SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! Andy and Carolyn London’s 1981 drops you into a memory that feels too specific to be fiction and too awkward to laugh off. It’s an animated short that winds up like a joke, then lands like a truth you didn’t ask to remember.
As the title suggests, it’s 1981 in suburban Long Island, New York. A group of metalheads work on their hair, shirts, and overall look for a party that night. Judas Priest is blasting on the stereo. The trio meets at the door of fourteen-year-old Douglas (Alexei London) for his birthday party in his parents’ basement.
The vibe is electric with video games, junk food, and Douglas giving the geek of the group a massive wedgie. Soon, Douglas’ parents walk down the stairs and tell the boys they considered taking them to the local theme park, and maybe even to a KISS concert. Instead, Douglas’ dad tells the kids that tonight they will become men. In an instant, the lights go out, and a spotlight is placed on the surprise attraction…a burlesque dancer.
“In an instant, the lights go out, and a spotlight is placed on the surprise attraction…a burlesque dancer.”
1981 was inspired by an actual incident in Andy London’s life when he was 14 and was invited to a neighbor’s birthday party, where the kid’s parents hired a stripper and thought nothing of it. As in the film, you can see the kids’ reactions during the greatest and most traumatic moment of their lives.
As an animated short, everything is done by rotoscope, with the footage shot live and animated from it. What a great choice: we are propelled into the past while at the same time knowing this is real. Ultimately, what works while watching 1981 is the extreme emotions we feel as we try to reconcile them. A film like 1981 engages you in all the wrong ways and then sits with you long after it’s over.
1981 screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
"…tonight they will become men."
