Nearly 11 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, large gatherings remain impractical and irresponsible, but the inability to interact in traditional ways hasn’t stopped film festivals from adapting. In late January, the Sundance Film Festival became the latest prestige event to offer all-digital programming, a shift that significantly expanded access to critics, many of whom otherwise wouldn’t have the time or resources to attend in person. Asheville Movies contributor James Shotwell was among them and reports back on a few of the titles he saw from the comforts of home.

What better plot for a film made during the COVID-19 era than a group of scientists searching for a cure to a mysterious virus plaguing our planet? In the Earth, Ben Wheatley's latest feature, is as timely as they come, but the prominent indie filmmaker doesn’t rely on leveraging our current fears to develop his latest cinematic terror. Instead, he explores our relationship with the Earth itself and how a theoretical notion about the interconnectivity of all things might bring us closer to understanding our place in the universe. There's also his signature use of hallucinogenics, a psychotic drifter, and enough strobe lights to induce seizures. It's precisely what fans of Wheatley expect, and it's unlikely to convert any non-believers. Grade: B-minus

The world of Sesame Street has already produced multiple award-winning documentaries. Audiences have seen how the iconic characters from the series have shaped not only pop culture but also the lives of those behind the scenes. Practically everyone knows that this series, which is nearing its 60th anniversary, is unlike any other.

Based on Michael Davis’ book of the same name, director Marilyn Agrelo’s Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street tells the story of the show's origins. Viewers learn how the series came about through a combination of creative inspiration and focused intent, all informed by those who were present. The film utilizes interviews with surviving cast and crew, along with extraordinary behind-the-scenes footage, to paint a brilliant picture of stars aligning at the exact right moment. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll walk away feeling inspired to do more of what makes you happy. Grade: A

In the 1988-set Wild Indian, the debut film from Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., two young boys murder and hide a classmate after school. 30 years later, the choices made that day continue to inform their lives. One has tried his best to move on and lead a somewhat average life, while the other has pursued a life of crime. The pair no longer speak, but the events of that fateful day keep them connected in a way neither fully understands.

Part sociopath character study and part crime drama, Wild Indian takes viewers inside a world of indigenous culture rarely seen onscreen. Michael Greyeyes gives a commanding performance in the lead role, and supporting turns from Jesse Eisenberg and Kate Bosworth are lovely. Still, a wildly uneven narrative foils their best efforts to sustain viewer attention. Despite running just shy of 90 minutes, the film still feels 20 minutes too long. There’s a lot to love and consider, but Corbine lacks the skills needed to explore the worlds he creates. Grade: C-minus

One of the first American films produced during the COVID-19 lockdown, How It Ends finds Zoe Lister-Jones roaming Los Angeles with a physical manifestation of her younger self. With just hours to go before an asteroid collides with Earth, the unlikely pair seek to make amends, fulfill dreams, and interact with a colorful cast of characters portrayed by familiar Hollywood faces.

Unfortunately, much like the characters themselves, How It Ends has nowhere to go. The film is less of a narrative than a mixed bag of silly and dramatic skits strung together with a pencil-thin premise about impending doom. It works best when the story leans into the bizarre nature of being — like, uh, people's ability to see each other's younger selves — but such moments are rare. If seeing all the celebrities who haven't been working for the better part of a year isn't enough to raise your interest, go ahead and keep moving. There isn't much to see here. Grade: D-plus

Simultaneously the scariest and most frustrating experience of Sundance 2021, Sean Ellis’ Eight for Silver is a dark and brutally violent reimagining of werewolf lore that’s plagued by the need for another round of edits. In the late 19th century, a pathologist is dispatched to help a cursed town understand the strange events surrounding them. It's a stellar creature feature with novel images and frights, but it could stand to lose 15 minutes and gain better CGI. Assuming a streaming service picks this us, expect a slightly different cut to debut later this year. Grade: C

Words cannot describe everything that transpires in Sion Sono's Prisoners of the Ghostland within the space allotted for this review. In the simplest terms, it's about a man (Nicolas Cage) in search of redemption who must free a young woman from a strange land guarded by toxic waste ghosts to secure his freedom from a figure known as The Governor (Bill Mosely). It's a mash-up of Western storytelling and anime with influences ranging from Mad Max to Waterworld — a cinematic buffet that offers something for everyone, as long as you like your art as weird as possible.

The fact that Sono and Cage, two iconic artists with singular visions, were able to come together at all is something of a miracle. Both men do what they do best here, but the film often feels like it's trying to do too much of everything to do any one thing well. It's pretty, but certain scenes look cheap. It's creative, but often for the worst reasons. The story is interesting, but it's also unnecessarily complicated. Cinema diehards will surely love elements of this film, but average viewers may be left wondering why they wasted two hours of their lives. Grade: C-plus

The second feature from Nikole Beckwith, Together Together explores loving relationships without forcing romance. Matt (Ed Helms), a 45-year-old app developer, feels his internal clock ticking and resolves to find a surrogate to have his first child. He chooses Anna (Patti Harrison), a coffee shop employee who wants to return to college. Together, the two forge a special bond that carries them through one of life's most precious journeys.

Together Together is incredibly straightforward. It's a movie that’s almost impossible to spoil because there are no dramatic twists and turns, yet somehow Beckworth finds plenty of heart and humanity to sustain her narrative. Helms is at his absolute best playing an incredibly refreshing character: a man whose masculinity derives from emotional maturity instead of sexual conquests, sports, or other cliché elements of manhood. Likewise, Harrison conveys the wide range of emotions that expecting mothers experience in a manner that’s distinctly hers. The film lives and dies on the connection these two stars share, and, thankfully, their pairing is every bit as irresistible as anyone could hope. Grade: A-minus

(Photos courtesy of Sundance Film Festival)