by Tim Gordon:

The annual film festival kick-off of the New Year, The Sundance Film Festival, will conclude this week amidst the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah. Our staff had the opportunity to see over 30 of the films premiering at the festival and will spotlight our Top Ten Gems that left audiences buzzing.

Unlike previous years, this year’s slate of films including no star-studded “must-see” highly-anticipated fare. Films such as Mudbound, The Big Sick, Brooklyn, The Birth of A Nation and plenty of others have provided Park City audiences with electric moments. The absence of Harvey Weinstein’s dealmaking, as well as the lack of activity from the major screening services, such as Netflix, has produced a solid festival where the entire slate of films are all on equal footing. Despite the lack of major films and storylines, below is the list of films that thrilled us and perhaps may make some noise later this year.

Mr. Gordon’s “A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.” review excerpted below.

A Boy, A Girl, A Dream

Writer-director Qasim Basir’s third film focuses on a young couple, Cass (Omari Hardwick) and Frida (Megan Good) whose paths cross outside of a nightclub on the night of the 2016 election. Over the course of 90-minutes (edited to look like one tracking shot), we follow their journey from interested friends to the dawn of a new relationship. Each displaying tenderness and vulnerability, we witness their emotional walls slowly coming down as they open up and begin to trust each other. Hardwick and Good are mesmerizing and electric in this wildly romantic, keenly observant and blissfully hopeful romantic drama. Basir’s simple yet heart-warming story is a film that we don’t see often enough but during these turbulent and confusing times, it’s one we need – one filled with hope.