Big swings, big misses and big deals: what happened at this year’s Sundance?

The high bar raised by last year’s Sundance film festival had caused many to feel a little underwhelmed by this year’s edition, a commonly tweeted and spoken concern over just whether this year could truly boast a major breakout movie. Twelve months prior, the workplace thriller Fair Play, erotic drama Passages, nifty horror Talk to Me, romcom Rye Lane, timely documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, mother-son music tale Flora and Son and decade-spanning romance Past Lives caused waves that continued for the next year, an unusually robust lineup, fittingly given that it was Sundance’s big in-person comeback.

Related: Hits, misses and deals: what can we learn from this year’s Sundance?

It was a slightly more muted affair over in Utah this year, some attributing a weaker lineup to 2023’s dual strikes, which prevented many productions from going ahead, but there were still enough gems amid the murk and a promising raft of major multimillion deals. Because while the strikes may have allegedly affected the roster, they also had a definite impact on the thirst of buyers, in frantic need of films to help repair lighter-than-usual release schedules. There might not have been anything as buzzy as Past Lives but this year’s crop of films continued to edge away from a reliance on A-listers to draw attention, a relief after a period of limp, star-led projects taking slots away from smaller, more deserving fare.

One of the biggest audience hits of the festival was led by an A-lister but it was a chance to see a major star do something we really hadn’t seen them do before: truly be themselves. Will Ferrell, a chameleonic comedian whose last Sundance offering – the misjudged remake Downfall – sank without trace, heads on a crowd-pleasing cross-country road trip in Will & Harper, the twist being that he’s playing himself. In the glossy yet at times deeply emotive documentary, Ferrell goes on the road with Harper, an old friend who has recently transitioned and the two grapple with a new update of an old dynamic as well as a country that actively tries to suppress trans rights. There’s discomfort, tears, laughter as well as a depressingly necessary education to be had, the film perfectly pitched to allow others into an experience they may know very little about. It’s yet to be purchased yet but rumours suggest that a number of major buyers are fighting it out (with Netflix reportedly out in front), the sort of documentary that could become a box office hit and an awards contender. Stay tuned.

Another documentary that had people talking, as well as cheering and crying, was Super/Man, a revealing and at times devastating look at the life and death of Christopher Reeve. Packed with A-list friends and intimate, unseen footage, it’s a blockbuster doc that was quickly, wisely snapped by Warner Bros, the studio reportedly planning a release that would involve repromoting old Superman films. With other docs hitting such as Union (focused on Amazon’s growing labor union), Girls State (a sequel to hit Boys State), Skywalkers (a daredevil romance picked up by Netflix) and the audience prize-winning Daughters (centered on a program that brings girls together with their incarcerated fathers), it felt like a strong year for the US, coming just after a rather weak one, with all five Oscar documentary noms coming from international film-makers.

The biggest sale of the festival to date was the gimmicky thriller It’s What’s Inside, picked up by Netflix for $17m after bidding out other rival studios. The film, about a pre-wedding party that turns into chaos when an unusual game is played, was made with a low budget and no known stars and will probably be the start of a new franchise for the streamer if all goes to plan. Sundance is known for premiering major new genre titles (past years have seen Get Out, Hereditary and The Babadook all take their bow) and while critical opinion was more divided on that one, there was almost universal agreement on another title also featured in the midnight strand. Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun made an impression at 2021’s virtual Sundance with haunting digi-horror We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and their follow-up I Saw the TV Glow has now cemented their name as one of the most exciting, and daring, new voices we have right now. A sad, troubling story about identity, representation and obsession told through the connection two teenagers have to a Buffy-esque TV show, it’s being positioned as A24’s next genre crossover hit but might face an uphill struggle with more mainstream audiences, pushing more boundaries than the company’s previous attempts Midsommar, Talk to Me or even The Witch.

An unusual genre film that might also pose a challenge for audiences is Steven Soderbergh’s experimental ghost story Presence, bought at the festival by Neon. It’s a loosely familiar tale – family moves into new house, new house is haunted – but told from a unique perspective. While it comes from the writer of the director’s last genre exercise – HBO’s excellent thriller Kimi – it may go the way of Unsane, the 2018 iPhone-shot shocker that struggled to find an audience after a bizarrely bullish wide release. Presence, for all of its technical prowess, might not deliver enough horror or drama to spark with the majority but with Neon forking out just $5m, modest returns might not be a big problem.

One of the more surefire commercial hits of the fest came with a name that might not be quite as easy to sell: the coming-of-age comedy My Old Ass. A mostly star-free cast, save for a brief Aubrey Plaza appearance, it sells the kind of slick yet sensitive audience hit that used to make genuine money after premiering at Sundance and it’s no surprise that Amazon-MGM bought it for a major $15m with a wide release planned. The recent sleeper success of Anyone But You, a far weaker film yet with a similarly glossy 00s studio feel, suggests that with the right marketing this could also scratch a similar commercial itch.

Searchlight is hoping for another old-fashioned Sundance hit, paying $10m for buddy comedy A Real Pain, one of the more popular on-the-ground premieres of the festival. It’s the second film from Jesse Eisenberg as writer and director, also starring here alongside Kieran Culkin as cousins paying respects to their late grandmother on a guided tour through Poland. After Culkin picked up a Globe and an Emmy for the last season of Succession, expect a supporting actor Oscar campaign for this one. It’s yet to be purchased but artist Titus Kaphar’s stirring family drama Exhibiting Forgiveness, about a painter reconnecting with his addict father, could also be well-positioned for awards with a knockout central performance from Moonlight’s André Holland. Saoirse Ronan, who already has four Oscar nominations under her belt, might be on the way to her fifth with knotty recovery drama The Outrun, an every-scene showcase that impressed critics here. It’s also yet to find a US distributor.

Kristen Stewart did double-duty at the festival with two wildly different offerings which had wildly different responses. Her first was Love Me, an unusual high-concept romance set in the future between two machines powered by artificial intelligence. Also starring Steven Yeun, who broke out at the festival with Minari back in 2020, the film was dismissed by most as a big bet that didn’t pay off and is yet to be sold. Her other film, gory midnight thriller Love Lies Bleeding, had a far more positive response and with A24 behind it, its mix of in-your-face 80s nostalgia and gory crime theatrics should lead to a decent spring hit when it comes out in cinemas.

On the ground, film-makers expressed uncertainty over the future of independent film with many using interviews and Q&As as reminders that the road to the festival is rocky and that even after premiering, nothing is certain. “Independent film in America becomes more about training people to become Marvel directors and less about creating a viable alternative where more radical visions can be seen and appreciated,” said Schoenbrun, the director of I Saw the TV Glow. Sean Wang, director of the audience award winner Dìdi, added that the industry “is in a very uncertain place”.

The festival itself is facing an uncertain future with rumours suggesting that it might move from its Park City home. Locals have long complained about the pressure the festival puts on such a small town while visitors have stressed the difficulties that come with traveling so far out to attend. “There are challenges,” the Sundance Institute CEO, Joanna Vicente, said. “I mean, accessibility is a challenge. Cost is a challenge.” She added that “there is a negotiation coming up”.