Based on the acclaimed novel by Laura Kasischke, the 1980s-set White Bird in a Blizzard tells the story of Kat (Shailene Woodley), a teen whose idealistically perfect home life is shattered when her watchful mother (Eva Green) mysteriously goes missing. After directing the abysmal apocalyptic nightmare Kaboom, director Gregg Araki looks like he's finally returning to dramatic form, a genre that he excels in as proven with 2005's Mysterious Skin. The story itself has an amount of intrigue that might capture the attention from a broader audience, especially with the help with Shailene Woodley as the lead.
1. Wish I Was Here (Zach Braff)
Following his 2004 debut feature Garden State, writer and director Zach Braff is returning to Sundance with his second feature Wish I Was Here. As you may recall, the project was met with a bit of controversy when Braff launched a Kickstarter campaign for the film. Despite the criticism aimed at Braff, the crowd-funding campaign proved to be a success by raising more than $3 million. Braff is Aiden Bloom, a 35-year-old struggling actor and father who discovers from his father that he can no longer pay for his kids' schooling. Aiden decides to take matters into his own hands and puts his kids into homeschool where he takes a more original approach to teaching. Kate Hudson, Joey King, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad and Ashley Green all have supporting roles in the film. I'm not exactly sure why it took Braff 10 years in between Garden State and this, but nonetheless, it's exciting that he's going to be back in Park City with something that's hopefully as engaging as his last, if not more. There are a lot of other promising films that are premiering at Sundance this year. However, there was just simply not enough time to list them all. Honorable mentions include: I Origins, Song One, Little Accidents, The One I Love, Ping Pong Summer, Hellion, and Infinitely Polar Bear. Which films from this year's festival are you most looking forward to?
I'm a writer and a film enthusiast. I've written a variety of work that includes reviews, news stories, screenplays, short stories and nonfiction essays. I'm a journalism student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
