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SUNDANCE 2021 REVIEW
SUPERIOR
By Danny Munso
If you are searching for the most exciting debut from a filmmaker at Sundance, look no further than Erin Vassilopoulos’ stunning Superior, a Lynch-ian 80’s thriller that feels completely fresh and more distinctive than any other film shown at this year’s festival.
Based on Vassilopoulos’ own short of the same name – which also premiered at Sundance in 2015 – the film follows an on-the-run musician named Marian (Ani Mesa) who returns to her childhood home to stay with her twin sister Vivian (Alessandra Mesa) while things calm down. Marian disrupts Vivian’s small-town life while the danger she is running from creeps closer and closer. The Mesa sisters reprise their roles from the 2015 short (Alessandra also co-wrote the screenplay with Vassilopoulos) and while the short isn’t required viewing to understand the feature, it does serve as a nice introduction to the characters and their dynamic. The Mesa’s have only become more adept performers in the intermittent years between both films and they are given the complete run of the film, only occasionally sharing screen time with a handful of minor characters.
As Marian and Vivian spend more time together, the lines between the two of them begin to blur. It starts simply: Marian dyes her hair like her sister’s to avoid being recognized by anyone searching for her. Gradually, they begin to swap lives. First it’s just for a day, which of course turns into longer. The script does a great job identifying both sisters’ motivations. For Marian, she’s escaping something truly dangerous. Vivian’s danger is less tangible but just as real: a monotonous suburban housewife life where her and her husband are trying to get pregnant and plot out their lovemaking via a calendar in the kitchen. The Mesa’s performances are truly exceptional, leading to the film’s real trick: by late in the second act, it can sometimes be confusing as to which sister you are watching on screen. But this isn’t done as visual manipulation intended to deceive the audience. It’s a testament to two brilliant actors and Vassilopoulos encouraging the lines to be blurred.
Fans of Vassilopoulos’ short films won’t be surprised by the visual feast here. The film is beautifully shot on 16mm by DP Mia Cioffi Henry and the recurring color of red that permeates the film leaps out of each frame. The film’s visual style subtly alternates depending on which sister is on-screen, a mix of heightened images contrasted with ones of mundane stoicism, yet thanks to Vassilopoulos’ steady hand, those two worlds feel of a piece with one another. Her confident direction feels like that of a seasoned filmmaker.
Marian is on the run from her abusive boyfriend and he hovers like a cloud over the film. We know it’s only a matter of time before he re-enters the narrative, yet the script could have fleshed out that character and relationship a little more so that when he does emerge it’s a little more impactful. (Though the film’s conclusion is wildly thrilling.) None of that stops Superior from being a complete triumph, a perfect blend of a unique visual style with substantive characters and performances. The film will undoubtedly find the distribution deal it deserves and officially announce Vassilopoulos as a truly special filmmaking force.
For more info on Superior, visit its official Sundance page HERE.
DIRECTED BY: Erin Vassilopoulos
WRITTEN BY: Erin Vassilopoulos & Alessandra Mesa
PRODUCED BY: Benjamin Cohen, Grant Curatola and Patrick Donovan
STARRING: Alessandra Mesa, Ani Mesa, Pico Alexander, Jake Hoffman
This year the Sundance Film Festival is online – which means you can join in on the fun from anywhere in the world! While some films are sold out – tickets do become available sometimes at the last minute so make sure browse the catalog for a film you’d like to see and check for ticket availability here.
Want to read some interviews with today’s top storytellers? We hope you’ll check out our in-depth interviews or read a cool screenplay in its entirety in Backstory Magazine! You can read us on a desktop/laptop or via our iPad app. You can see Issue 42’s Table of Contents – or we hope you will consider – Subscribing or buying a single issue!
If you decide to subscribe – please use code: SAVE5 to save $5 off your one year subscription in the checkout cart on our website. Your login credentials will work both on a desktop/laptop or via our iPad app.