Sundance 2021: 12 Films We Can’t Wait to See | Festivals & Awards

“Marvelous and the Black Hole“
Starring: Miya Cech, Rhea Perlman, Leonardo Nam, Kannon Omachi 
Written and Directed by Kate Tsang
Category: Premieres 

Thirteen-year-old Sammy is struggling to cope with the death of her mother. After she is caught vandalizing one of her school’s restrooms, her father, fed up with her wild behavior, enrolls her in a summer course—if she fails, she’ll be sent to a boot camp for delinquent youth. After storming out of her first class, Sammy meets Margot, a surly magician. Margot forces Sammy to be her assistant for a performance, and although Sammy seems uninterested, she seeks Margot out after the show and asks to become Margot’s pupil. Margot agrees, and as their unlikely friendship grows, we learn that she and Sammy understand each other more than they expected.

“On the Count of Three” 
Starring: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smooove, Lavell Crawford, Henry Winkler
Directed by Jerrod Carmichael 
Written by Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch

Val (Jerrod Carmichael) has reached a place where he feels the only way out is to end things. But he considers himself a bit of a failure—his effectiveness lacking—so he figures he could use some help. As luck would have it, Val’s best friend, Kevin (Christopher Abbott), is recovering from a failed suicide attempt, so he seems like the perfect partner for executing this double suicide plan. But before they go, they have some unfinished business to attend to.

“Passing” 
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp 
Directed by Rebecca Hall 
Written by Rebecca Hall, based on the novel by Nella Larsen 

Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson), a refined, upper-class 1920s woman, finds breezy refuge from a hot summer day in the grand tearoom of New York City’s Drayton Hotel. Across the room, she spots a blond woman staring her down. Irene wants to steal away, but before she can, Clare Kendry (Ruth Negga) rushes over to stop her. It turns out the two were in high school together, and while both are African American women who can “pass” as white, they have chosen to live on opposite sides of the color line. Now, their renewed acquaintance threatens them both.