Sundance Film Festival: Union County
Will Poulter proves himself to be a formidable acting force in Union County, a film that seamlessly blends documentary and narrative fiction.
The notion of an experimental film is something that can make people cautious when deciding what to or not to watch. The experimental film that bends genres or tries something more abstract could be hard to watch, especially if it changes or breaks the rules of standard cinematic language which forces the viewer to learn as they go. Union County is experimental, not deeply so, but there is the experimental aspect in so much as it blends a documentary with an interwoven fictional narrative arc. What this creates is a unique experience that forces the fiction to hone closer to reality than most movies, while still allowing the poignancy one would expect from a film about addiction and recovery.
Union County follows Cody (Will Poulter) and Jack (Noah Centineo) as two fictional foster brothers in a real court-mandated addiction recovery program. They navigate the complexities of life while dealing with the issues associated with addiction. Elise Kibler and Emily Meade also star.
A lot of the time when you have a movie about this subject matter (White Boy Rick) comes to mind, the portrayal of addiction and recovery can come off as almost cartoony. Grounding this movie in a real program and rounding out the supporting cast and extras with people who are actually in the program does a lot to ground the performances. It forces Poulter's performance to become more understated and nuanced while maintaining a level of emotional intimacy that does not usually happen in movies like this.
The other thing that setting this movie in reality does is it forces everything onto a more relatable timetable, even if the passage of time is a little nebulous. The small victories we see Cody achieve like getting a job, staying sober, staying on track, and finding a place to live, all feel bigger and more important. The sense of community fostered by the people going through this program is given a chance to shine because it is authentic, even if it is shot in the narrative language of fiction.
Check out Union County if it comes to a festival near you, or if it is given a wide theatrical or streaming release. As of publication, the film has not been acquired for distribution by any major studio.
★★★★★
