The Sundance Film Festival entered a dynamic phase on Friday evening at the historic Eccles Theatre in Park City, Utah, where audiences were treated to consecutive premieres starring Channing Tatum, Olivia Wilde, and Charli XCX. The lineup began with "Josephine," a poignant drama helmed by writer-director Beth De Araújo. The film centers on the experiences of an 8-year-old girl, portrayed by Mason Reeves, whose perception of safety is shattered after she witnesses a sexual assault in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The narrative delves into the struggles of coping with trauma, as the girl's parents, played by Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, grapple with how best to support her through newfound fears and emotional upheaval.
"Josephine" forms part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition category and is grounded in De Araújo’s personal childhood experience of encountering a distressing event. The screening attracted full attendance, with no vacant seats and over 400 enthusiasts on the waitlist unable to secure entry. Following the screening, the audience expressed its appreciation through a prolonged standing ovation as the director and actors engaged with attendees in a question-and-answer session.
Discovered by De Araújo during a casting call at a San Francisco farmer’s market, Mason Reeves shared a lighthearted memory from the filming, recalling a scene in which she and Tatum share a jelly doughnut. Reeves noted, "I only ate the outside and fed the jelly part to him." Tatum affirmed this anecdote and praised Reeves' performance, reflecting emotionally on watching the film for the first time with an audience and revealing that he was moved to tears on several occasions.
Following this intense drama, Gregg Araki's "I Want Your Sex" shifted the atmosphere at the Eccles Theatre. This film narrates the journey of a young college graduate, played by Cooper Hoffman, who takes on an internship-like role for Erika Tracy, an influential and provocative art world figure portrayed by Olivia Wilde. According to Araki, Wilde’s character embodies a blend of boldness and controversy reminiscent of legends such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Madonna. The plot explores the complex interpersonal relationships and transformative impact that the experiences surrounding this internship have on the protagonist’s life.
Araki, who has spent over a decade developing this project, explained the film's evolution from initial drafts resembling a comic version of "Fifty Shades of Grey" featuring a female intern to its current iteration, in which the intern is male. This transformation was motivated by recent sociocultural movements against patriarchal and abusive dynamics, as well as the desire to engage with feminist film theory and contemporary generational attitudes toward sex and relationships.
The film interrogates the shifting norms in intimacy among younger generations, highlighting divergent viewpoints across age demographics through Wilde’s character. It deliberately adopts a sex-positive stance, contrasting with other works considered more negative on the subject. Wilde expressed admiration for Araki’s approach, appreciating the collaborative and creative environment that diverges from mainstream corporate filmmaking.
Adding further texture to the film is a supporting role by Charli XCX, who has a history of creative inspiration drawn from Araki’s work. She committed to the role during a brief break in her touring schedule, undertaking a self-tape like all other actors to portray a character dissimilar to her public persona — notably American and more restrained. This film marks a significant point of collaboration among artists crossing creative fields.
Charli XCX’s presence at the Eccles Theatre continued with the world premiere of her self-referential mockumentary "The Moment," which humorously chronicles the life of a rising pop star. This feature will proceed to a broader theatrical release on January 30. Earlier on Friday, the festival also premiered William David Caballero’s "TheyDream," a mixed-media work that intimately portrays a Puerto Rican family's journey through grief expressed via art. Caballero, alongside co-writer and producer Elaine Del Valle, described the opportunity to debut a full-length feature at Sundance as particularly meaningful, given the festival’s emphasis on fostering artistic risk-taking and personal storytelling, especially significant as Sundance holds its final edition in Utah.