‘Rock Springs’ Brings Horror From the Past Into Its Tale of Contemporary Grief

‘Rock Springs’ Brings Horror From the Past Into Its Tale of Contemporary Grief

Writer-director Vera Miao’s film, which stars Kelly Marie Tran and Benedict Wong, premiered in the Midnight program at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance Review: Rock Springs Tells an Ambitious Ghost Tale

Rock Springs works within a familiar genre framework––a family moves to a home in a town filled with strange people and is promptly haunted by spirits––to probe deeper ideas on the immigrant experience while exploring a Buddhist view of the afterlife.  Divided into chapters, each from a different perspective, the film opens on Grace (Aria Kim), a young girl who hasn’t talked since her father’s death months ago. She sees him in her nightmares, ho…