The 2018 MovieMaker Sundance Survey: We Take the Pulse of Nine Narrative Features Playing in Park City

Nancy (U.S. Dramatic Competition)

Who: Christina Choe, director and writer

Logline: Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing 30 years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief—and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality.

My favorite scene (or shot) in the film is: when Nancy, played by Andrea Riseborough, prints out an age progression photo of the missing girl she thinks could be her (30 years later). When I wrote that I didn’t think it would be a pivotal scene, but when we shot it, and Andrea put the photo right next to her face, the energy was palpable. Andrea’s performance was so unsettling and brilliant, and the image of the two faces together was so uncanny, that I remember thinking on set, “This is gonna be a really strong scene.”

An influence or reference on this film was: Wanda by Barbara Loden, Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese, Safe by Todd Haynes.

The most expensive thing in our budget was: travel and housing.

The greatest flash of inspiration or brilliance we had making this film was: that the future is female. We had a crew that was 80-percent female and 50-percent people of color.

The film I’m most excited about seeing at the festival this year: Shirkers by Sandi Tan.

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