The first day of the Sundance Film Festival saw the premiere of "Whiplash."
The movie, starring Miles Teller, tells the story of a young musician who struggles to make it as a top jazz drummer.
The film opened the festival and scored a warm reception. Todd McCarthy from the Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons go toe-to-toe in a potent drama about an ambitious young drummer and his abusive teacher."
Peter Debruge from Variety applauded the performances and said, "J.K. Simmons lands the role of his career as a conservatory conductor who drums the fear of failure into his students."
The film was already acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide and will be released in the U.K., Scandinavia, Benelux, Eastern Europe (ex CIS), Greece, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Latin America. However, a U.S. distributor has not bought the film up to this point.
"Lilting," starring Ben Whishaw, also premiered at Sundance, scoring solid reviews. Justin Chang from Variety wrote, "Hong Khaou makes a fine debut with this quietly resonant cross-cultural chamber piece."
David Rooney from the Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Hong Khaou's first feature takes its rhythmic cue from its title."
One of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, the Sundance Film Festival is where many new filmmakers are discovered. Recent festival hits include "The Spectacular Now," "Fruitvale Station," "Winter's Bone," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," and "Kill your Darlings."
The Sundance Film Festival will run through Jan. 26.
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