Sundance memories: The movies and moments that defined the 2013 festival

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When » "A.C.O.D." premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 23

Where » Eccles Theatre

What happened » Amy Poehler, who plays the awful stepmother of her "Parks and Recreation" co-star Adam Scott, expressed appreciation for her character. "I was excited to play such a bitch," she said. "Everyone should be that kind of person once in a while."

Scott D. Pierce

When » Throughout the festival

Where » At shuttle stops, on Main Street and in hotel halls

What happened » Near-incessant chatter from film-industry intelligentsia about the need to "chug a coconut water."

– Ben Fulton

Movie moments

Scene » Closing reel of Sarah Polley’s family documentary "The Stories We Tell,"

What sets it apart » As Polley is interviewing a man she suspects of having had a long-ago affair with her mother, her subject breaks down to admit it: "You probably should know I slept with your mother once." The moment proves it’s possible to make a moving, honest documentary about family life that can be equally humorous and heart-breaking, rather than just deadpan earnest.

Ben Fulton

Scene » Young U.S. Evangelical missionaries travel through Uganda in Roger Ross Williams’ documentary "God Loves Uganda."

What sets it apart » A young man asks a street vendor if he "speaks in tongues." The young man answers, "Yes, I speak Swahili, French and English," demonstrating the humorous, yet also tragic, way people of different cultures speak past each other.

Ben Fulton

Scene » In the harrowing documentary "After Tiller," doctor Susan Robinson counsels and comforts a woman who makes the agonizing decision to abort her baby boy, whom she calls Hudson, because he would live a short life of "shunts, surgeries and seizures."

What sets it apart » As heartbreaking a scene you’ll see in any documentary, this moment underscores the idea that few women abort out of sheer whimsy, or because they want to make a feminist statement, but because they’ve often searched their consciences for days before making one of the most difficult decisions of their lives.

Ben Fulton

Scene » A sequence over the closing credits of "Austenland" shows Keri Russell, Jane Seymour and the rest of the cast singing and dancing to Nelly’s "Hot in Herre."

What sets it apart » It’s a kicky finish to a delightfully funny movie.

Sean P. Means

Scene » Daniel Radcliffe definitely sheds his "Harry Potter" image in "Kill Your Darlings," but that’s not all he sheds.

What sets it apart » Portraying a young Allen Ginsberg discovering his sexuality during his college days, Radcliffe’s character also sheds all his clothing for some raw gay sex scenes.

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