Naima Khan takes you through the Spoonfed recommended films at Sundance London
There are only 14 feature films showing at Sundance London so a Top 10 would be pretty useless. But of those 14, here are the ones you should definitely see and the ones you should take a chance on and click here for the ones to avoid.
Chasing Ice
This exceptionally poetic and informative documentary about global warming takes photography and the remarkable architecture of ice as its starting point and beautifully melds the worlds of art and science to make its point. It helps if your politics are in line with saving the planet from man-made (or at least exacerbated) global warming but this is an epic, urgent science documentary
LUV
While it's not action-packed enough to be a called a thriller, this film about an ex-con trying to make his life good again has such a bizarre core relationship that it becomes quite unforgettable. The cast includes Common - remember him? - Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert and a stand out performance from the adorably young and incredibly talented Michael Rainey Jr. It's tense, emotional and completely gripping.
The House I Live In
Eugene Jarecki's documentary starts with a personal look at the woman who helped take care of him as a kid. It quickly turns into a frighteningly intelligent look at America's “War on Drugs,” it's consequences and its patterns. With a lot of input from former journalist and writer of The Wire, David Simon, this matter-of-fact film will change the way you see politics, crime and human nature.
Shut Up and Play the Hits
A gracefully edited, complex concert documentary about LCD System and its frontman James Murphy as he guides us through some stunning concert footage and into his life post-LCD.
Take a chance on:
Finding North
Though formulaic, this personal and political documentary has at its core a succession of eye-opening sequences that illuminate the complexities of what the papers so quickly condemn as America's obesity epidemic. The film focuses on impoverished families in America, who are also among the overweight and crucially it looks at the policies that lead to this paradox. If you think diet and exercise is the simple answer, you really need to see this. Click here to read the full review of Finding North.
2 Days in New York
This hilarious follow up to the warm-hearted farce 2 Days in Paris is directed by Julie Deply and stars her dad and Chris Rock. But be warned, it is packed with cultural clichés. You have to love the idea of the French people smuggling cheese into America to find this funny but everyone will be talking about it.
Under African Skies
This music documentary looks back at the creation of Paul Simon's Graceland and the politics that surrounded its release it 1986 when Simon was accused of breaking the cultrual boycott of South Africa. Tackling a complex issue in a straightforward manner, this film exudes nostalgia and great music but wraps itself up in rather predictable political conclusions. Click here to read the full review of Under African Skies.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Probably the artiest film in the line-up, this non-linear look at the relationships of one man is cinematic ally brilliant and varied but it's also intentionally repetitive. Unless you have a real appreciation for odd-ball film making, this may bore the heck out of you.
The Queen of Versailles
An intriguing premise is milked to the point of irrelevance as director Lauren Greenfield hammers home the humanity of her deluded subjects, David and Jackie Seigl who, on their way to building a 90,000 sq foot dream house, lost unfathomable amounts during the 2008 economic crash. If you're interested in the human implications of city-boy economics, there's a lot to take from this but it tends to make the same point over and over again.
Image by James Balog
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