Sundance Now’s May Lineup Includes Irresistible True Crime and Drama Premieres


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Sundance Now

Sundance Now is releasing a new slate of premieres for May, including the service’s exclusive true crime documentary Between Black and Blue, The Nest starring Martin Compston(Line of Duty), Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders, Bodyguard), and Mirren Mack (Sex Education), and the suspenseful drama The Drowning, which will premiere simultaneously on AMC Networks’ Acorn TV.

Here’s Sundance Now’s full May lineup:

Released Monday, May 3rd

A Touch of Sin

A “brilliant exploration of violence and corruption in contemporary China” (The Atlantic), A Touch of Sin was inspired by four shocking (and true) events that forced the world’s fastest-growing economy into a period of self-examination. (2013, Mandarin-language Drama)

Alone Across the Arctic

Explorer Adam Shoalts embarks on an estimated 4000 km journey across the Canadian Arctic by canoe and on foot, alone. (2019, Documentary)

Glassland

Set in Dublin, Glassland tells the story of a young taxi driver (Jack Reynor, Macbeth)who gets tangled up in the world of human trafficking while trying to save his mother (Toni Collette, Hereditary, Little Miss Sunshine) from drug addiction. Also, stars Will Poulter (We’re The Millers, The Maze Runner) and Michael Smiley (Dead Still, Luther). (2016, Drama)

Realeased Thursday, May 6th

The Drowning

Premiere (Sundance Now and Acorn TV Exclusive)

When Jodie (Jill Halfpenny, Humans, Liar, Waterloo Road) sees a teenage boy that resembles her missing son, she is convinced that she has found the solution to her problems. Regardless of whether it’s her son or not, this gives her hope and prompts her to commit to a dangerous and transgressive path that will take her to the edge of reason.

Monday, May 10th

Harmonium

Toshio (Kanji Furutachi, Too Young to Die) hires Yasaka (Tadanobu Asano, Thor: Ragnarok) in his workshop. This old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio’s family life. (2016, Japanese-language Drama)

Gun Runners

Two warriors from Northern Kenya trade in their AK-47s for running shoes and the Kenyan dream of running a marathon.

(2015, Documentary)

Burn Burn Burn

Following the death of their friend, two girls in their late twenties embark on a road trip to spread his ashes. Seph (Laura Carmichael, Downton Abbey) and Alex (Chloe Pirrie, Emma) take turns driving. Dan (Jack Farthing, Poldark) is in the glove compartment, in Tupperware, decreasing in volume as the trip progresses. (2015, Drama)

No Small Matter

High-quality care and education have far-reaching impacts. With a healthy dose of humor and a surprising edge, discover the tragic cost of getting this wrong and the huge payoff of getting it right for our kids, families and our country. (2020, Documentary)

Girl Rising

This film follows 9 girls from Haiti, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Peru, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan on their journey to education. (2013, Documentary)

Thursday, May 13th

Trickster

Recently nominated for an incredible 15 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Lead Actor and Actress (Drama) as well as four Supporting Actor nominations, this supernatural drama is based on the bestselling trilogy of novels by Eden RobinsonTrickster tells the story of Jared (Joel Oulette, Parallel Minds), an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family above water. Jared holds down an after-school job and cooks ecstasy on the side to support his separated parents – partying mum Maggie (Crystal Lightening, The Red Man’s View), who self-medicates an undiagnosed mental illness, and unemployable dad Phil (Craig Lauzon, Murdoch Mysteries), who has a painkiller addiction and a new girlfriend. But when Jared starts seeing strange things – talking ravens, doppelgängers, skin monsters – his already chaotic life is turned upside down.

Monday, May 17th

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye

A documentary on artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and his wife and collaborator, Lady Jaye,centered around the transformations the pair underwent for their Pandrogyne project. (2011, Documentary)

I Killed My Mother

A semi-autobiographical story about Hubert (Xavier Dolan, Tom at the Farm) as a young gay man at odds with his mother (Anne Dorval, Mommy). Also stars François Arnaud (The Borgias, Blindspot). (2009, French-language Drama)

The Squid and the Whale

A pair of brothers living in Brooklyn are caught in the middle of, and deeply affected by, the divorce of their erudite parents, Bernard (Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Dumb and Dumber) and Joan Berkman (Laura Linney, The Big C, Ozark). Older sibling Walt (Jesse EisenbergThe Social Network, Zombieland) sides with dad and acts out at school, while younger brother Frank (Owen Kline) quietly backs up mom. The household tension rises further when Joan’s writing career takes off and surpasses the failed ambitions of her professor ex-husband. (2005, Drama)

Thursday, May 20th

The Nest

Martin Compston (Line of Duty) and Sophie Rundle (Bodyguard, Peaky Blinders) star in this suspenseful Scottish drama about a wealthy couple who would do anything to have a baby. After a chance encounter, they recruit a down-on-her-luck 18-year-old (Mirren Mack,Sex Education) to be a surrogate, but secrets emerge about the girl’s past that could make them regret their deal.

Monday, May 24th

Hotel Salvation

Faced with his father’s untimely and bizarre demand to go and die in the holy city of Varanasi and attain Salvation, a son is left with no choice but to embark on the journey. (2016, Hindi-language Drama)

Breathe

Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners) directs this taut, nuanced story about the depths of female friendships and the dark side of teenage infatuations, based on the best-selling young adult novel by Anne-Sophie Brasme. Seventeen-year-old Charlie (Joséphine Japy) is frustrated by her parents and bored with her life. Enter Sarah (Lou de Laâge), a confident and charismatic new transfer student who exudes an intoxicating air of boldness and danger. The two form an instant connection, but their intimacy also triggers feelings of jealousy and anger, setting them on a dangerous trajectory toward an inevitable yet unforeseen collapse.

Coby

In a small town deep in the American Midwest, Suzanna begins a gender transition and becomes a boy: Coby. Coby’s transformation deeply impacts the lives of all who love him – and each member of this tight-knit family must confront their own preconceived notions of gender and sexuality. Combining excerpts from Coby’s video diary with candid, heartfelt interviews from his closest friends and family, Christian Sonderegger’s debut feature is an intimate and sensitive look at a timely subject. Ultimately, Coby’s journey morphs into the transformation of a whole family compelled by love to modify their own perspectives. (2017, Documentary)

Tuesday, May 25th 

Between Black and Blue

This true crime documentary series explores the extraordinary story of two New York City detectives who are convicted of the sensational 1975 murder of a Denver businessman, their decades-long fight to clear their names and the hunt for one of the confessed gunmen who may hold all the answers, a man placed into witness protection by law enforcement over 40 years ago.

Monday, May 31st

Strike a Pose

What does it take to express yourself? The surprising and moving story of Madonna’s most famous troupe of dancers. (2016, Documentary)

The Most Dangerous Year

Washington state lawmakers, activists and parents embark on a crusade to protect the civil rights of transgender children. (2018, Documentary)

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