Sundance 2020: Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Promising Young Woman, Dick Johnson Is Dead, Boys State

“Bloody Noses, Empty Pockets” has  filmmaking duo Bill and Turner Ross tackling the final day at Roaring 20s, a dive bar in Vegas, before it closes its doors for good at 4 in the morning. Its regulars, a cross section of American life, are an assortment of characters that make this doc one of the most fascinating of the entire festival. Despite their flaws, they exude empathy, stumbling and slurring their speeches as the clock inches towards closing time. The fact that these sad-sack losers of life have a reality they're escaping from, makes “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” a kind of mosaic of disillusionment. What will they do once the bar they call home closes down for good? The feeling and comfort of community is all over this film, these individuals visit the bar daily to shelter themselves from the outside world, but the shelter is about to close — maybe they will use it as another chance at life, but we’re not too confident they will. [B+]

Kirsten Johnson not only finds a way to pay tribute to her dad, but gives us a much-needed therapeutic session on death in “Dick Johnson is Dead.” This delirious attempt from Johnson (director of the excellent 2018 doc “Cameraperson”) to make sense of the fact that someday her 86-year-old father’s life will come to an end, is a way for us all to come to terms with the inevitable. Using the magic of cinema to kill dad in staged scenes, the filmmaker even has him entering an open casket inside a church and pretending to be dead. This one-of-a-kind doc is also an attempt for Kirsten Johnson to celebrate the life of her dad — a recently retired, happy go-lucky psychologist stymied by the slow and inevitable effect of dementia. This playfully observational film has the longtime cinematographer sending off a man she has loved her entire life and, despite the morbid subject matter, this creative, joyous doc feels like a breath of fresh air. [B+]

Emerald Fennell’s debut feature, “Promising Young Woman” plays like a feminist “Death Wish.” This thought-provoking movie has been the talk of the town ever since its premiere last weekend. Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie a barista and med-school dropout, haunted by her best friend’s dorm-room rape and ensuing suicide. Cassie spends her evenings, however, in clubs and bars, exacting revenge on any man who dares go over the line with her. However, as she hops from one brutal encounter tee to the next, details emerge about her best friend’s death, inspiring Cassie to exact revenge on every single person that took part in the rape. Fennell, who directed the second season of “Killing Eve,” shows some real skill in her stylish, neon-infused direction. Although none-too-subtle in execution, “Young Promising Woman” is perversely heroic, a scathing indictment of male cruelty that doesn’t mind being over-the-top. Mulligan delivers another great performance as a woman unafraid to cross the line, even when it means compromising her own moral compass. The biblical saying an eye for eye is used here to the nth degree. [B+]

Hilary Clinton may have been in town to promote a doc about her life, but it’s “Boys State” that turned out to be the better political documentary at Sundance 2020. Bought by A24 and Hulu for $12 million, the doc takes place at a seven-day program in Texas where more than 500 male teenagers arrive to form their own fake two-party government, run campaigns and hold elections. It’s better than it sounds. The program has existed since 1937, and happens in every state in the US (except Hawaii). Some of the famous alumni who have attended in the past as teenage boys include Samuel Alito, Cory Booker, Dick Cheney and Bill Clinton. Despite the dry political courtship, the drama which unfolds in co-directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ film can rival almost any reality TV series. The politicians of today, most of which are three, four times the age of these boys, could learn a thing or two from these high-schoolers. Encouraging civil discourse is the key here, partisanship is the last option, as the ultimate question asked by these kids is should I stick to my beliefs or have them compromised just for the sake of winning? As the boys find ways to form their arguments and strategize, as we meet Steven, Ben, Robert and Rene — filled with charisma but still trying to form their ideological platform. Despite the sluggish start, the film builds up momentum for us to fully inhabit this world and care for the stakes at hand. [B-]