#32
Adjusted Score: 93681%
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... [More]

#33

Piggy (2022)
92%

#33
Adjusted Score: 95763%
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... [More]
Directed By: Carlota Pereda

#34

The Cathedral (2022)
96%

#34
Adjusted Score: -1%
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. ... [More]
Directed By: Ricky D'Ambrose

#35
#35
Adjusted Score: 94756%
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... [More]
Directed By: Cooper Raiff

#36
Adjusted Score: 78496%
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... [More]
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... [More]

#38
#38
Adjusted Score: 97468%
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... [More]
Starring: Reid Davenport
Directed By: Reid Davenport

#39

The Exiles (2022)
86%

#39
Adjusted Score: 86075%
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... [More]
Starring: Christine Choy
Directed By: Violet Columbus, Ben Klein

#40
#40
Adjusted Score: 98679%
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... [More]
Directed By: Goran Stolevski

#41
Adjusted Score: 91670%
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... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Rory Kennedy

#42

Resurrection (2022)
81%

#42
Adjusted Score: 89282%
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,... [More]
Directed By: Andrew Semans

#43

Nanny (2022)
90%

#43
Adjusted Score: 95925%
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... [More]
Directed By: Nikyatu Jusu

#44
#44
Adjusted Score: 88960%
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... [More]
Directed By: Jim Archer

#45

Fresh (2022)
82%

#45
Adjusted Score: 90970%
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... [More]
Directed By: Mimi Cave

#46

After Yang (2021)
90%

#46
Adjusted Score: 100345%
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... [More]
Directed By: Kogonada

#47

Watcher (2022)
88%

#47
Adjusted Score: 94170%
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... [More]
Directed By: Chloe Okuno

#48

Am I OK? (2022)
78%

#48
Adjusted Score: 79947%
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... [More]

#49

Master (2022)
74%

#49
Adjusted Score: 80661%
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... [More]
Directed By: Mariama Diallo

#50

Call Jane (2022)
82%

#50
Adjusted Score: 87385%
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... [More]
Directed By: Phyllis Nagy

#51

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#51

#52

Dual (2022)
71%

#52
Adjusted Score: 77465%
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.... [More]
Directed By: Riley Stearns

#53

Speak No Evil (2022)
85%

#53
Adjusted Score: 88663%
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,... [More]
Directed By: Christian Tafdrup

#54
Adjusted Score: 74552%
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... [More]
Directed By: Nina Menkes

#55

Jihad Rehab (2022)
69%

#55
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring:
Directed By: Meg Smaker

#56

Breaking (2022)
81%

#56
Adjusted Score: 87514%
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... [More]
Directed By: Abi Damaris Corbin

#57
Adjusted Score: 71261%
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... [More]
Directed By: Jesse Eisenberg

#58

Framing Agnes (2022)
80%

#58
Adjusted Score: 80965%
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... [More]
Directed By: Chase Joynt

#59
#59
Adjusted Score: 74405%
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... [More]

#60

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#60

#61

TikTok, Boom. (2022)
71%

#61
Adjusted Score: 71170%
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... [More]
Starring: Feroza Aziz
Directed By: Shalini Kantayya

#62

Babysitter (2022)
40%

#62
Adjusted Score: -1%
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... [More]
Directed By: Monia Chokri

#63

Blood (2022)
50%

#63
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After the death of her husband, a young woman travels to Japan to find solace in an old friend. But... [More]
Directed By: Bradley Rust Gray

#64

Sharp Stick (2022)
49%

#64
Adjusted Score: 52958%
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... [More]
Directed By: Lena Dunham

#65

Alice (2022)
29%

#65
Adjusted Score: 31436%
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... [More]
Directed By: Krystin Ver Linden