Sundance Notes: ‘Run Rabbit Run’ and Brett Kavanaugh Doc Announced

The Sundance Film festival kicked off last night with a few films that weren’t too well-received. It’ll be interesting to see how the quality of the films in this year’s lineup will stack up to the all-virtual editions of 2021 and 2022.

The independent movie scene needs some help at the moment, as not many made money last year and there’s the overall feeling that the token Sundance indie seems better suited now for streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. The next ten days should be an be interesting overview as to where we’re at right now.

EDIT: There’s optional masking this year for all people attending screenings at Sundance, and that obviously includes press and industry. I had completely forgotten about that, it was originally mandatory. Volunteers will be on-hand outside screenings for those who forgot to bring their masks.

Last night, as Netflix announced that it had bought Diana Reid’s “Run Rabbit Run,” the film screened as part of the Midnight program. “Succession” actress Sarah Snook stars in this Australian film centering on Mia, a fertility doctor who tries to make sense of the strange behavior of her young daughter. The film is essentially a ghost story: Snook’s character lost her father and sister, and they haunt. There are some jump scares added in for good measure. Reid mostly tries to make her film a mood piece, but it just doesn’t really work — the mise-en-scene falls completely flat.

The big story yesterday at Sundance wasn’t about the films screened, as the big title, “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” starring Daisy Ridley, landed with a thud. No, it was that a new Brett Kavanaugh documentary had been added to the lineup, this one directed by Doug Liman and supposedly a “revelatory” investigation featuring interviews from Kavanaugh’s accusers. It’s currently seeking a buyer. “Justice” is said to “present never-before-seen evidence and key interviews with those closely involved in the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.”

There have been rumblings of a surprise screening occurring either on Tuesday or Wednesday evening. The hushed upon film has not been announced and likely won’t be until it is screened next week. Some are saying it could be Ari Aster’s “Beau is Afraid,” but A24 premiering it a little less than four months before its release would be a tad strange.