IN THE MOUTH
Filmmaker Cory Santilli brings a film like no other to Slamdance 2025 with IN THE MOUTH. The script follows Merl, a housebound man down on his luck financially and mentally. When his landlady arrives to collect three months’ back rent, Merl decides to take on a roommate. Larry happens to be an escaped murderer, but that is not what scares Merl. It is the giant version of himself protruding from his front lawn. 
IN THE MOUTH is an absurdist comedy. Shot in stark black and white by Mike Magilnick, the cinematography boasts great closeups and one particularly memorable off-kilter angle that made me sit up straighter. Merl’s creative outside retrieval methods remind me of individual components of Pee Wee Herman‘s Rube Goldberg machine in his Big Adventure film.
Doug Moss‘ augmented sound editing highlights the isolation of Merl’s environment while simultaneously ticking the boxes of sensory issues he may also be affected by. I recognize the triggered body language as someone with misophonia, specifically with metal on metal. 
Colin Burgess, who also stars in another Slamdance 2025 film, LOCKJAW, and designed the titles, delivers a fascinating performance as Merl. Burgess’ commitment to the genre and the world Santilli has created is applause-worthy. You would never know Burgess was the same actor, which is the ultimate compliment. I would happily watch him create more Merl shenanigans. *Cory, I’m talking to you here.*
Understanding that Merl is Cory in real life is key to the film’s profundity. The metaphor of turning fear into power is so intriguing. IN THE MOUTH‘s finale lands, quite literally, like a breath of fresh air. Slamdance is the key demographic for a story with this breadth of style and bravery.
In The Mouth Teaser Trailer:
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Year:2025
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Runtime:84 minutes
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Language:English
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Country:United States
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Premiere:World Premiere
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Genre:Dark, Comedy, Thriller
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Subtitle Language:English
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Director:Cory Santilli
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Screenwriter:Cory Santilli
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Producer:Jesse Muro, Tatiana Bears
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Cast:Colin Burgess, Paul Michael
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Blu Hunt is a comic genius. She has that it-girl quality. I’m buying whatever she’s selling at all times. Her commitment to the dialogue or a particular gag is chef’s kiss. Hunt recently wowed me in The Dead Thing. She is just as compelling in Lockjaw.
Čejen Černić Čanak profound Berlinale drama SANDBAG DAM follows Marko, an athletic young man navigating his younger brother, school, sports, and girlfriend, Petra. His life upends when Slaven returns home for his father’s funeral. With the threat of flooding in his small Croatian village, his long-lost feelings for Slaven threaten everything.
Marko exists in a traditionally masculine environment. His father is a mechanic, training him to take over the business and compete in an upcoming arm wrestling competition. His free time consists of drinking at parties and attending to his eager-to-please girlfriend. Then, his seemingly easy life suddenly halts when Slaven returns after three years and no goodbye.
The story slowly reveals itself with an innocent bitterness and longing. If you go into the film blind, nothing is spoonfed to the audience. It is beautifully paced. The homophobia in Sandbag Dam is excruciating. The weaponization of hurt and ignorance is devastating.
The performances are spectacular. Leon Grgić is endearing as younger brother Fićo. He has a genuine star quality. His purity will make your heartache. Andrija Žunac gives Slaven an authenticity that is calming. His unapologetic aura is sensational. Lav Novosel delivers a pitch-perfect turn as Marko. Torn between the life he yearns for and the one he feels forced to accept, Novosel brings us on an emotional roller coaster we have no control over. You feel the conflict in your soul.
The film has a similar energy to Brokeback Mountain. Its restrained tension is waiting to burst at any moment. There is no denying the double entendre of the title. As the floodwaters rise, so do the tensions of secrets and feelings. Screenwriter Tomislav Zajec provides stunning metaphors. SANDBAG DAM is an important story. It is one that so many LGBTQ youth must endure. The final moments will have you talking about this film long after the credits roll.
Gal’s character has a Mary Poppins quality in creating magic for her kids. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!” The unrelenting motivation she provides for Rhianna and Benin puts most parents to shame. Gal’s palpable anxiety appears in moments when the kids are distracted and engaged in an activity. She does her best to guard them from reality and fear.
Our two small leads, Rihanna Barbosa and Benin Ayo have a chemistry a director dies for. Their playful nature and natural talent are infectious. They are stars. 
An hour into the film, your heart drops. The conversation that follows should almost come with a trigger warning for survivors. Filled with gaslighting and classic abuser language, it will infuriate and break you. THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD captures invisible labor, unconditional love, cycles of abuse, and the determination to create a better life. It is a difficult but rewarding viewing experience and female-centric storytelling at its best.
FIST BUMP
ABOUT SLAMDANCE
The Virgin of The Quarry Lake
Jealousy collides with superstition in Laura Casabé‘s coming-of-age Sundance 2025 film The Virgin of The Quarry Lake. Natalia lives with her grandmother, Rita, after being abandoned by her parents. The summer after high school graduation is a time of angst, curiosity, fear, and desire. Intimated by a worldly older woman named Silvia, Nati and her two best friends become deeply entrenched in a battle to keep her crush, Diego, from her clutches. 
Although set in 2001 Argentina, the film’s narrative parallels today’s political climate with startling accuracy. The government is a disaster. There are rolling blackouts, civil unrest, and the popular television personality peddles misinformation. Nati witnesses violence again and again. Her envy of Silvia and sexual frustration push her to her limits. The repeated and infuriating misogyny she endures results in a bloody act of pushback. Nati unleashes an alarming feminine rage. 
Based on the stories of Mariana Enriquez, screenwriter Benjamin Naishat creates something quite magic. The Virgin of The Quarry Lake also delivers a visceral sense memory of young love. Nati receives a heartbreaking phone call from Silvia. I received a shockingly similar call the summer of my Senior year, and it destroyed me in a way that I still remember at almost 45 years old. You will hurt for her. It is vicious. Dolores Oliverio owns the role of Natalia. She is an undeniable star. 
The dynamic between 17-year-old Azi and her best friend’s father’s new girlfriend moves from passive-aggressive to outright challenge. You can cut the tension with a knife. Mann delivers enough longing looks between Wool and Goodjohn to wager guesses about each woman’s motivation. You’re dying to know what happens next once the screen goes black.
Thankfully, a feature-length version of AZI is already in the works. Sundance 2025 audiences are in for one hell of a tease. These are guaranteed seats in butts whenever production is complete. Count me very much in.
Canadian Bill C-7 allowed for the Right To Die. The expansion of MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) remains controversial. Davenport offers every angle of the process. This alone is an emotional roller-coaster, from perceived propaganda to Disability Rights Advocates, both for and against the legislation. 
Dr. Ramona Coelho speaks about the cost savings of moving forward with the passing of C-7. The film tackles the abuse of the law. Davenport interviews advocates who worry that this could be used as a justification tool to end the lives of disabled people, in other words, eugenics. 
The Chinese tradition of Tomb Sweeping Day gets a stark contrast as teacher Jianbo Qian brings his students, grades 7 to 12, to a communal burial for unnamed ashes. Each one carefully handles a red bag filled with the remains of people unclaimed by loved ones. It is an exercise exploring death, respect, and reflection.
Heartbreaking, eye-opening, and thoughtful, in thirteen minutes, DEATH EDUCATION has an unshakable impact. It begs you to think beyond your comfort zone. It is a beautifully universal lesson in empathy.
David Borenstein has worked in the documentary industry on three different continents. He has produced and directed TV for BBC, PBS, ARTE, Al Jazeera, DR, Vice, and many more international broadcasters. Borenstein directed Can’t Feel Nothing (2024), Love Factory (2021), and Dream Empire (2016). 
Addison Heimann is a queer genre filmmaker currently residing in Los Angeles. His first feature, Hypochondriac, premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival and was distributed by XYZ Films. His goal is to tell queer stories that explore mental health in the genre space.
Evan Twohy was raised on Hitchcock and opera on the edge of a forest outside Berkeley, California. From an early age, he found himself drawn to absurdist theater and began writing plays in New York City prior to making his first feature, Bubble & Squeak.
IT’S COMING
Ashley can see and hear spirits. The physical and mental toll is obvious, despite her shockingly calm demeanor. She has become so accustomed to her circumstances, and not much ruffles her feathers, until she realizes how deep the negative energy goes.
Ashley brings in medium Soledad Haren to cleanse the apartment. She provides viewers with paranormal canon, reasons, and triggers for an uptick in activity. It is a solid checklist if you aren’t a connoisseur of this genre. Like clockwork, incidents get worse. An acrid odor pervades their apartment, so intense it triggers CO2 alarms and multiple fire department visits. Soledad returns with her spirit box and performs an automatic writing session, providing few answers and more questions.
A husband and wife team of demonologists, Chris and Harmony DeFlorio, arrive with all the electronic bells and whistles. We see their footage intercut with Shannon’s. The results are undeniably unsettling. This is the point where Ashley finally breaks. It is the first time we see her cry and become physically unwell. When you witness the effect on Chris and Harmony, your heart rate increases tenfold. The comparisons to England’s most infamous haunting, The Enfield Poltergeist, are inevitable.
Javier’s personality slowly changes throughout the long months of filming. He describes a growing friendship with the black entity he calls Kitty. If you know anything about the paranormal, you understand how dangerous this is. You can track what looks like disassociation creeping onto his face. Something is affecting this child, whether it’s his mother’s energy or something genuinely sinister is up to the viewer, but I’ve not been this disturbed by a paranormal documentary in a long time. The final scene will send a shiver down your spine. IT’S COMING will haunt your mind long after the credits roll. You’ll question everything.
The dialogue, 90% from Noah, has a poetic energy. Once the mysterious woman appears, the story feels similar to The Little Mermaid, but from the Prince’s perspective. However, that would suggest an oversimplification of the script, and I must give more credit. It quickly evolves. Through his writing and delivery, you can glean Kiss’s immense knowledge of opera, poetry, and literature.
Nicole Benoit is lovely playing our enigmatic Mary. She understands the genre intrinsically. Her chemistry with Kiss feels authentic. Adam Kiss portrays Noah in the exact way you might imagine, given his script’s structure. His operatic tone of voice and stageworthy physical presence perfectly match the character.
The clues that something is not quite right glare from the moment we meet her. It is all exceptionally dramatic, with events flowing like the novel Noah should be writing. Suspension of disbelief is key. Romantasy fans will recognize the classic tropes. I love the An Affair To Remember reference. While MY LAST WORDS might be slightly self-indulgent (Mom of the Year goes to Christina Kiss for acting as Executive Producer), it is also a very personal passion project that undoubtedly has an audience.
Amy Carlson and Jordan Bridges are a joy to watch as Laurie and Gordan. Their chemistry is spot on. Kirrilee Berger is a pure delight as Joey. She has a natural star quality akin to Jane Levy or Rachel Sennott. She brings an effervescent energy to the screen. 
WHEN: Friday, December 6 at 12:45 PM EST
Gasbag – 
DREAM TEAM
Agents No and Chase (Esther Garrel and Alex Zhang Hungtai) leisurely follow the trail of deaths but mostly sport tight clothes and make innuendos. The script occurs in episodes featuring a repeated title sequence and undeniably clever cheeky titles.
The script is intentionally utter nonsense. If you want to learn about coral, DREAM TEAM is your jam. Performances across the board are spot-on for mediocre porn overdramatics. I feel like watching on mushrooms would be an experience. There are so many moments of WTF I lost count 30 minutes in. At that point, it is best to throw your hands up and tell yourself, “Sure, why not?” My favorite scene involves an invisible coworker. I was also thankful for the break in what I assume are meant to be channel surfing breaks in the narrative pattern.
It is easy to see why Jane Schoenbrun acts as executive producer. The neon color pops are right up her alley. Listen, coming from someone who starred in two of these things many years ago – do not even try to look that shit up on the internet, I will hunt you down- DREAM TEAM owns the bit. The question remains whether audiences will tolerate it for 90-plus minutes.
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