No fuzzy snow boots. No standing in lines that rival the queue for the rollercoasters at Disney World. No sightings of Mindy Kaling and Timothee Chalamet on Main Street. Like all the other big fests around the world, the annual Sundance Film Festival went virtual in 2021 due to the global pandemic. Translation? Instead of slogging through the slush in Park City, Utah, to get to various screenings — totally worth it if the movies are Promising Young Woman, Call Me by Your Name, Palm Springs or Eighth Grade — festival-goers watched the best of independent cinema from the quiet comfort of their own couches.
But that didn’t mean anyone was deprived of the cinematic goods. Here are the top 10 offerings from the festival. Keep them on your radar now; check them out and put them on your awards scorecard later.