SUNDANCE 2025, FILM NO. 13

Between this and David Osit's PREDATORS, Sundance '25 weirdly programmed two excellent documentaries about the consequences of consuming en masse any and all types of true crime drivel. Neither of these films is denigrating the work of the filmmakers or shaming the viewer, but each is examining how formulaic this cottage industry has always been and the potential for damage it has societally and psychologically.

And if things couldn't get more interesting for me, Charlie Shackleton's ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT does all of that cultural analysis through the lens of, duh, the Zodiac killer. Rather than revealing any grand revelations or developments, this film revels in failure, both cinematically and culturally - maybe the reason we've failed to solve the Zodiac killer mystery is because none of it makes any goddamn sense!

Exciting stuff. Comparable to last year's excellent SEEKING MAVIS BEACON.