Sundance review: 'Fantastic Machine' examines the camera, and asks whether it's doing more to us than for us.

Nearly everyone reading this review is carrying a camera, and the makers of the documentary “Fantastic Machine” pose a timely question: What is that doing to us?

Swedish directors Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck start with the history, starting with Niceephore Niépce’s first captured photograph in 1827. The story quickly runs through Louis Daguerre’s first photo prints in the 1830s and Eadweard Muybridge’s first photograph studies of motion — the precursor of the first motion pictures.

In 1902, Georges Méliès, the French illusionist and filmmaker, wowed English audiences by screening a movie of the coronation of King Edward VII — a simulation, filmed in the outskirts of Paris, and released on the day of the actual coronation. Some critics decried the fakery, but one fan was King Edward himself, who called the camera “a fantastic machine.”

Thus has it been that for as long as there have been cameras, there have been criticisms about how they are used.

One montage early on raises that point rather chillingly. It’s a montage of famous world leaders using stagecraft to appear invincible. The montage runs from Hitler and Stalin to Trump and Vladmir Putin. That’s followed by images of a girl killed in an earthquake in Haiti in 2010 — and then cut to show a line of photographers all trying for the same photo of the dead girl.

The sound era of moviemaking is depicted here as encompassing everything from Al Jolson saying “you ain’t heard nothing yet” in “The Jazz Singer” to YouTube videos showing people hilariously injuring themselves in home accidents. 

The camera can show the earth rising over the horizon of the moon, or it can show insurrectionists trashing journalists’ gear on their way to storming the U.S. Capitol in Washington. And viral videos can show people a woman demonstrating how to defrost a freezer or a member of Isis showing how to make a bomb.

This is the way many people see the world, through their screens — and Danielson and Van Aertryck, through a flurry of fascinating images, make the sharp point that we need to get smarter about how we process what we see.

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‘Fantastic Machine’

★★★1/2

Playing in the World Cinema Documentary competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6:55 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2:45 p.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 26, 3 p.m., Park Avenue Theatre, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, 9:30 a.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for nude images, violent images and language. Running time: 88 minutes. 

Sundance review: 'Plan C' chronicles the efforts to maintain legal access to abortion pills, with more tension than the average thriller

A documentary that plays like a thriller, Tracey Droz Tragos’ “Plan C” follows the people who are keep access to abortion pills available to those who need them.

Access to abortion pills is legal in the United States, if you can find a doctor who can, under the law, prescribe them to you. Some states bar doctors from prescribing them, or require the patient to see a doctor in person — something not required for drugs far more dangerous than these, the health care experts in the film say.

For every new law, though, there’s a workaround. One provider sets up an unmarked van as a mobile clinic, arranging meetups in public places — like the parking lot of a library or a post office. The van doesn’t stay in one place for too long, in case anti-abortion protesters learn of the location and come over to harass and threaten the medical professionals inside.

At the heart of the documentary is Francine Coeytaux, a veteran public-health worker who has made a career of making sure people who need it can get emergency contraception. Coeytaux co-founds a grassroots group, called Plan C, which sets up a hotline for women to call for information about how to legally get abortion pills. Unsurprisingly, the stories that come in the hotline are harrowing accounts of women who want to be “un-pregnant,” and can’t afford to, say, fly to a state where abortion is still legal. 

The efforts of Plan C, the documentary points out, were underway long before last summer’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in all 50 states for nearly 50 years — on the weird notion that a woman and her doctor were more qualified to make such a decision than some state legislators. The inspiration was actually the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down women’s health clinics while making remote prescriptions more convenient for most every other form of pharmaceutical. 

Dragos profiles the women who have banded together to keep access going, and the adjustments they must make every time a state tries to change the law. It’s a vital story, and need to be told now.

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‘Plan C’

★★★1/2

Playing in the Premieres section of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again Wednesday, Jan. 25, 3:45 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City; Friday, Jan. 27, 3 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 a.m., Park Avenue Theatre, Park City; Sunday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway, Salt Lake City. Not rated, but probably PG-13 for descriptions of sexual assault and language. Running time: 99 minutes.

Sundance review: 'The Disappearance of Shere Hite' tells how a famous sex researcher's work has gone down the memory hole

How exactly did a controversial, charismatic and best-selling sex expert get shoved down the memory hole, to the point where many people today don’t know who the was? That’s the intriguing question director Nicole Newnham poses in the fascinating documentary “The Disappearance of Shere Hite.” 

(Warning: This review, like the movie, uses language about human sexuality that some may find offensive.)

Hite became famous in the mid 1970s for authoring “The Hite Report,” at the time one of the most thorough studies of how women think about sex. Taking thousands of completed surveys from women around the world, Hite and her research team came up with some jaw-dropping data — with the headline being the news that women were far more likely to achieve an orgasm through masturbation than through being penetrated by a man’s penis.

The news was a bombshell. So was Hite, who had a lithe figure and gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair. She used both to  get through college, working as a model for advertising and illustrations (she was the model for the buxom babes flanking Sean Connery in the poster for “Diamonds Are Forever”), as well as some tasteful nudes that would come back to haunt her. 

Hite also was politically active, and signed on early with the National Organization for Women. She enlisted her fellow activists to distribute her survey, which asked open-ended questions detailing one’s sexual experience, feelings and preferences. 

Hite also promoted the heck out of “The Hite Report,” making it a best-seller. That’s in spite of efforts by the publisher, the company’s former editor-in-chief tells the filmmakers, to deep-six the book by printing only 4,000 copies on its initial run and not providing any publicity. But Hite, deploying her striking looks and her command of her subject, made numerous TV appearances to talk up her findings.

The uproar over Hite’s first book was nothing compared to what happened with her second book, a survey asking men to talk about their sexual experiences, as well as their feelings. The biggest finding was that the vast majority of men were unhappy in their relationships — but couldn’t say so out loud because of the pressure on men not to show their feelings.

The release of the second “Hite Report” generated some of the most outlandish footage in Newnham’s film. There’s one clip where talk-show host Mike Douglas is asking Hite about her findings, and actor David Hasselhoff makes the mistake of trying to equate Hite’s thousands of survey responses to the anecdotal evidence of some of Hasselhoff’s pals. (Theree’s a similar clip that “Buck Rogers” star Gil Gerard won’t be happy to see circulating again.)

Newnham — who co-directed the 2020 Sundance doc “Crip Camp” — recounts how the survey respondents sometimes recorded their answers on cassette tapes, and other stories. Her team even found cassette tapes some respondents sent, which are now in the hands of the archives of Harvard. And actor Dakota Johnson is heard, reading from Hite’s memoirs, throughout the film.

So how did Shere Hite — who died in September 2020 — go from the most talked-about author in America to a forgotten figure? Blame the backlash against feminism in the 1980s. Blame her own consternation with the media. Or blame, appropriately, the rise of conservatism in the age of Reagan. “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” is a potent reminder that Hite was revealing truths that some didn’t want to hear then or now, truths that are resurfacing to reach a new generation.

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‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’

★★★1/2

Playing in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.  Screens again Wednesday, Jan. 25, 9 p.m., Prospector Square Theatre, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City; Friday, Jan. 27, 6:15 p.m., Holiday Village Cinemas, Park City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for nude photos, sexual descriptions, and language. Running time: 118 minutes. 

Sundance review: 'Bad Press' is a compelling storry about the battle for freedom of the press in Oklahoma's Muscogee Nation

Living in the privileged position where my rights as a journalist aren’t up for a public vote, I was righteously indignant at the events directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler chronicle in the fascinating documentary “Bad Press.”

Among the hundreds of federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, only a handful have codified freedom of the press in their laws. In 2018, one of those was the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma — that is, until the tribe’s ruling council voted, in a hastily convened “emergency” meeting, to severely curb the free-press rights within the tribe. It’s clear from the beginning that the reason for this change is that the reporters of Mvskoke Media had been writing articles about scandals that embarrassed tribal leaders.

Landsberry-Baker and Peeler follow the reporters and editors of Mvskoke Media — a dwindling group of hardy, dedicated journalists who are fighting back on the interference the new law allows from the tribal government. The main character we meet is Angel Ellis, a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, kick-ass reporter who drives in from Tulsa every day to do the job the tribal government would rather she not do. (If I see Angel on the streets in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival, I want to buy her a coffee or a beer.)

As the story progresses, there’s a push to put a free-press constitutional amendment on the ballot — and it quickly becomes the hot-button issue in the campaign for principal chief, the top executive in the tribe. It’s also a lucky break for the filmmakers, as the election becomes a natural storyline.

It’s not just luck that Landsberry-Baker (a citizen of Muscogee Nation) and Peeler find compelling characters within this complicated story, and capture their lives and their passion in their footage. “Bad Press” is a heartfelt reminder of what a free press means in society — and the dangers to all of us if it’s threatened.

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‘Bad Press’

★★★1/2

Playing in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 3:30 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, noon, Screening Room, Sundance Mountain Resort; Thursday, Jan. 26, 12:40 p.m., Holiday Village Cinemas, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, 9:45 p.m., Broadway Center Cinemas, Salt Lake City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably PG-13 for language and smoking. Running time: 98 minutes. 

Sundance review: 'The Starling Girl' is a harrowing tale of faith getting twisted, with a powerful performance by Eliza Scanlen

The irresistible force of a teen girl’s sexual awakening hits the immovable object of her church in writer-director Laurel Parmet’s potent drama “The Starling Girl.”

Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen), is 17, the oldest child in a sprawling Christian family in a small Kentucky town. She’s very faithful to Jesus, and channels that faith in her prayers and in her participation in her evangelical church’s dance troupe, known for its heartfelt and chaste routines set to hymns.

So when Jem starts having impure thoughts, and follows up by slipping her hand under her nightgown when she’s in bed, Jem starts to worry that Satan is trying to tempt her toward the dark side. Those feelings get stronger when the pastor’s son, Owen Taylor (Lewis Pullman, son of Bill Pullman), returns from missionary work in Puerto Rico. There are a few complicating factors, like Pastor Taylor (Kyle Secor) has arranged with Jem’s parents (Jimmi Simpson and Wrenn Schmidt) to have the pastor’s younger son Ben (Austin Abrams) court her — and that Owen is 28 and married to Misty (Jessamine Burgum).

Meanwhile, Jem’s father is going through his own faith crisis — and a recurrence of the alcoholism that we’re told nearly destroyed him before he converted to his current faith.

Amid a strong cast, Scanlen is the standout. Best known for her roles in “Sharp Objects” and Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women” (she was Beth), Scanlan channels the fervor of Jem’s religious devotion, as it curdles under the influence of this hunky young pastor.

Parmet has fashioned a harrowing drama — partly inspired, she says, by her own teen experiences — and a scathing indictment of the patriarchal systems that punish girls like Jem while letting their older male counterparts off the hook.

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‘The Starling Girl’

★★★

Playing in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again Monday, Jan. 23, 11:55 a.m., Screening Room, Sundance Mountain Resort; Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway, Salt Lake City; and Friday, Jan. 27, 9 a.m., Eccles Theatre, Park City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for strong sexual content, alcohol abuse and language. Running time: 116 minutes. 

Sundance review: 'Shortcomings,' the directing debut of actor Randall Park, delivers a ton of laughs and a smart commentary on Asian American identity

On the blurry line between defending one’s ethnic identity and finding one’s own self lies “Shortcomings,” a funny and thoughtful anti-romantic comedy that’s a strong directing debut for actor Randall Park.

Ben, played by Justin H. Min, runs a failing independent movie theater in Berkeley, Calif., and once harbored dreams of being a filmmaker. As a Japanese American movie snob, he’s particularly incensed about Hollywood movies with mostly Asian casts pandering to the worst impulses of rom-com sentimentality. (The movie opens with such a scene, featuring Stephanie Hsu and Ronny Chieng, that’s a diss clearly aimed at “Crazy Rich Asians.”) 

Ben’s girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), works with the Asian American film festival that booked that Hollywood product, so the drive home devolves into the latest in a series of arguments the couple has had recently. Another argument starts when Miko finds porn websites on Ben’s laptop, all of them featuring white women — which, Miko argues, shows Ben’s a hypocrite because he always says his preferences are toward Asian women.

Ben’s olher conversation partner is Alice (played by comedian Sherry Cola), a tart-tongued lesbian college student who can’t seem to go two days without falling in love with some attractive woman — such as the waitress at their favorite diner. Alice is also the only person who can successfully call Ben out on his bullcrap, particularly when he talks about Miko. 

Miko soon tells Ben she’s been picked for a three-month internship — which, she says curtly, is a good time to press pause on their relationship. While Miko’s gone, Ben plunges back into the dating scene, first with Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), a performance artist he hired to staff the theater’s box office, and Sasha (Debby Ryan), whom Ben meets at one of Alice’s parties. Yes, both Autumn and Sasha are white, seemingly bolstering Miko’s case for Ben’s hypocrisy. 

Adrian Tomine’s script, based on his graphic novel, is handled as a series of vignettes that depict Ben’s slow unraveling, and the question of whether he’s a misunderstood defender of Asian American integrity (his P.O.V.) or just a self-centered jerk (everyone else’s view). Director Park — best known for playing the dad on “Fresh Off the Boat,” and FBI agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel franchise — does Tomine’s story proud, generating a ton of laughs and more than a few insights that upend the romantic-comedy cliches.

Min is outstanding as Ben, which will be no surprise to those who caught him in “After Yang” last year. The supporting cast — which includes Jacob Batalon (from the “Spider-Man” movies) and Sonoya Mizuno (who was the bride in “Crazy Rich Asians”) — is stellar, with Cola shining brightest as the frequently lovelorn Alice. Together with Park’s smart direction, they make “Shortcomings” the AAPI-affirming movie Ben himself might have made if he wasn’t so self-absorbed.

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‘Shortcomings’

★★★1/2

Playing in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again on Monday, Jan. 23, 9 a.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City; Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8:15 a.m., The Ray Theatre, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 26, 9:45 p.m., Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City; Friday, Jan. 27, 3:35 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for language and some sexual content. Running time: 95 minutes. 

Sundance review: 'All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt' is a beautiful, if narratively oblique, memory play of a Black woman in rural Mississippi

Writer-director Raven Jackson’s immersive drama “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” is steeped in its Mississippi atmosphere and the chords of one woman’s memory. It’s beautiful, but also a movie that a viewer has to meet halfway.

The central figure is Mackenzie (Charleen McClure), or Mac, a Black woman in rural Mississippi. We see her life from teenager to old woman — but not necessarily in order. Jackson’s nonlinear narrative is sorted by how she remembers different parts of her life.

There are moments where she’s learning fishing from her father (Chris Chalk), and learning how to clean fish from her mother (Sheila Atim). There are moments with her sister, and moments with a young man. Sometimes, as a reunion with that young man, the moments stretch out for a a painfully long time — with and close-up shots of an extended embrace, and little dialogue because the silence speaks volumes. 

Because Jackson doesn’t place events in an obviously digestible order, it takes some time for the viewer to tune in to the movie’s wavelength. But give it time, and the brain starts to find the connections between different passages in Mac’s life — which includes moments of joy, longing, grief, sacrifice and heartbreak. These are intercut with more sensory experiences, like the feel of mud in one’s fingers or rain on one’s back.

As the title implies, “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” is about wisdom, passed down through generations, and how that past connects to our present. Jackson captures those moments beautifully, and trusts the audience to connect the dots. 

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‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’

★★★

Playing in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, 9 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City; Thursday, Jan. 26, 6:15 p.m., Eccles Theatre, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m., Screening Room, Sundance Mountain Resort. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for nudity and some disturbing images. Running time: 97 minutes.

Sundance review: 'Talk to Me' is a well-constructed, bone-chilling ghost story from Australia

Mythology is everything in a horror movie, because if you get the mythology behind the scares right, everything else falls into place — and the Australian horror thriller “Talk to Me” has a powerful mythology that drives the story in unsettling ways.

A group of high school kids are playing with forces they, of course, shouldn’t be messing with. One of them has acquired an embalmed hand, encased in ceramic and covered with graffiti, that can be used to commune with the spirits of the dead. Or, at least, that’s how we’re told the mythology goes. 

One sits in a chair, gets strapped in with a belt just in case, and someone else lights a candle. The person shakes hands with the embalmed hand and says “talk to me.” If that isn’t enough, the person then says “I let you in,” and then stuff really starts happening. After 90 seconds, the person’s friends try to break the person out of the spell by blowing out the candle.

When Mia (Sophie Wilde), whose mother died recently under odd circumstances, tries the game with the hand, things get weird. Her best friend, Jade (Alexandra Jensen), doesn’t like what she’s seeing — and likes it even less when her 14-year-old brother, Riley (Joe Bird), tries it, with brutal consequences. To save Riley, and herself, Mia becomes convinced she has to cross over again and find her mother’s spirit.

The cast is mostly unknown in America — the exception is Miranda Otto, from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as Jade and Riley’s mum — but that situation will be rectified soon enough. The young cast, particularly Wilde and Jensen, bring a relatable seriousness to the creepy events.

Brothers Danny and Michael Phillipou directed the film, while Danny Phillipou co-wrote with Bill Hinzman (based on a concept by Daley Pearson) — and the brothers have a keen grasp on how to deliver solid chills. There are a few scenes best (or at least most likely) viewed through one’s fingers, but little feels gratuitous or unnecessary. The terror of “Talk to Me” is well-earned.

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‘Talk to Me’

★★★1/2

Playing in the Midnight section of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 9:45 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 9:45 p.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, at 9 p.m., Park Avenue Theatre, Park City; Saturday Jan. 28, at 10 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway, Salt Lake City.

Sundance review: 'Cat Person,' based on a New Yorker story, is a hilarious and harrowing take on the modern dating scene

The dangers of modern dating — particularly for young women — are laid out for all to see in “Cat Person,” a comedy-drama that pivots from cringe-inducing comedy to terrifying nightmare with remarkable force and subtlety.

Margot (Emilia Jones) is a 20-year-old college student, studying archaeology from a renowned professor (Isabella Rossellini), and working nights at the concession stand of a repertory movie theater. It’s at the theater where Margot meets Robert (Nicholas Braun, from “Succession”), a regular customer with a penchant for Red Vines and Harrison Ford. 

Things start off nicely with occasional text exchanges, which get serious enough that Margot’s militant feminist dorm mate, Taylor (Geraldine Viswanathan), warns that things are moving too fast. The texts get even more serious when Margot goes home over fall break, and texts a slightly naughty photo. This is all before they go on their first date.

That first date happens, and something seems a bit off. Margot notices the bad vibe, but carries on with the date in spite of her qualms — and soon, Margot and Robert are having sex.

This is the pivot point of the movie, which director Susanna Fogel (“The Spy Who Dumped Me”) and screenwriter Michelle Ashford adapt from Kristen Roupenian’s short story, which went viral after it was published in The New Yorker. The movie leads with Margaret Atwood’s famous quote — “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” — and uses Margot’s apprehension about dating Robert to make that case play out onscreen.

Fogel masterfully places the viewer in Margot’s head, as her fears and second-guessing play out with every text and personal encounter with Robert. There’s also some pointed commentary — mostly through Viswanathan’s character — about the power women can wield in the dating world, if they only choose to do so.

Jones, in her first major role since the Oscar-winning “CODA” came through the virtual Sundance 2021, is charming and compelling as Margot, a coltish college sophomore riding that line between flirty dating and serious relationships. Fogel and Ashford play with the platforms for Margot’s anxieties, and by letting her examine what’s real and what’s imagined, they give Jones the space to explore Margot’s complex thoughts about dating in the 21st century. 

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‘Cat Person’ 

★★★1/2

Playing in the Premieres section of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again Sunday, Jan. 22, 10 p.m., Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, 8:45 a.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, 9:15 p.m., Grand Theatre, Salt Lake City; Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m., The Ray Theatre, Park City; Sunday, Jan. 29, 5:10 p.m., Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway, Salt Lake City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably R for strong sexual content, violence and language. Running time: 120 minutes.

Sundance review: 'Eileen' is atmospheric noir, with strong performances by Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway

Two powerhouse actresses — Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie — are the reason to watch “Eileen,” a noir drama with a lot of atmosphere and a long fuse.

McKenzie (“Jojo Rabbit,” “Last Night in Soho”) plays Eileen Dunlop, a mousy clerk working in the offices of a Massachusetts prison in the winter of 1964. When she’s not filing papers or overseeing the mothers and girlfriends who come on visiting day, Eileen is caring for and enabling her alcoholic father (Shea Whigham), the retired police chief.

Things get interesting at the prison when the prison’s psychologist retires and is replaced by Dr. Rebecca St. John (played by Hathaway). Rebecca quickly befriends Eileen, who starts to become quite interested in this glamorous new co-worker. Rebecca and Eileen also share an interest in the fate of one young prisoner, Lee Polk (Sam Nivola), whose mother, Ann (Marin Ireland), reacts harshly to Rebecca’s methods.

The screenplay by Luke Goebel and Ottessa Moshfegh, based on Moshfegh’s novel, starts to descend into some dark places — particularly some quick daydream sequences where Eileen imagines herself killing herself or someone else — before a whopper of a twist fairly late in the game.

Director William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”) steeps the story in shadows, like a dark version of a Douglas Sirk melodrama — or, if you want a more recent reference, similar to Todd Haynes’ “Carol.” The treatment gives McKenzie and Hathaway, as the young woman starting to claim her power and the older woman serving as an enigmatic role model, several opportunities to seize the screen.

“Eileen” isn’t perfect — the twist is a knockout, but takes several minutes to recover from, and the ending is a bit abrupt. But for a rare platform for two actresses of equal talent to go head-to-head, this movie is worth the effort.

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‘Eileen’

★★★

Playing in the Premieres section of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again Sunday, Jan. 22, 6:15 p.m., Grand Theatre, Salt Lake City; Tuesday, Jan. 24, 10 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 26, 9 a.m., Eccles Theatre, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 28, 8:15 p.m., Megaplex Theatre at The Gateway, Salt Lake City. Not rated, but probably R for violence, language and sexual references. Running time: 98 minutes.