"These tighter programs not only gave Sundance its first Best Picture win in " CODA," there have been recent standouts like " Passing," " All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt," " Good One," " A Real Pain," and " Sorry, Baby." (Although it's worth noting that none of those won-Grand Jury taste and the consensus when these films descend from the mountains often don't align.)"
"Beth de Araújo's "Josephine" is a devastating drama about a girl navigating trauma and fear at far too young an age. It is impressive both in form and content as De Araújo not only guides her remarkable cast to moving performances but wraps them in filmmaking that supports and elevates them. It is a film that not only understands that parents are imperfect but that everyone, even children, will someday learn that it's okay to live a life with a little bit of fear."
Sundance reduced the U.S. Dramatic Competition from as many as 16 films pre-pandemic to about 10–12 films since COVID, and 10 this year. The tighter programs have produced notable standouts and even a Best Picture winner, CODA, though festival acclaim and later consensus often diverge. Beth de Araújo's Josephine emerges as the standout and the best film so far. Josephine is a devastating, formally accomplished drama about an eight-year-old navigating trauma and fear. De Araújo draws powerful performances from a remarkable cast and uses filmmaking techniques that support and elevate those performances. The film probes imperfect parenting and the inevitability of living with some fear.
Read at Roger Ebert
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