Jan 31, 2023 - Things to Do

Our favorite movies from the Sundance Film Festival

A wrestler cheers on his knees.

A still from "Cassandro." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, but that doesn't mean your chance to take in the movies is gone.

Here's a list of our top five festival films. Most will be streamable or in theaters later this year.

  • Of note: We used a 1-5 mountain peak rating system.

1. "Cassandro"

Details: Starring Gael García Bernal, this tells the true origin story of Cassandro, a gender-bending and charismatic gay wrestler known as the "Liberace of Lucha Libre."

The bottom line: This is worth watching for Bernal's performance alone.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️

How to watch: "Cassandro" will be released on Amazon Prime Video this year.

2. "Fair Play"

Actor Phoebe Dynevor.
A still from "Fair Play." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: The financial thriller centers around a secretly engaged couple, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), who work at the same cutthroat hedge fund.

  • Yes, but: After Emily gets a promotion over Luke, their relationship unravels and underlines the power dynamics and gender roles in a post-#MeToo world.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️

How to watch: Netflix secured the film's rights in a $20 million deal, per Deadline.

3. "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields"

A younger Brooke Shields sitting on a stool with a blank stare.
A still from "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This two-part documentary spotlights the life and career of model and actor Brooke Shields and the sexualization she experienced as a child star.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️

How to watch: It will stream on Hulu this year.

4. "Going Varsity in Mariachi"

A group of teenage mariachi players performing on stage.
A still from "Going Varsity in Mariachi." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This documentary follows the highs and lows of Edinburg North High School's Mariachi Oro as the students try to win an upcoming state championship.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️

Of note: A buyer for the film has not been announced.

5. "Eileen"

Two women dancing in 1960s clothes.
A still from "Eileen." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This psychological thriller, based on the 2016 book of the same name, centers around a young woman, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), pursuing a friendship with her new coworker Rebecca St. John (Anne Hathaway) at a youth prison.

  • Things take a turn when her friend implicates Eileen in a crime.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️

Of note: A buyer for the film has not been announced.

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