Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg (R) stars alongside Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain,” winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
By Lucy Spicer
Temperatures may be dropping and daylight dwindling (don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend), but the influx of Sundance-supported new releases is holding steady this November. Split almost evenly between documentaries and fiction films, the list of 10 titles below — including four award winners from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — will take you across the globe, with projects from the U.S., Peru, Bhutan, New Zealand, Ukraine, and more.
Nonfiction fans get to explore a Bhutanese happiness survey, the persistence of art amid destruction in Ukraine, an essay where jazz meets a Cold War episode, the first year in office of Baltimore’s youngest mayor, and docs about R&B icon Luther Vandross and legendary photojournalist Margaret Moth. Fiction offerings this month include a Poland-set road film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, a heartwarming adaptation of a bestselling novel, an estranged father’s unexpected reunion with two daughters in Lima, and a lyrical coming-of-age film about the son of a cartel gunman.
The year’s not over yet, so we invite you to resist the urge to jump on holiday mainstays and find a new favorite in the diverse list of Sundance-supported features below.
Agent of Happiness — Among the verdant Himalayan mountains that stretch across Bhutan, agents working for the government travel around conducting a survey considered crucial to the nation’s health. They’re collecting data for the Gross National Happiness Index, which aims to measure the collective happiness of Bhutan’s population. Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó’s documentary follows one of these agents, Amber, as he interviews different households and gains deep insights about what constitutes fulfillment, all while contemplating his own desire for a family. Agent of Happiness premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 1.
Luther: Never Too Much — Luther Vandross started out as a backup vocalist for singers like Roberta Flack and David Bowie before moving into the spotlight as a solo artist whose incomparable velvety voice produced 15 platinum albums. Sundance alum Dawn Porter (Gideon’s Army, Trapped) directs a loving tribute to the R&B icon that both celebrates the late singer’s musical talents and shines a light on the personal frustrations that he endured throughout his life. Featuring archival footage of Vandross, recording sessions, and contemporary interviews with fellow musicians and friends, this insightful documentary premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 1.
A Real Pain — Cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) were close when they were younger, but their paths and priorities have since diverged. The two reunite on a guided trip to Poland to honor their late grandmother, where Benji’s unpredictable personality clashes with David’s more subdued demeanor. Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, took inspiration from his own family history to craft this humorously poignant road movie, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 1.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat — Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez took home the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Craft at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival for his documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which plucks a syncopated rhythm with the strings that created the geopolitical tangle following Congo’s independence from Belgium in 1960. Archival footage of political players — including President Eisenhower and Nikita Khrushchev — is woven together with works from the film essay’s musical players, jazz icons that include Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, and more. Coming to select theaters November 1.
Never Look Away — Actor Lucy Lawless steps behind the camera to document the remarkable life and career of Margaret Moth, trailblazing photojournalist and the first news camerawoman in New Zealand. Combining archival footage and personal interviews with the people who knew and worked with Moth, Never Look Away captures her fearless spirit and the legacy of her contributions to war journalism. Lawless’ directorial debut premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters and available to rent online November 22.
Out of My Mind — Based on Sharon M. Draper’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, this heartwarming coming-of-age story stars Phoebe-Rae Taylor as Melody Brooks, a nonverbal wheelchair user with cerebral palsy who longs for experiences beyond those afforded to her by the school administration, which has kept her in the same class for years. With help from her devoted parents (Rosemarie DeWitt and Luke Kirby) and an unexpected ally (Courtney Taylor), Melody gets the opportunity to join her peers in the sixth grade and show everyone what she’s made of. Directed by Amber Sealey, Out of My Mind premiered in the Family Matinee section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Streaming on Disney+ November 22.
Porcelain War — As a former soldier of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, Slava Leontyev is teaching self-described “ordinary people” in his community how to defend themselves amid the wreckage caused by missile strikes in the ongoing war with Russia. But Slava and his wife, Anya, are also artists, and they continue to create whimsical creatures out of porcelain, refusing to relinquish their creative spirit even as destruction persists around them. Co-directed by Slava and filmmaker Brendan Bellomo, Porcelain War premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. Coming to select theaters November 22.
The Body Politic — At just 36 years old when he assumed office in 2020, Brandon Scott is the youngest mayor in Baltimore’s history. Fueled by his experiences growing up in a community marked by violence, the progressive young leader lays out ambitious plans to reform the city’s police force and reduce the illegal flow of guns. Filmmaker Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough chronicles Scott’s first year in office in this documentary supported by Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film and Producers programs. Making its broadcast premiere on PBS’ POV November 25.
Reinas — In Lima during the summer of 1992, sisters Lucía (Abril Gjurinovic) and Aurora (Luana Vega) are preparing to move to Minnesota with their mother, Elena (Jimena Lindo), who has accepted a job opportunity there in the hopes of finding a safer home amid the ongoing conflict in Peru. When the girls’ jovial but mysterious father, Carlos (Gonzalo Molina), suddenly reappears to reconnect with his daughters after a prolonged absence, he throws a wrench in the family’s departure plans. Director and co-writer Klaudia Reynicke drew from her memories of childhood in Lima to create Reinas, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 29.
Sujo — Sujo (Kevin Aguilar) is just 4 years old when his father, a cartel gunman, is killed. His aunts Nemesia (Yadira Pérez) and Rosalia (Karla Garrido) take him to the Mexican countryside, where he grows up in relative isolation. As a teenager (portrayed by Juan Jesús Varela), Sujo finds himself drifting into the orbit of drug violence alongside his peers, where he faces the possibility of following in his father’s footsteps. Writer-directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez were awarded the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival for this lyrical coming-of-age drama. Coming to select theaters November 29.
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is underway! Traveling to all corners of the United States and beyond in the following months, the 110-minute program features seven short films selected from the 2024 Festival, including three Festival Award–winning titles. Check here for dates and venues; see below for dates in November.
- Lincoln, Nebraska, November 1, Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center
