SXSW is a upon us once more. While the focus remains heavily on music, SXSW Film has quietly become one of the must attend film festivals in America with their uniquely curated mix of independent and major films. From world premiere red carpets, to introspective documentaries, to wild and out there genre films, SXSW Film has once again put together an eclectic mix of films to satisfy the taste of any cinephile. There are over 150 films to choose from this year, but here’s a handful you’ll want to keep an eye on as the festival commences.
(Danielle Houtkooper, Christian Long, and James Roberts)
Narratives
Lemon
Co-writer/director Janicza Bravo, who helmed the “Juneteenth” episode of FX’s brilliant Atlanta, takes a look at Isaac Lachmann (Brett Gelman, who co-wrote the script), a go-nowhere 40-something who’s life seems to be at a dead end. As Isaac works harder to connect to those around him, he only seems to find himself more and more isolated. With the help of a supporting cast that includes Michael Cera, Nia Long, Martin Starr, Judy Greer, and Gillian Jacobs, Bravo is poised to emerge as a profound voice of her generation. (CL)
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Lucky
Harry Dean Stanton stars as the titular Lucky, an old man who goes about living his life in a remote desert town without having to answer to anyone. The directorial debut from veteran character actor John Caroll Lynch, Lucky is chocked full of moments that are quirky, insightful, unsettling, and tragic, often all at the same time. The profoundly human film is also loaded with a stellar supporting cast including Tom Skerritt, Ed Begley Jr., Ron Livingston, and David Lynch. (CL)
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This Is Your Death
Best known for playing Gus Fring on Breaking Bad — as well as the upcoming season of Better Call Saul — Giancarlo Esposito returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 2008’s Gospel Hill for the dystopian-themed This Is Your Death. A critique of modern day reality TV, the film is framed around a game show where contestants kill themselves for the enjoyment of the audience (and the chance to win money). If that weren’t bleak enough, the show’s host, Adam Rogers (Josh Duhamel), will stop at nothing until his show is number one in the ratings. Along with Esposito, Famke Janssen, James Franco, and Sarah Wayne Callies also co-star. (CL)
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Midnighters
Meatball Machine Kodoku
A sequel to 2005’s Meatball Machine, Meatball Machine Kodoku takes what everyone loved from the first film, and multiplies it by at least 100. Unknown creatures take over the bodies of unsuspecting folks in Japan, leading them to morph into robot monsters (necro-borgs) and ultimately fight one another to the death. In some sense it works out for the uninfected, there can’t be a full outbreak if the necro-borgs keep killing each other. MMK is ultimately your one stop shop for buckets of blood and Japanese style gore and horror. (DH)
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PIG: The Final Screenings
One of Pig’s greatest draws is the fact that the film is shot in one long take. Taking a satirical stance on gender politics, the film looks sadistic and cruel, though boasts an untamed energy that tends to be missing from a lot of horror. Filmed almost intimately in all its horrific glory, Pig is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable and satisfied all at the same time. (DH)
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Tragedy Girls
In keeping with the gender twists, Tragedy Girls tells the tale of two sadistic teenagers who kidnap a serial killer to act as their mentor. While normally men are seen as the cruel sociopath keeping women captive, TG takes the trope and elevates it to a millennial laden hierarchy, allowing the teens to continue their quests to be internet famous while also learning the ropes of how to get away with murder. Ultimately the teens will be forced to run from their mistakes, including letting their angry mentor go free.
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Documentaries
Divine Divas
A look at the history of transvestite stage performers in Brazil, Divine Divas presents a portrait of eight iconic characters and their five-decade dance in the limelight. From challenging the morality of a rigid dictatorship to becoming cultural icons, we’re taken on a journey inside an oft-misunderstood form of artistic expression and given a glimpse inside the personal and political struggles of art and the stage. (JR)
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NOBODY SPEAK: Trials of the Free Press
In the era of fake news and alternative facts, what even is media? Starting from the case of Hulk Hogan v. Gawker, NOBODY SPEAK examines the increasingly large role that billionaires play in the dissemination of news—from Peter Thiel’s bankrolling of Hogan’s lawsuit to Sheldon Adelson’s purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal—and how they affect our perceptions of truth and freedom. (JR)
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Served Like a Girl
A unique look at the troubles facing female veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, Served Like a Girl promises an emotional journey as women return home to face PTSD, divorce, and the after effects of sexual abuse. The film follows several women who compete in the Ms. Veteran America pageant as they reclaim their selves and identities and offering us a small glimpse of the struggles facing veterans after the war is over. (JR)
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Stranger Fruit
Behind the news reports and social media posts is a person, someone who loved and was loved. Stranger Fruits goes inside the shooting death of Michael Brown at the hands of the Ferguson Police Department and tells his story through the eyes of the people who love him best, all while taking a deep dive into the surrounding unrest and the rise of Black Lives Matter. (JR)
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The Work
Forget what you think you know about prison; The Work offers a look at rehabilitation the likes of which we’ve never before seen. Chronicling a four-day group therapy retreat, three free men join prisoners in a raw dive into emotion that unravels past sins and hopeful futures. (JR)
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SXSW Film runs from March 10-March 19 in Austin, Texas.
