Sundance 2023 Horror Breakdown: Motherhood Looms Large Over a Crop of Ambitious Indies

Spoiler alert: Plot points from Infinity Pool are discussed below. One of the most indelible images from Sundance 2023 came at the end of Brandon Cronenbergs luxury-vacation-gone-wrong film Infinity Pool. The protagonist, James (Alexander Skarsgrd), is bruised and battered, physically and emotionally, after killing a feral clone of himself with his bare hands. The mysterious

Spoiler alert: Plot points from “Infinity Pool” are discussed below.

One of the most indelible images from Sundance 2023 came at the end of Brandon Cronenberg’s luxury-vacation-gone-wrong film “Infinity Pool.” The protagonist, James (Alexander Skarsgård), is bruised and battered, physically and emotionally, after killing a feral clone of himself with his bare hands. The mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth) reveals one of her breasts, covers it with the blood of the killed clone, and invites James to nurse from her, his hulking body curled on her lap like a child.

It was clear that most of the indie filmmakers who debuted horror and Midnight films at Sundance had maternal relationships on their minds. Of the eight midnight selections, seven featured strong thematic ties to mother-child relationships.

While the theme wasn’t limited to the Midnight section (see buzzy debuts such as “The Persian Version” and “Bad Behaviour”), it wasn’t as all-encompassing at other corners of the festival. And while mainstream horror looks like it could touch on this topic in upcoming studio fare such as “Evil Dead Rise,” many of the key titles don’t point to it like the indies do. In fact, look no further than January’s unexpected horror hit “Skinamarink,” in which the main characters spend much of their time trying to find their mother.

Sundance 2022 featured a strong crop of Midnight features that ended up resonating with the horror community (including “Speak No Evil,” “Fresh,” “Piggy,” and “Hatching,”), and this year’s slate was an equally strong, if contemplative, bunch.

  • Birth/Rebirth

    Laura Moss’ feature debut, co-written with frequent collaborator Brendan J. O’Brien, is a dark riff on a “Frankenstein” tale in which a doctor (Marin Ireland), who believes she has found the cure for death, steals the corpse of a young girl (A.J. Lister) and continues her experimentation with the help of the grieving mother (Judy Reyes). A mixture of dark humor, gothic twists, a unique score and an offbeat central performance from Ireland makes up for a lack of scares with a nerve-wracking tale.

  • Run Rabbit Run

    One of the first key acquisitions of the festival was Netflix picking up this Aussie take on “The Babadook,” starring “Succession” favorite Sarah Snook as a fertility doctor whose relationship with daughter (Lily LaTorre) begins to fray when she starts doing creepy kid movie things, like wearing weird masks and feeling a peculiar fondness for old family photos. It’s an adequately spooky tale that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but is elevated by the actors and should be a crowdpleaser on streaming.

  • Infinity Pool

    Although the premise of this luxury-skewering tale might mimic “White Lotus” or “The Menu,” “Infinity Pool” veers in a far different direction than those more mainstream titles, fusing the psychedelic and nauseating imagery from 2020’s “Possessor” into the tale of a man tasting the wild side of wealth, but not able to hold on when things get too real. Skarsgård and Goth are acting to the rafters in a movie full of sweeping visuals, leading to a sensory overload in the last half hour which will speak to the converted while potentially alienating moviegoers who are not used to Cronenberg’s world.

  • Talk to Me

    Twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou helmed this Austrian feature about a haunting new game taking teen parties by storm: Hold on to this creepy old hand and you can communicate with the dead, as well as let them temporarily possess your body. Would you believe that it’s all fun and games until…it’s not? Some sharp twists and shocking violence elevate the more predictable elements of this lean feature, which A24 wisely scooped up as an alternative to its more formally constructed fare. The beating heart of the film is star Sophie Wilde, whose desperation to communicate with her dead-too-soon mother leads her down dark paths.

  • In My Mother’s Skin

    This fantastical period piece, set in the Philippines in 1945, focuses on a rich family near the end of WWII whose patriarch may be hoarding stolen gold belonging to the occupying Japanese. As he leaves to keep his family out of harm’s way, his wife (Beauty Gonzalez) becomes violently ill, leaving the young Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli) to take care of her mother — and even younger brother — as food becomes scarce. She turns to a beautiful fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) for help, but the help, of course, comes at a price. Although it borrows liberally from possession features and films like “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Skin” is gorgeously shot and anchored by an unmissable performance from Gonzalez, whose quick descent into monstrosity is witnessed through the eyes of her observant daughter. It’s a chilling role, made even better with creative creature makeup.

  • My Animal

    Another great addition to the Canadian werewolf coming-of-age canon, this spiritual successor to “Ginger Snaps” follows Heather (a mesmerizing Bobbi Salvör Menuez), an outsider because of lycanthropic tendencies, as they fall in love with Jonny (Amandla Stenberg) and are met with scorn and derision in their small town. Yet many of the film’s most impactful moments take place between Heather’s supportive father, who is also a werewolf, and cruel, alcoholic mother. While the film is light on gore, it’s dripping with atmosphere, bathed in inky night, harsh red tones and washed over with an ’80s-inspired soundtrack prime for big emotions.

  • Polite Society

    Nida Manzoor’s wild “Scott Pilgrim”-esque action comedy is a warm look at sisterly love that shoots for maximum weirdness during an unhinged final act. Ria (Priya Kansara) is convinced that her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) would only want to get married to her gorgeous and charming boyfriend because he’s an evil mastermind controlled by his devilish mother. Her proof is silly at first, but what if she’s right? That answer comes after madcap capers with Ria and her friends at school, standouts in a crowded and lively cast.

  • Animalia

    Although not part of the Midnight selection, this dread-filled, psychedelic alien invasion movie seems primed to find an audience ready to take a sophisticated sci-fi journey. Itto (a hypnotic Oumaïma Barid) is very pregnant as strange weather patterns start taking place, and she must get to her husband and very rich family at the governor’s compound for safety. Along the way, she sees visions and evidence of the invading extraterrestrials, beings that evoke both “Arrival” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” What the film lacks in ray guns and scary beasts it makes up for in lush cinematography and heady conversations about what it means to be human.

  • Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

    The sole Midnight title that didn’t lean into maternal themes was unfortunately also an outlier in terms of quality. The passion project of director, writer, producer and star Andrew Bowser, “Talisman of Souls” is a feature length project featuring his popular viral character “Onyx the Fortuitous,” a geeky satan worshipper who has trouble communicating with other people. Despite Bowser’s lived-in performance, Onyx becomes grating a few minutes into a punishingly long 110 minute feature. There are some fun ideas here — including hammy turns from horror icons Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, as well as some inspired creature design later in the film — but ultimately it feels like an old “Mad TV” sketch pushed to the limit.

  • Divinity

    Eddie Alcazar’s surreal black and white sci-fi feature is a bold vision of a world where immortality is literally bottled up and sold. The cast — a delightfully random group of performers that includes Stephen Dorff, Karrueche Tran, Bella Thorne and Scott Bakula — is game to follow bizarre inspiration in this selection from Sundance’s NEXT lineup. It’s a dark story in every way that could conceivably draw in adventurous cinephiles.

  • Cat Person

    The most unlikely title of the fest to end up on a horror summary, “Cat Person” was not billed as a thriller, but could end up attracting an audience well beyond fans who read the viral New Yorker story it was based on. Starring Emilia Jones as a woman dating a quirky older guy she doesn’t know much about, played by Nicholas Braun, the film does an excellent job of portraying the horror of being a woman in modern society, where walking home alone at night or going on a first date could turn into something far more sinister. Although the divisive third act shoves the narrative uncomfortably into thriller territory, the bulk of the movie does a fantastic job of turning everyday anxieties into something far scarier than a knife-wielding slasher.

  • Midnight Shorts

    Much like the features, several of the Midnight shorts touched upon the ever-present motherhood themes.

    • “In the Flesh” — Daphne Gardner examines a woman whose bathtub pipes start leaking black goo — shocking, until she herself starts menstruating black goo, and then things get terrifying. It’s a confident work that could have benefitted from a bit more time exploring the big ideas.
    • “Unborn Biru” — This Norwegian tale, written and directed by Inga Elin Marakatt, could easily be the foundation for an A24 feature in the vein of “The Witch.” As a pregnant reindeer herder steals to keep her family alive, the repercussions of her actions are dire.
    • “Power Signal” — Oscar Boyson’s tale of a delivery driver stumbling upon an alien invasion seems like the must-watch prequel of a blockbuster. The 20-minute tale — in which women are being turned into and possibly impregnated by extraterrestrials — practically begs to be expanded into a feature.
    • “A Folded Ocean” — A brilliant and disgusting visual representation of couples becoming too close, Ben Brewer’s visual stunner had some of the fest’s most evocative storytelling. (Read more about “A Folded Ocean” here.)
    • “Pipes” — A handsome black and white animated short, Jessica Meier and Kilian Feusi’s bite-sized diversion is a creative look at gay fetish clubs.
    • “AliEN0089” — Valeria Hofmann’s story of a gamer who is getting stalked both within the real and digital worlds is a uniquely-told exercise in cross-platform storytelling.
    • “Claudio’s Song” — Andreas Nilsson’s jokey influencer takedown feels like a surreal SNL sketch that goes down easy but lacks the bite of the other programming.

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