As the 2024 film season comes to an end, this past week’s beloved Sundance Film Festival showcased a fresh slate of movies. Organized by the Sundance Film Institute, Sundance is a prime stop on any upcoming film festival circuit where new movies take their first steps into the public eye. Since 2023, Sundance has adopted a hybrid format, allowing those interested to attend in person or online. These online festivities, costing a steep $35, were how I managed to catch a couple of this year’s newest shows and movies. Here are my thoughts:

Hal & Harper

I have been a fan of Cooper Raiff’s work since “Shithouse,” a “Before Sunrise”-esque coming-of-age film. There is a strong sense of the familiar in his films that makes them both relatable and heartbreaking. With “Hal & Harper,” Raiff adds his signature touch to television. 

Overall, “Hal & Harper” is a fierce gut punch charged with visceral moments that hit you like a truck. Focusing on the Williams family, Hal (Cooper Raiff) and Harper (Lili Reinhart) are close, nearly codependent siblings. When the siblings’ mother passed early in their childhood, the grief their father (Mark Ruffalo) suffered completely isolated him from his children, which drove Hal and Harper’s close bond. The series follows the siblings into adulthood as they struggle to grow beyond each other after a whole life tied together.

The eight-episode series is a wonderful amalgamation of interesting ideas, but there is simply not enough time to explore each of them clearly across its runtime. However, the ideas that are able to be explored in depth truly shine.

The central relationship between Hal, Harper and their dad is one such example. Flashbacks to elementary school-age Hal and Harper — still played by Raiff and Reinhart — touchingly narrate this aspect of the characters’ relationship. The image is both comedic and striking as you see two adults in a sea of children — different, yet still the same in the way they act and talk. There is a moment where their dad, in an effort to reconnect, takes the pair to the amusement park Adventure Land. The sequence is devastatingly heartwarming as they stand in distinct contrast with the previous scenes of Hal and Harper attempting to keep their lives together while their father is in a grief so full he forgets to be there for them.

While simple, “Hal & Harper” is a devastatingly beautiful story of how a family grows from their shared pain and learns to be better for themselves, each other and those whom they love.

Sorry, Baby

In the outpouring of reviews as films premiered at Sundance, there was one that stood out among the crowd, receiving high praise all around. That movie was “Sorry, Baby,” the feature film debut of Eva Victor as writer, director and lead actress. “Sorry, Baby” centers around Agnes (Eva Victor), who is working through the emotional fallout of being sexually assaulted. Told in five chapters, the film details how Agnes attempts to find a sense of solace as she grapples with her trauma and the ensuing sense of isolation.

The writing in “Sorry, Baby” is insanely sharp. The dialogue flows smoothly between characters, bouncing back and forth naturally. Balancing devastation and hopefulness, the film manages to find a sense of humor in the darkest of moments. Victor writes with a charming wit that shines in Agnes’ efforts to process her trauma and overcome seemingly everlasting pain. 

A moment between Agnes and the presiding prosecution demonstrates this balance in a chapter of the narrative titled “The Year with the Questions,” in which Agnes speaks of her experience in hidden terms. The rapid exchange between the two is quite funny, but even with justice, there still remains intense pain and disillusionment. It is a testament to Victor’s writing skill that such humor is even possible in the depth of isolation within Agnes.

“Sorry, Baby” is incredibly heartfelt, with care and kindness inherent to its storytelling. With a wry smile, it finds warmth in the connections with both friends and strangers who offer peace and a listening ear in those moments when it feels as though the whole world has come crashing down on you.

There are many more films and series Sundance offered that I simply could not see, but if “Hal & Harper” and “Sorry, Baby” offer any indication for the year ahead, there is sure to be a new and exciting wave of film and television.