In a few last-minute additions to the already fantastic Sundance Film Festival 2012, we get two big debuts and then a duo of films that have rode the festival circuit. The first is Predisposed (stills included), the directorial debut of Philip Dorling and from screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia). We also have a midnight film that we’ve already seen the trailer for. Don Coscarelli‘s John Dies at the End stars Paul Giamatti and should be a perfect fit for that late-night line-up.
Rounding out the two international films, we have Oslo, August 31st, a drama we adored at TIFF (full review here) and from Joachim Trier, director of the much-praised Reprise. Lastly, a film we were mixed on at Cannes (full review here) will be playing at Park City. Paolo Sorrentino‘s This Must Be the Place stars Sean Penn in drag on a search for an ex-Nazi war criminal. Check out all the films below will full plots and more photos from Predisposed.
PREMIERES
Predisposed / U.S.A. (Directors & Screenwriters: Philip Dorling, Ron Nyswaner) – Eli Smith, a piano prodigy, is dealing with his troubled mother and enlisting help from a hapless drug dealer on the day he has an audition for a prestigious music program. Events spiral comically out of control as this gang of misfits faces the mistakes of the past, the challenges of the future, and the possibilities of love. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan, Sarah Ramos, Isiah Whitlock Jr. World Premiere.
SPOTLIGHT
Oslo, August 31st / Norway (Director: Joachim Trier, Screenwriters: Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier based on a novel by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle) – One man, one city, 24 hours. Oslo, August 31st is a portrait of contemporary Oslo. A visually striking and quietly shattering drama about a man in deep existential crisis. Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava, Tone B. Mostraum.
This Must Be The Place / Italy, France, Ireland (Director: Paolo Sorrentino, Screenwriter: Umberto Contarello, Paolo Sorrentino) – A bored, retired rock star sets out to find his father’s executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S. Cast: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch. North American Premiere
PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT
JOHN DIES AT THE END / U.S.A. (Director: Don Coscarelli, Screenwriter: Don Coscarelli, based on a novel by David Wong) – On the street they call it Soy Sauce – a drug that allows users to drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Can John and David stop the oncoming horror? No. They can’t. Cast: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman. World Premiere
Sundance 2012 kicks off on January 19th. Follow our complete coverage from the fest here.