Sundance Film Festival 2019 Report 9: THE SHARKS, THE MUSTANG & AFTER THE WEDDING

This from Sundance 2019 is an emotional one. All of these films work, and pay off, in enveloping their audience. Some discomfort, some thoughtful contemplation, and some tears: Sundance coverage for 2019 isn’t over yet!

The Sharks (Lucía Garibaldi)

The debut film from writer/director Lucia Garibaldi, The Sharks is one of seclusion, growing up, and first desires.

The very independent Rosina (Romina Bentancur) is fourteen years old, forced into landscaping work with her father. She doesn’t mind, as it doesn’t appear she has a lot else planned for her summer. Her co-worker, Joselo (Federico Morosini) quickly becomes the object of her infatuation. After their first sexual experience, the nuances of which are caught with careful and thoughtful attention by Garibaldi, Joselo loses interest, but Rosina’s only deepens.

At one point Rosina swears she sees a shark, though nobody seems to believe her. Eventually, after an animal carcass washes ashore, some start taking her seriously. For the most part she’s a disconnected teenager, uncertainty being visible through her interactions with her family and supposed friends. Who is Rosina? The film takes a cooling approach to discovering her motives and feelings. Some of her misguided reactions and decisions are dark, but mostly: conflicted.

There’s a ambiance that sweeps you up, makes you smell the ocean air and feel the breeze coming off the water. It also is a unique snapshot of coming of age for a young girl, one whose confusion is as tangible as the environment. Romina Bentancur delivers an honest portrayal, who efficiently internalizes her emotions. Lucía Garibaldi is bold with some of her shots, testing our patience as we inch closer to understanding. There is also an interesting decision in the score, which seems like it is all electronics, but it adds a flavor to the otherwise blue and lonely setting.

The Sharks is a film worth the search, with another young female force in Bentancur, and a beautiful debut by Garibaldi; this slow-moving feature leaves an impression.

After The Wedding (Bart Freundlich)

When you’ve got a film that’s a remake (based on Susanne Bier’s 2006 movie), there’s always the question of identity. Will there be something new brought to the table? This second go-around switches some of the genders, has powerhouses like Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore as its leads, and a breakout in Abby Quinn. Still, the question isn’t answered by flashiness alone.

There are a lot of intoxicating ingredients here within this mixed drama. Bart Freundlich crafts a good enough rendition, but shouldn’t we be striving for great?

Isabel (Michelle Williams) is summoned to the United States from India in order to secure funding for the orphanage she works at. Her quiet, but stirring performance is one of the film’s best. When she arrives she’s set to meet Theresa (Julianne Moore) to plead her case. After their first meeting she’s invited to Theresa’s daughter’s wedding, Grace (Abby Quinn), where she’s stunned by a face from her past, Theresa’s husband Oscar (Billy Crudup).

This opens up the story to a slew of dramatic hitches, jumping from one reveal to the next. In short, without spoiling, there’s history here, and it ties all of the characters together. After The Wedding borders on melodramatic at times, but due to the amount of talent in front of the camera, it doesn’t break the potential for feeling.

Though, there is something ultimately missing from Bart Freundlich‘s script. When the story lets the intimate setting and uncomfortable situations mount on their own, without a forceful aid of contrived tropes, After The Wedding makes it worth it. There’s also so much wealth thrown around in this film that it’s hard not to want to eye-roll a little, even when the film touches on some heartbreaking themes.

As I said, the movie has a lot of talent, and yet, Quinn manages to match heels with these two actresses that are legends in their own right. Crudup is a bit underwhelming, and at times – Moore goes a bit too hard. All in all, a story that has secret upon secret unleashed, to the point where it becomes too much, still retains its heart. There’s a transfixing quality about After The Wedding even when it becomes too big for its britches.

I was able to speak with Michelle Williams and Abby Quinn on the red carpet:

Tell us about your character, Isabelle?

Michelle Williams: I play a woman in the middle of life and her work plucked up and transported back to New York for sort of mysterious reasons, and all these family secrets are revealed. And she is faced with a decision.

How does it feel to premiere here?

Michelle Williams: It’s very exciting, I have very fond memories.

What made you interested in the character?

Abby Quinn: I think we are similar in a lot of ways, which is helpful when you’re playing a character, but at the same time she’s going through something that I’m not… I’m not engaged to be married, definitely not at this age, and she is. So, kind of on my own I had to figure out, really, what was going on in her mind and why she felt it was right for her to get married at like 21. And, I think, for her, it ends up being a sort of identity crisis and she doesn’t really know who she is so she is holding onto certain things in her life that will make her feel whole, hopefully, and it doesn’t end up happening. But, yeah, it was really interesting for me to figure out exactly why she doing the things she was doing, and playing someone who was similar, and very different from me at the same time. 

How did you prepare for this role?

Abby Quinn: Well, I watched the original film and I worked with my acting coach for I think about, three weeks. I found out that I got the part and I flew to NY like two or three weeks later. And it was really just script analysis and running the scenes as much as possible before filming. Because, a lot of it is very emotional, so you want to get to a place where you’re not really thinking about what you’re saying, it’s just there, and the emotion is already in you, and you don’t have to really think about it when you’re on set with the cameras in front of your face. 

We want to thank Michelle Williams and Abby Quinn for speaking with us.

The Mustang (Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre)

In earnest, the plot is an undemanding one. The Mustang takes place in a Nevada prison where there is a program of inmates training wild mustang horses. What sets it apart and makes the premise engaging is the subtle, but lingering plot that’s the main focus is redemption, and the power of healing through animals.

While there have been many films that take place within a prison, and have had success emulating the near asphyxia from being locked up, The Mustang uses a real-life program to create a moving drama. It’s a striking story whose simplicity is rewarded.

Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is an inmate coming out of seclusion, given the opportunity to participate in this program that trains the wild horses to be auctioned off. In a brief performance by Connie Britton, she manages to talk him into trying it out. Roman seems pretty indifferent about everything, having relatively given up after a violent past and a disheveled family life.

Jason Mitchell and Bruce Dern have supporting roles, and each deliver notable performances. While Roman works through his resistance and inability to initially bond with the horse, an eventual redemption follows suit as he reconnects with his daughter (Gideon Adlon) as well.

Matthias Schoenaerts is outstanding. Here, he’s given the lead that he has earned for a long time. His silent suffering, reigned in fury, and ultimate growth are all powerfully portrayed. Laure de Clermont–Tonnerre has a polished hand, using her camera as a way to dictate, as much as illuminate, these characters’ isolation in combination with Ruben Impens‘ cinematography.

Both Roman and the horse he trains (of course, the particularly difficult one) are captives, yearning for freedom and connection. The silent moments of contemplation as the two grow are especially moving. It is an impressive debut that doesn’t ask too much from its audience, and doesn’t require an inexplicable premise to inspire a soulful response.

Check out my interview with writer/director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre here.

Stay tuned for more Sundance 2019 interviews, and be sure to check out my previous ones!