Consider some of the films that have won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance over the years: “Blood Simple,” “The Brothers McMullen,” “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “American Splendor,” “Frozen River,” “Winter’s Bone,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Whiplash” and “Minari.” As the Sundance finale in Park City kicks off for 2026, the question is whether this year’s winner will find its place in history as these films clearly have. Unfortunately, the first two Drama Competition films from my personal experience don’t have that kind of juice, although there are performances in both to admire.
The better of the two is that of Rachel Lambert “Carousel,” a story of old flames who reunite in the shadow of tumultuous moments in their lives. Noah (Chris Pin) is still battling the ripple effects of divorce, waves that transformed her daughter Rebecca (Abby Ryder Fortson) in a ball of anxiety. In the opening scene, Rebecca has a mini-panic attack when she leaves her homework in the kitchen instead of bringing it to school, making it seem like this poor girl has a short fuse, and Noah will need to be around more to protect her from herself.
Noah seems a bit adrift himself, not only because of the divorce, but also because his business partner Sam (Sam Waterston) is retiring, leaving the family medical practice in danger of dissolving. Into this stressful period falls Rebecca (Jenny Slate), an old sweetheart from high school and beyond, has been estranged from Noah for what seems like years. She returns to Ohio from her job in Washington to help her parents (Jeffrey DeMunn and Jessica Harper) clean out their family home to sell. Through snippets of conversation, we get the sense that Noah and Rebecca were somehow running away from something serious when they were young. Are they ready to run there now? And what impact will all the upheavals in their family life have on a possible reunion?
The main problem with “Carousel” is a bit strange: Pine and Slate don’t play like two people who have known each other since childhood. They have too little chemistry and too little sense of shared history, which could be a fault in the writing, direction or performance. Whatever the reason, there’s a strange void at the center of “Carousel” due to the sense that Noah and Rebecca feel more like people who have just met than doomed lovers seeking redemption. A generous reading might be that they’ve changed so much and been through so much that they’re just starting to get to know each other again, but that still feels like a flaw.
And yet, “Carousel” is a difficult film to dismiss because of everything Chris Pine brings to it. Doing the best work of his career, he makes consistently subtle and intelligent choices, from a furrowed brow to a bitten nail to a downward glance. After a while, I stopped really caring about the underwritten plot and simply admired the process Pine displayed. He’s so good that he makes the film worth watching. I just wish the ride was a little smoother overall.
Another bumpy ride unfolds in Ramzi Bashour’s affectionate but light-hearted film. “Hot water” a road comedy that fits neatly into the classic Sundance box of a film in which family members finally get to know each other after moving out of the home they share. There’s an admirable tenderness in “Hot Water” and an engaging turn from star Lubna Azabal (“Fires”), but too much of what might seem true in this comedy-drama seems punctured by manufactured beats that telegraph and emphasize feelings instead of allowing them to emerge organically from the character work.
Daniel (Daniel Zolghadri) has already been held back twice at his Indiana high school and is facing expulsion, which could lead to a 7-year plan to graduate. Daniel’s father Anton reappears, offering to let the young man finish his studies with him on the West Coast, but Daniel cannot fly because the fight that got him kicked out damaged his lung. So his mother Layal (Azabal) agrees to drive him across the country, leading to conversations in restaurants and motels between the temperamental Arabic teacher and her eccentric son.
Through the magnificent landscapes of this country, Layal learns to relax a little and Daniel learns to grow up a little. The problem is, anyone who’s seen the movie knows that it’s the navigation of a movie like “Hot Water,” which leaves too little room for surprises or even character work. Too much hot water makes you feel like you’re going through the motions. It’s never a terribly awful film, just one that’s too forgettable, even with Azabal’s notable efforts to find as many subtle beats as possible.
One of the themes of “Hot Water” is that mothers and sons often need to just listen to each other and spend time with each other to not only see them in a new light, but to see how wonderful they are. I think Bashour likes Layal and Daniel, which is important. He tries to avoid turning them into clichés while trying to find the commonality between these very different souls. I just wish he would find a way to make us love them as much.
