"The Gallerist" is Sundance's Sharpest Comedy

The Sundance Film Festival is one of the biggest and most prestigious events the entertainment industry has to offer, seeing the release of films that will fill the zeitgeist for the next twelve months. One of the most-anticipated releases this year was Cathy Yan's The Gallerist, a star-studded black comedy that premiered last night at the Eccles Theater. But are hype and sheer star power enough to fulfill colossal audience expectations?

The Gallerist tells the story of art curator, Polina and her assistant, Kiki who are about to open their latest exhibit before an insufferable influencer accidentally slips and impales himself on a sharp sculpture. With the gallery opening in ten minutes, rather than calling the cops, the two hatch a plan to pass off this corpse as an intentional part of the gallery. Hijinx ensue as the sculpture becomes an unexpected viral success, piquing the interest of several high-profile art collectors.

Directed by Cathy Yan, The Gallerist has by-far the most high profile cast at Sundance this year, making a ticket to the premiere nearly impossible to come by. Starring Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Zac Galifinakis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Brühl, and Charli XCX, there wasn't a small name to be found on the call sheet.

I went into The Gallerist blind, on a particularly frigid evening in Park City. The waitlist line wrapped around the block, with various festival goers holding up signs begging for tickets. With a runtime of only 88 minutes, The Gallerist is one of the shortest features Sundance has to offer. With a brisk, fast-paced script that never lets the audience leave the edge of their seats. Every ounce of dialogue is dripping with dread, panic, and anxiety, with the story getting more and more complex with every new variable. I found my mind racing the whole time: Is somebody gonna tell? Are they gonna get caught? Is somebody actually going to buy a dead body? Props are due to Cathy Yan for creating such a palpable feeling of suspense for a whole hour and a half.

This is probably the funniest movie Natalie Portman has ever been apart of, and she proves her chops as a comedic actor just as much as a dramatic one. Over the past year, Jenna Ortega has gained a reputation as a someone with sophisticated, seasoned taste in film who all-too-often gets booked on poorly-received projects. The past year has not been kind to her, but The Gallerist is a solid film that gets a great performance out of her. Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays a great foil character to Polina and Kiki as the visual artist, having her honest, personal work turned into a garish spectacle. Believe it or not, The Gallerist is one of three films Charli XCX has starred in at Sundance this year and while capable of some comedy, her sense of humor is much more suited to her other release, Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex. Honestly, she feels a little shoehorned in. On the other hand Catherine Zeta-Jones damn near steals the show every time she is on-screen. She has such an intense, commanding presence its hard not to be intimidated and/or amazed by her.

The production design by Francesca Balestra Di Mottola and art direction by Anne-Sophie Delauney make this film feel so cohesive and real. As someone who has worked at an art gallery, they nailed not only the look of the space but the air of pretentiousness that comes with it. The work by costume designer Bénédicte Mouret-Cherqui is nothing short of genius, adding so much life and believability to this eclectic cast of characters.

Overall, The Gallerist is a delightfully absurd film that pokes fun at the ridiculousness of contemporary art while having plenty of references for art history nerds like me to point out. It is certainly one of the sharper comedies at Sundance this year...

...get it?