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Show LIFE C1 PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE The narrow streets of Park City are packed. Celebrities, critics, connoisseurs of cinema walk the streets for the Sundance Film Festival— arriving this year at its 30th anniversary. It's a celebration of film, of storytelling. It's a chance for creative expression and competition. It's a place to gather and experience the human stories that might go overlooked or untold if they were captured and immortalized in celluloid. he hundreds of screened at this year's festival-54 of which had their world premiere—these are some of our favorites. The Babadook Sundance Midnight Selection/Australia/Directed by Jennifer Kent By Tyler Belk Reporter @isc am_sunday We are 11 familiar with the following scenario: a young boy ith an overactive imagination becomes terrified of the mons r underneath his bed and rushes to his mother f a therapeutic bedtime story. But what happens when this imagm.4 monster actually becomes a reality? This the set up for a new Australian horror flick premiering at this year's dance Film Festival entitled "The B • • adook." The film's prota • nist, Sam, is terrified of mo - ers. So terrified, in fact, that he is loosing sleep, causing trouble in class and creating hi sinister w - • : • out of household objects as a means of defense. It's enough to drive his widowed mother, Amelia, into a frantic state of paranoia. As tensions between the two escalate, a new presence called the Babadook makes it's way into the household, which questions the sanity of everyone involved. The film cleverly embraces and deconstructs typical horror film conventions in order to create something new. Though it is hilariously playful and entertaining, the film is also a terrifying psychological thrill in the same vein as films like "Black Swan" or "Rosemary's Baby." The female lead, Essie Davis, is great as Amelia, but newcomer Noah Wiseman gives an incredibly memorable child acting performance. If you are a horror fan looking for something new, look no further than "The Babadook." Just be prepared to have nightmares afterward and remember to leave the kiddos at home for this one. MATT NETTHEIM/COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE God's Pocket US Dramatic Competition/USA/Directd by John Slattery By Alex Sousa Managing Editor @TwoFistedSousa LANCE ACORD/COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE Acquired by IFC Films for U.S. distribution, orld premiere at Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Dramatic Competition There's no light in "God's Pocket." It's the first things I noticed as I craned my neck trying to look into th shadows. It's dingy, almost stiflingly so. What littl: light there is comes through dirty windows covered w heavy, orange curtains and from bare bulbs in back r s. But, like the characters in the film that are unfortu to enough to live in this blue-collar, south Philadelphia ne hborhood of the same name, I get used to it. I get omfortable in the dingy and the dank. I think I even learn to .ve it. God's Pocket is the neighborhood that John Slattery's • ctorial debut is set in. This dark come• , adapted by Slattery and Alex Metcalf from Pete Dexter's eponymous t vel, follows Mickey Scarpato (P • ip Seymour Hoffman) who, after the accidental death of his stepson, Leon, ju ants to bury the bad 1 s with the body and move on. But, for Mickey Scarpato, things never go right and they on - en his wife (Christina Hendricks) suspects foul play. Slattery's voice is clear and present throughout the whole film. Anyone familiar with his work on "Mad Men" knows how easily he can bounce and bubble through tragedy with a wink and a smirk. That same charm is ever present in the film The A-list cast brings weight and clarity to their characters. Every one of them has a nuance that makes them feel familiar and pitiable. But my favorite "performance" could be that of the neighborhood itself, which Slattery captured in such a way that its presence is felt and understood in every scene. It's the true antagonist of the film and feels so real, it was like I had lived there, grown up there, and wanted to escape from there. I loved "God's Pocket." Largely overlooked and undersold by critics, it was the best thing I saw at the festival. What the movie is about and what the movie is are two very different things. One is a plot, the other is a story; a story about people who feel real, getting by the best they can in a neighborhood that's living and breathing. The desperation of the eccentric citizens of God's Pocket is palpable and, as tragic as it may be at times, it's a desperation that's fun to watch. As miserable as God's Pocket may be, I can't wait to go back. W rld Documentary/Iran/Befit Madsen By Natalie Sullivan Life. Editor @n illsullivan B rit Madsen's first documentary, "Sepideh," follows a yo g ambitious Iranian astronomer of the same name. In her trying to achieve her dream to travel into space, epidah faces many emotional highs and lows along ith her audience. The is powerful in what it set out to do, in showing a inside look at Iran. Within the first few minutes, I heard scat ed sniffles throughout the audience. Emotion high. Tears ran down several faces. The film shows that sometim tragedy isn't out of grotesque incidence , but the failures of society. Though her situation is sad, Sepideh's life is -latable to anyone with an ambiti•dream. Unlike what I ex d, the film compliment otional tension with the beauty of stars and galaxies, making its scenes that much more powe Ty really makes you think about where you're going with your life. MOHAMMAN REZA, JAHAN PANAH/COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE |