Sundance 2021 review: 'John and the Hole' belongs in a ditch

February 1, 2021 | 8:02pm | Updated February 1, 2021 | 8:02pm Enlarge Image Charlie Shotwell stars as a teen rebel in “John and the Hole.” Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival Marketing materials for the new film “John and the Hole” call it “a coming-of-age fable.” And some critics say it’s a thriller. But the darkly comic movie, which premiered last weekend in the Sundance Film Festival, would more accurately be described as the nihilistic machinations of a tiny psychopath. He’s not a gremlin — he’s John (Charlie Shotwell), a quiet suburban boy who plays tennis video games all day and relies mostly on one long-distance friend for companionship. One day, he stumbles on an unfinished underground bunker in the woods beyond his backyard. It’s a deep, muddy ditch with no ladder or plumbing. That’s when this little punk — who, so far, has given us no impression of discontent — drugs his mom, dad and sister and plunks ’em in the hole. A felony for the whole family! They wake up cold and confused, trapped by an awkward teenager for no expressed reason. Director Pascual Sisto and writer Nicolás Giacobone would seem to be commenting on Generation Z’s…
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