As another Sundance Film Festival comes to a close (be sure to check out our coverage here), it’s now time to assess which films will be seen and loved by the masses throughout the year. Though it is still intended as a showcase for independently made films, its position as a marketplace has become increasingly important as more boutique and indie studios shell out millions for these films. This year it became apparent that streaming services are major players, with million dollar VOD deals becoming just as noteworthy as theatrical acquisitions. Specifically, Netflix walked away with exclusive streaming and VOD rights for The Fundamentals of Caring, a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts, nanny drama Tallulah with Ellen Page, and Iranian horror film Under the Shadow. Amazon struck deals for Michael Shannon/Rachel Weisz thriller Complete Unknown, Whit Stillman’s Love and Friendship, and a $10 million deal for the highly praised Manchester by the Sea, the newest film from indie auteur Kenneth Lonergan. For more info on all the Sundance purchases, check out the full list at The Wrap.

If all of that isn’t proof enough that streaming is where it’s at, check out the best films and television to hit streaming this week:

Netflix

Frozen Planet (Series, 2011)

From the creator of the renowned Planet Earth series comes a nine-part documentary series focusing on the environment and life of the Arctic and Antarctic poles. If you are totally into penguins, polar bears or the albatross, Frozen Planet gives a well-researched and beautifully shot exploration—all with David Attenborough’s dulcet tones. And if you love the series, Netflix also has two special extra companion features, On Thin Ice and An Epic Journey, to stream, along with the six-part Making of Frozen Planet behind-the-scenes series.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
From Dusk to Dawn (Series, Season 2)
Ripper Street (Series, Season 3)
Turbo Kid (François Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell, 2015)

Fandor

Red Desert (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1964)

In this week’s “Criterion Picks” Fandor takes a look at the color film debuts of some of the world’s great filmmakers. By 1964, Italian auteur Antonioni had built a career on stylized dramas in striking black-and-white cinematography—his first colorized film, Red Desert, is strangely set in an industrial wasteland but is no less beautiful. You can also check out color firsts from Kurosawa, Renoir, Ophuls, and more until February 7. Fandor is also in the Sundance spirit this week with their Spotlight on some of their favorite films that played Park City. Their far-ranging selections include Hoop Dreams, Slacker, The Forbidden Room, Meek’s Cutoff, and Computer Chess.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
Archangel (Guy Maddin, 1990)
Equinox Flower (Yasujiro Ozu, 1958)
Mon oncle (Jacques Tati, 1958)
Our Nixon (Penny Lane, 2013)
What Remains (Steven Cantor, 2006)

MUBI

The Square (Jehane Noujaim, 2013)

MUBI is also into the Sundance Film Festival this week, as their curated selections all highlight films that debuted at the fest. Among them is the stunning look at the recent Egyptian revolution, The Square. The winner of the 2013 Sundance Audience Award for World Cinema in the documentary category and Oscar nominee, the film covers the protests against former president Mubarak through the eyes of the people in the title square. It is a beautiful example of the power of people and really puts the viewer into the experience, living through the political angst, terror, and ultimate victory. MUBI is offering the complete version of the film with an updated ending covering the events that followed the film’s release.

Other titles new to MUBI this week:
Detropia (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, 2012)
Durakovo: Village of Fools (Nino Kirtadze, 2008)
The Unbelievable Truth (Hal Hartley, 1989)
Vulgar Fractions (Peter Bo Rappmund, 2011)
Wrong (Quentin Dupieux, 2012)

Video On-Demand

The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 2015)

Among the most beautifully shot films of 2015, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin was included by many as one of the best films of the year (including us). Though it has been marketed heavily as a martial arts action film, The Assassin is a more slowly-paced, contemplative film than that, much more concerned with character, tone, and style than narrative or action. This may turn off some viewers, but the lush visual pleasures of the film cannot be denied. Though seeing the film at home may not be in its best possible presentation, for those who missed it in its limited theatrical run, The Assassin can not be rented or purchased through iTunes and other VOD platforms.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
Burnt (John Wells, 2015)
Crimson Peak (Guillermo del Toro, 2015)
Truth (James Vanderbilt, 2015)

I arrived at the Roxie Theater on Saturday afternoon prepared for a huge day of films, and that’s exactly what my third day at SF Indiefest delivered. The first presentation of the day was a trio of shorts by newcomer Mary Helena Clark, paired with Desire Inc., a provocative short by Bay Area filmmaker Lynn Hershman. Next up, I shuffled over to the Roxie’s sister theater, Little Roxie, to watch Todd Looby’s charmingly honest Be Good. After filling my belly with delicious eats from the tapas place across the street (yum), I returned to the main Roxie theater to watch Quentin Dupieux’s playfully bizarre Wrong.
The night was capped off right around the corner from the Roxie at 518 Gallery with white Russians, mini-bowling, Dudes, Walters, and Jesuses, with SF Indiefest’s 10th annual Big Lebowski party, along with a 35mm screening of the film. The devoted Lebowski faithful came out in full force, and gathered to form a raucous orgy of Lebowski love. It was a memorable night that cemented for me that SF Indiefest is an absolute must-go event for any and all film enthusiasts.

The night was capped off right around the corner from the Roxie at 518 Gallery with white Russians, mini-bowling, Dudes, Walters, and Jesuses, with SF Indiefest’s 10th annual Big Lebowski party, along with a 35mm screening of the film. The devoted Lebowski faithful came out in full force, and gathered to form a raucous orgy of Lebowski love. It was a memorable night that cemented for me that SF Indiefest is an absolute must-go event for any and all film enthusiasts.

Three experimental shorts from Mary Helena Clark

Mary Helena Clark (who was in attendance) presented her experimental shorts And the Sun Flowers, Sound Over Water, and By Foot-Candle Light, all of which elicited long-forgotten memories and feelings from my childhood. Clark’s films linger on beautiful abstract images long enough for the hazy sights and sounds to transform in their meaning, cling to your mind, and become yours. Sound Over Water, the best of the trio, comforts with serene underwater images, while simultaneously creating a growing sense of claustrophobia.

And the Sun Flowers RATING: 6.8

Sound Over Water RATING: 8.9

By Foot-Canle Light RATING: 8

Desire Inc.

Experienced filmmaker Lynn Hershman (also in attendance) followed up with her thought-provoking look into technological fantasy Desire Inc. Filmed in 1985, before the internet had taken over the world, Hershman shares a set of ads she created and ran in the Bay Area, in which a seductive model urges viewers to call her. We are then shown footage of actual men who responded to the ads and the fascinating effects the ads had on their minds. It’s a deeply explorative work of art that contemplates the “phantom limb” we all utilize to reach into our television screens and interact with our most personal fantasies. When asked in the Q&A that followed the film if she would have made the film differently in the internet age, Hershman stressed that Desire Inc. and all films are portraits of their time and forever live just in that place.

RATING: 9.5

Be Good

Director Todd Looby’s Be Good follows independent filmmaker and stay-at-home dad Paul, his wife, Mary, who reluctantly returns to work but would much rather be at home with their newborn baby girl, Pearl. Paul wrestles with the reality that caring for the sleepless Pearl is stifling his filmmaking career, his friendships, and his marriage. Mary is frustrated with inhabiting the role of sole provider for the family and begins to resent Paul for not being able to contribute to the family financially and for being able to stay home with Pearl when she cannot. The rift between the couple grows as they use Pearl to escape one another, both emotionally and physically.

The situations Looby puts Paul and Mary in feel genuine, the pacing of the film hits the right rhythm, and Looby’s directing is tasteful. In scenes where Mary’s eye wanders to a male co-worker, Looby uses just the right amount of suggestion to where the situation doesn’t feel manufactured or contrived, but earnest and real. Neither parent is vilified, and their reactions to each other are completely understandable and believable thanks to sharp writing and two great performances. Thomas Madden and Amy Seimetz (as Paul and Mary, respectively) create a refined, naturalistic portrayal of a couple that is faced with the difficult juggling act that is parenthood.

Be Good is one of my favorite films of the festival so far. Looby is fair to his characters and treats them and their dilemma with respect. Their difficult situation is presented plainly and tastefully, and it’s clear that some of the scenes were plucked right out of Looby’s own life. He uses his own apartment, his own baby, and his own life experiences to inform the film, and what results is a deeply personal work. As a newlywed and future father, Be Good was a truly touching film.

RATING: 9.2

Wrong

Quentin Dupieux, director of the absurdist horror flick Rubber, delivers an equally nonsensical and wacky film with Wrong. We follow Dolph Springer, who wakes up to find that his beloved dog Paul is missing. In his search for his best friend, we are shown the wacky world Dolph lives in and the kooky eccentrics that inhabit it. As Dolph unravels the mystery behind Paul’s disappearance, his faith and connection with his pet are tested, and his problems begin to have damaging effects on the people surrounding him.

Dupieux’s film resembles a lighter, sillier version of a David Lynch dreamlike mind-bender, exchanging Lynch’s deep shadows and terror for bright, natural lighting and frivolous absurdity. Most of Wrong’s gags and wacky imagery are good for some laughs, but the effect comes and goes. We see things like a clock that strikes 7:60, a video of Paul’s shit’s memories (yep), and a man painting another man’s truck blue without permission. Unlike in Lynch’s films, none of the images stick and are soon forgotten, though they are fun in the moment.

What does stick are the great performances by the talented cast. Jack Plotnick plays Dolph with complete sincerity and dryness. While the film has a light, silly tone, Plotnick does a good job of reminding us of the true pain the absence of his Paul has caused Dolph. The rest of the cast do a good job as well, and deliver the dry dialogue with skillful comedic timing. William Fichtner is a standout as a spiritual guru who is an expert on making astral connections with other beings as is Regan Burns, who plays a jogger who will deny to the death that he is a jogger. Watching the characters’ hilarious conversations with each other is the main strength of the film. Wrong is a fun exercise in nonsensicality, but fails to resonate in any significant way.

RATING: 6.2

From February 7-21, a giant celebration of independent film will be running wild across the San Francisco Bay Area in the form of SF IndieFest, an independent film festival which will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and Way Too Indie will be there to give you comprehensive coverage of the festivities. San Francisco exhibits an open-mindedness, advocacy of cinematic experimentation and innovation, and general artistic acceptance that no city in the world can match, making it the ideal environment for a festival like SF IndieFest to thrive in.

San Francisco hosts a slew of film festivals throughout the year, but what makes SF IndieFest unique are its special events, which include a The Big Lebowski -themed party (to be followed with a 35mm midnight screening of the film), a Roller Disco party (because, why not?), a Valentine’s Day 80’s Power Ballad Sing-Along, a Quinceanera-themed opening night party, and much more. These events are sure to provide a hell of a time for the thousands of festival-goers, but it’s the stellar lineup of films that has attracted independent filmmakers and enthusiasts from around the world to the city by the bay since 1998.

Our coverage will include: Film reviews and impressions, photos, video blogs, and coverage of the various special events and parties.

The films on deck this year are phenomenal; any and all lovers of independent film (that means you) should be getting very, very excited. Here are some films from the festival to keep an eye on, with reviews to follow as the festival commences.

The We And The I

(Director Michel Gondry)

In the festival’s big opener, the endlessly imaginative Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind, The Science of Sleep) plants us on a bus sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a group of mischievous Bronx teenagers on their last day of school and watch as their relationships evolve, or perhaps dissolve. It will be interesting to see what kind of imagery and situations Gondry, with his surrealist visual style and mad-scientist flare, will offer up with such a small, cramped space to play with. We watch Gondry’s films to see just how far he can stretch his imagination, and The We And The I looks to be an inventive, humorous, emotional, and wholly unique showcase of his one-of-a-kind creativity.

The We And The I trailer:

Days of Grace

(Director Everardo Valerio Gout)

Set in Mexico City, Days of Grace follows the intertwining destinies of three men, who fight for their lives inside the vicious, corrupt, wicked environment that envelops them. Jumping between the years 2002, 2006, and 2010, Everado Valerio Gout tells a relentless tale of deception and vengeance that puts its characters through hell to see who comes out in one piece.

Days of Grace trailer:

All The Light In The Sky

(Director Joe Swanberg)

In All The Light In The Sky, the festival’s closer, Joe Swanberg invites us to spend time with Marie (Jane Adams), an actress in her 40’s who lives on a house by the sea in Malibu. Marie feels there is something missing in her life, and we watch as she contemplates which direction to go in to find what she’s looking for.

(No trailer yet for All The Light In The Sky)

Antiviral

(Director Brandon Cronenberg)

In this gruesome, thrilling take on body-horror, director Brandon Cronenberg delivers a fantastic feature debut that channels his father’s legacy while successfully establishing his own cinematic style. Antiviral follows Syd March, played by the gifted Caleb Landry Jones, as he uses his own body as a vehicle to smuggle viruses harvested from celebrities to sell to rabid fans who want to make a connection with their favorite stars on a biological level.

Antiviral trailer:

Wrong

(Director Quentin Dupieux)

Dolph Springer (Jack Plotnick) wakes up to find he has lost the love of his life: his dog, Paul. He embarks on a strange, wacky, comical quest to reunite with his beloved canine friend, and uncovers an unexpected spiritual conspiracy along the way. In Wrong, the follow-up to the outrageously absurd Rubber, director Quentin Dupieux creates a weird, nonsensical world where it rains indoors, dog sh*t has memories, and clocks read “7:60.”

Wrong trailer:

There are a lot more wonderful films to look forward to at the festival. Here is the rest of the lineup.

SF IndieFest 2013 Lineup:

28 Hotel Rooms (Matt Ross)
Be Good (Todd Looby)
Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland)
Blue Dream (Gregory Hatanaka)
Born Innocent (Donald Wrye)
Bound By Flesh (Leslie Zemeckis)
Days of Grace (Everado Gout)
Faceless (Tristan Albrecht)
Faces in the Mirror (Boyd Tinsley)
Funeral Kings (Matt & Kevin McManus)
The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (Paul Bunnell)
Ghosts With Shit Jobs (Chris McCawley)
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (Jorge Hinojosa)
I Declare War (Jason Lapeyre & Robert Wilson)
Inside Lara Roxx (Mia Donovan)
It’s a Disaster (Todd Berger)
The International Sign for Choking (Zach Weintraub)
The Last Elvis (Armando Bo)
The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (Davide Manuli)
The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus (Alexandre Phillippe)
Manborg (Steven Kostanski)
Not in Tel Aviv (Nony Geffen)
The Other Side of Sleep (Rebecca Daly)
The Revisionaries (Scott Thurman)
Sightseers (Ben Wheatley)
Simon Killer (Antonio Campos)
The Story of Luke (Alonso Mayo)
Sun Don’t Shine (Amy Seimetz)
Toys Are Not For Children (Stanley Brassloff)
Video Diary of a Lost Girl (Lindsay Denniberg)

Shorts Program

An Animated World
Bouquet of Pleasures & Pains
Cults, Manholes & Slide Rail Riders
Defying the Limits
Hilarious & Entertaining Adventures
Innocence Bursting
Uncanny Shorts-Past & Present