2013's Sundance Film Festival was, as always, full of films that spanned a broad spectrum. Between dramas, comedies, documentaries, and horror movies, there was always stuff to find there. With such films as Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut), Jobs (the documentary following Steve Jobs from his college dropout days to his death), The Way Way Back (a coming of age film in the style of Juno or The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and Virtually Heroes (a video game-centric comedy), there were plenty of films to be seen. Plenty of films to enjoy. However, the festival had one film that was talked about the most. Anticipated above all others. It was one located in the festival's "NEXT" category, which was reserved for independent films that transcended the normal limitations. This dark fantasy/psychological horror film did it by doing something that seemed crazy and led to the belief that Sundance would be the only place to see it.

The film was filmed guerilla-style inside of the Walt Disney World Resort without permission from The Walt Disney Company. A move that, given the dark subject matter of the film, made it the festival's talked about film and one that seemed doomed to disappear.

The directorial debut of Randy Moore, Escape from Tomorrow is a brave effort for certain. A film shot between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Contemporary Resort in Florida, as well as Disneyland in California, Escape from Tomorrow gives a different view to the so-called "happiest place on Earth". Labelled as equal parts dark fantasy and psychological horror (and even dark comedy by some), Escape from Tomorrow follows a family's last day at Walt Disney World, riding such famous attractions as It's a Small World, Spaceship Earth, and Space Mountain. However, the father, Jim (Roy Abramsohn), seems to begin losing his mind. He obsesses over things he shouldn't, hallucinates of darker things, and begins to see that the park is holding some dark secrets. It's an intriguing setup, though the story of its creation was more than enough to draw many people in. However, the end result will likely mix you up in several ways. It's a mysterious film, whether you enjoy it or not. But the mix comes from whether the actual film will seem at all interesting beyond the setup. If a simple film is what you're looking for, then Escape from Tomorrow is not for you. It's as cryptic and mysterious a film you can get without going into utter nonsensical twists. However, for a film that will power discussions for weeks to come and a surprisingly coherent strangeness not unlike David Lynch's work on Twin Peaks, than Escape from Tomorrow will be perfect. It's not perfect as a mainstream film. But as an avant-garde film to be placed alongside Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 classic Stalker, it's one of the best.

In fashion similar to anything from David Lynch, the Randy Moore-written story starts rather simply. A father and husband named Jim is on vacation at Walt Disney World with his wife Emily (Elena Schuber), son Elliot (Jack Dalton), and daughter Sara (Katelynn Rodriguez). On the last day (where Escape from Tomorrow begins), Jim gets a call from his boss, who tells him that he's fired from his job. He decides to hide the news from his family to avoid ruining the vacation. However, once they board the monorail, things start to become weird. Jim starts a fascination on two French girls (Danielle Safady and Annet Mahendru), who he follows throughout the day. He also has an encounter with a harmful man in a scooter, meets a mysterious former park princess (who bears the ominous warning "Bad things happen everywhere"), hears of a strange and spreading cat flu, and deals with hallucinations that turn the innocent audio-animatronics into things out of a nightmare.

A story like this isn't very easy to explain, and Escape from Tomorrow almost seems to embrace that quality. It doesn't take long for the strangeness to set in, and from there, it grows and doesn't stop. It's a kind of "build-up and don't let go" pacing that isn't really seen anymore, now that most films begin and end with action. Escape from Tomorrow land starts with unsettling (with implications of a man being beheaded on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) and moves slowly and slowly into the more insane and demented. This is thanks in parts to the characters and visuals. Similar to the characters in Twin Peaks, none of the characters in Escape from Tomorrow are particularly normal. Each is strange or becomes strange in their own way. Each actor pulls off a slowly-maddening state of mind, especially Roy Abramsohn, who makes his character lose sanity in a way that seems almost Lovecraftian. However, this effect is best seen in Elliot, Jim's son. Without spoiling anything, Elliot's character becomes the most twisted by the end, even despite seeming innocent in the beginning. One of his character's final shots is pulled off exceptionally well, with actor Jack Dalton pulling off an expression and action that would have made a perfect ending alone.

The other thing that helps Escape from Tomorrow pull off its tone is the visual style. To help make filming a bit easier, the film was shot in black and white, a move that isn't typically seen anymore. Not only does it serve as an interesting contrast to the official Walt Disney movies, but it just adds a surreal, almost nightmare quality to it all. Lighting is especially wonderful here, making it as essential as its famous filming location. The cinematography is also excellent, with professional-looking angles and shots from a tourist-grade Canon-brand cameras. However, this professional-grade look becomes occasionally blurred and ruined by low-grade green screen and special effects. These are incredibly noticeable and largely laughable, though there are some good looking special effects near the end.

That being said, Escape from Tomorrow isn't a film for everyone. In fact, I'd say that it's not even a film for the majority. Most people will likely watch it after hearing the tale of its filming, expecting some highly controversial film that would embarrass Walt Disney. But it doesn't do that. That wasn't the film's intention. So you'll likely be disappointed from the start with that mindset. Plus, the storytelling isn't simplistic. People expecting a smooth ride will become lost in the film's last act. Instead, Escape from Tomorrow is truly an avant-garde film. It's an experiment in both filming and story. The story is full of allusions, satire, double meanings, and plenty of things left for interpretation. Things such as the significance of the French girls, the meaning of the cat flu, the meaning of the ending, and even the title can be discussed in detail with varying opinions. You'll get the most of the experience by watching it with others and debating it afterwards. This might even lead to several viewings where you pick up clues to back up your theory, or find things you didn't catch in that previous viewing.

As it stands, it's very likely that Escape from Tomorrow will stay a cult movie. It probably won't grow to the heights that other originally cult films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Room have grown to today. However, that may just be for the best. Whereas something like The Room can be quickly appreciated for its "so bad, it's good" quality, Escape from Tomorrow has much more behind it. So much strangeness, satire, hidden jokes, and rather mature material, that it may be too different for most to understand. The film's not without its faults, thanks to the occasionally off visuals and the possibly off-putting strangeness of it all. But Escape from Tomorrow was nothing more than what it was supposed to be: an experiment. Something different to bring to the cinema. The story of its filming and all of its secrecy brought unrealistic expectations to the majority of viewers, who expected it to be something big. However, instead of becoming big like The Room, it stayed in a cult position like Stalker. Rather than having a big crowd that blows it up to massive proportions (like Doctor Who in recent years), Escape from Tomorrow will be a film embraced by the few who understood what it was and how to truly watch and understand it. My hope is that, like a family story, it will be passed down from generation to generation. Escape from Tomorrow is a tale too good, too unique, and too strange to be let forgotten.