The title alone was sufficient to persuade Aubrey Plaza to look in “My Previous Ass,” an offbeat coming-of-age story that was warmly obtained throughout its premiere Saturday night time on the Sundance Movie Competition.

“All of it simply made sense to me,” Plaza instructed the sold-out crowd on the Eccles Theater in Park Metropolis, Utah. “‘My Previous Ass,’ I used to be like, ‘Oh man.’”

And when Plaza hung out with Megan Park, the movie’s author and director, and found her affinity for uncommon technique of transportation, Aubrey knew she had signed on to the proper venture. Park was sporting a life vest throughout their first Zoom assembly, an indication of her love of all issues nautical.

“Megan is the one director I’ve ever labored with who Jet Skis to work,” Plaza mentioned. Park additionally picked up Plaza in a paddle boat for his or her preliminary assembly. “She paddled over me,” Plaza recalled. “And I sat there for some time simply watching her, inching alongside. I used to be like, ‘What the? What have I obtained myself into?’ And [then] I felt like, ‘That is proper.’”

In “My Previous Ass,” Plaza exhibits up because the middle-age model of her college-bound self (Maisy Stella of the ABC drama “Nashville”). Their previous and current meet-up is facilitated by a mushroom journey. It’s not the one second the place hallucinogens play an vital position within the story. At a later second, Stella’s character Elliott has one other drug-fueled night wherein she imagines she’s on stage as Justin Bieber singing “One Much less Lonely Lady” to an adoring crowd of tweens. Utilizing that monitor within the movie meant needing “the Biebs” to log out.

“As soon as he gave us the go-ahead, we have been thrilled,” Park mentioned. “We leaned into it much more. Everyone was so recreation to play and have enjoyable.”

Stella gushed, “Guys, Justin Bieber watched that. Justin Bieber was so unwell.”

The viewers gave the impression to be on board with the story Park spins in “My Previous Ass.” The nostalgic story, about time’s implacable progress and the common need to carry on to individuals and locations in our lives earlier than they slip away, drew laughs at well-honed jokes. Some audibly choked up at a few of the extra tender moments.

“I stored serious about this concept: there was a time while you did one thing like play fake with your mates, and then you definitely simply by no means did it once more,” Park mentioned. “That made me actually emotional. I additionally wished to immerse myself in a joyful movie and one thing that made individuals really feel nostalgic for a neater, easier time in life. As a result of life could be laborious and shitty typically. I wished to have an escape.”