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While mainstream American cinema still treats the subject as taboo – beyond a fleeting sequence in “Eternals,” no one gets down in a Marvel movie - our preeminent cinematic vessel for marginalized perspectives provided some bracing, somber alternatives, often tinged with acid-tongued humor.įrom the moment the hotshot couple at the center of “Fair Play” sneak off to the bathroom for a quickie, only to wind up bathed in period blood, it’s clear that writer-director Chloe Domont isn’t here to sanitize her subject. Last year’s edition had a few hot takes ranging from Emma Thompson’s empowering decision to bare all in the moving “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” to Lena Dunham’s curious exploration of a ravenous teen’s post-hysterectomy horniness in “Sharp Stick.” This time, Sundance movies confronted sexuality through a darker, even tragic lens. Moral outrage may be in vogue and cancel culture always lurks, but sex was everywhere at this year’s Sundance.
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