I picked, I watched, I wished – I could see more of SXSW 2022’s stellar film festival offerings. Managing to view both jury and audience narrative film award winner I Love My Dad was a fluke of scheduling, but what a delightful, fresh film that is, among so many other terrific entries.
Let’s dive in:
Narrative Features
Based on the writer/director’s true story, the brilliantly poignant and twisted comedy of I Love My Dad offered a fresh take on the concept of catfishing, the persuasiveness of social media, and parental failings, as well as mental health struggles. The premise of James Morosini’s film is that a dad, rejected by the son who cuts him off from Facebook and text messages, creates a fake Facebook profile to keep an eye on his adult child.
Played with a mix of heartbreaking loneliness and determined delusion, Chuck (Patton Oswalt) convinces his son in the reality of Becca, whose profile photos match that of a waitress kind to Chuck at a local diner. The inevitability of discovery, the high tension stakes of the encounter (the son has recently returned from treatment for a suicide attempt), and the gentle kindness of the film’s humor combine for a unique, uncomfortable, nail-biting experience – well-tempered by laughter. A must watch when it receives its (inevitable?) release. But you would’ve seen it at SXSW 2022 first.
Chee$e – Fresh and fun in its own way — when have you last seen a film about a Trinidadian cheesemaker turned weed smuggler, with a pregnant, very-much part-time girlfriend and ambitions for a better life? The voice-over narration adds context and humor to the first film in a planned trilogy by Damian Marcano; the film is subtitled (primarily for accents and dialect that would otherwise by hard to understand), and has a loopy, winning dramedy script that keeps viewers rooting for protagonist Skimma (Akil Gerard Williams). The conclusion leaves audiences somewhat adrift, literally and figuratively, in an otherwise satisfying, stakes-building film. But the same could be said of the far less interesting first installment of Dune.
Sissy – Social satire with a twist, that’s the darkly comic lure of this female-driven comedy. Social media influencer Sissy (Aisha Dee) is deeply unfortunately reintroduced to a former bff, Emma (Hannah Barlow, who also co-wrote and co-directed, along with Kane Senes). As traumas from Sissy’s past resurface at a bachelorette weekend at a glamorous, remote guest house, increasingly horrendous events unfold, leading to chaos, revenge, and murder. The film’s wit is seductive in getting the audience to root for one character before turning the tables – in an unexpected way. Somewhat reminiscent of, but smarter than, Blake Lively’s mommy vlogger saga in 2018’s mainstream release, A Simple Favor, in the Australian Sissy, Dee was a terrific lead, and the story surprised with its final twists.
To Leslie – An intense portrait of an alcoholic, Leslie followed the bottom-dwelling life of a former lottery winner, beginning with a devastating interaction with her grown son, that takes her back to the small town from which she came, only to get unexpected help from a compassionate motel manager. Extremely well acted and atmospheric, at about the 3/4 point began to feel less and less believable, culminating with a happy ending I just didn’t quite buy. That said, Michael Morris’ unflinching direction, based on a true-story-based script from Ryan Bianco, and a compelling lead performance by Andrea Riseborough make this West Texas drama hard to write off. Perfect moments more than outweighed contrivances; the characters were each richly created; a thumbs-up for a heartfelt story and evocative grit.
Raquel 1:1 – Religious fervor, religious persecution, a mysterious family death, domestic violence – these are the subjects either major or minor in the story of a young girl and her father, newly returned to the father’s hometown in writer/director Mariana Bastos story of a religious teenager named Raquel (Valentina Herszage), haunted by her final moments with her mother as we slowly learn what exactly happened the night of her death. Lots of potential here, and a foreshadowing of something more apocalyptic than rewriting the Bible to be more feminist, opposed by the conservative town “church girls” aka “mean girls.” However, the supernatural never appeared (except in Raquel’s mind, perhaps), and the conclusion drifted away like a teenager’s crush. Seething with potential, the film is still worth a view.
Millie Lays Low – While not quite as perfectly paced as I Love My Dad, Millie nonetheless has many of the same conventions of rising tension carried with gentle comedy. Millie is the story of a young New Zealand woman just trying to get a new plane ticket to New York City. And, like Dad, Millie also relies on social media to craft a personality that just isn’t her. Millie (Ana Scotney) is the recipient of a prestigious architectural scholarship, one she achieved under dubious circumstances. Suffering a panic attack on a NYC-bound flight, she delusionally hopes her Instagram posts, replete with fake backgrounds and happy hashtags will lead others to believe she’s already in the Big Apple, living a good life, instead of sleeping in an Auckland subway, trying to scam a new ticket. Finding her own truth and the true circumstances of others, Millie is forced to confront demons within and unvarnished reality without, all played with edgy dark humor.
Pretty Problems – Another dark comedy – I’m not sure if I picked them, or these picked me. I was intrigued from the very first moment, in which the “meet cute” is between female friends, one extremely wealthy, the other a would-be fashion designer working in a clothing shop. Director Kestrin Pantera’s comic timing is impeccable in a witty look at wealth and privilege written by Michael Tennant. The four-hander takes place on a weekend trip to an estate in Sonoma’s wine country, where a hedonistically fun party leads to revelations about love, sex, friendship, and most importantly of all, trust. So sharp and engaging was the script, the dangling threads at the end can be forgiven, if not entirely written off; the can’t-look-away trainwreck of a house party had enough lively twists and turns to fully engage viewers and render each scene entirely, seductively, and most unfortunately (for the protagonists) believable.
It Is In Us All – Poetic, visceral, terrifying, and mysterious – in equal parts, this Irish thriller takes viewers on a ride edging toward both horror and supernatural, while not quite taking us to either destination. This film will have you thinking about its meaning for a long time, at least it did me. As with so many SXSW films, it’s a find that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. Director Antonia Campbell-Hughes’ debut feature stars Cosmo Jarvis as Hamish, a privileged businessman, in Donnegal to oversee the dissolution of his aunt’s estate, which he discovers to have also been his mother’s childhood home. But this revelation appears only after a terrible car accident, in which one teen is killed, the other, Evan survives. Hamish and Evan form an unlikely bond, one that keeps us guessing as to its intent – revenge, near-death experience, sexual attraction? And in the end, who is really alive, following that fatal collision? Who is truly alive, ever? This is a film to seek out, the type of cinematic experience well worth a film chat room discussion or two.
Slash/Back – Although full of promise as a John Carpenter-like horror thriller, with a potent setting in a Canadian village on the Arctic Circle, this teen horror just didn’t work for me, as clearly unprofessional actors somewhat derailed the fun, shape-shifting alien monster premise. Nyla Innuksuk has strong directorial chops nonetheless (she also co-wrote the script Ryan Cavan), giving us a lively group of young teens as the protagonists to save the world.
Deadstream – Another fun horror that didn’t quite work for me. Solo web-streamer goes ghost hunting is the premise, as the besieged and previously discredited live vlogger protagonist reads witty and cruel comments from his streaming audience and interacts with them, a clever conceit for an ultra low budget scarefest. Unfortunately, the premise grew a bit old. Still, a bravura performance by Joseph Winter as the inept vlogger Shawn Ruddy does hold well, and the quick one-liners and surprisingly effective if limited jump scares do, too. Kudos for the fun from Winter (with Vanessa Winter, who co-wrote and co-directed) and the sale of this ultra-low budget, clever project to streaming service Shudder.
Documentary Features
32 Sounds – moving from the narrative to documentary, this terrific original film was an interactive experience, with the audience provided headphones and instructions on when to close eyes among other moments of auditory serendipity. The film is difficult to explain but a treat to experience. Director Sam Green leads the way into a feast of delightful explorations of sound, from an interview with and experience of listening to the lifework of a fascinating recorder of plant sounds to a fetal heartbeat, a Foley sound effects introduction, and music made from the sound of breaking glass. In love with its 32 soundscapes, this documentary is a joy to ears, eyes, and heart – not to mention an exceptional experience.
Not as mesmerizing as 32 Sounds, but completely engaging in an entirely different way, is the story of The Pez Outlaw, a subject worthy of a novel or narrative release. Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel’s lively doc uses reenactments and reminiscences to fuel the story of a man with undiagnosed OCD who turned a passion for collecting gimmicky toys to an obsession – and million dollar business – from selling Pez containers. Unfortunately, his downfall was Pez America’s bullying company nemesis, who ended up copying “outlaw” Steve Glew’s own designs as well as those Glew brought in from Europe, circumnavigating a grey area in customs law. A pure delight.
Master of Light – took the jury award for best doc at SXSW, and it is an interesting study of the life and fabulous art of George Anthony Morton, who developed his Classical painting skills over ten years spent in a federal prison. Morton’s reconciliation with his mother, who had him at 15, and raised him in a drug house, is also explored. But the emphasis is on the amazing skill and beauty of his art, and how art itself elevates the spirit. Smoothly directed by Rosa Ruth Boesten, while I wanted more background to the story, the film stays purely focused on the art, which is as masterful as the title suggests.
The Thief Collector – A suburban mom and dad art thief duo are the complex characters dissected in this doc, Allison Otto’s film about the mysterious theft of Willem de Kooning’s masterpiece “Woman-Ochre,” stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson back in 1985. Three decades later, the painting, worth $160 million, was found in the rural New Mexico home of Jerry and Rita Alter. While the couple lived outwardly conventional lives as school teachers, their global travels, a book of short stories written by Jerry (and reenacted in part in the film), and the alluded-to but never delved-into information that their two children both have “problems,” tell a different story. Enlivened by reminiscences from the couple’s nephew, the story left me wanting more. Mini-series ahead, perhaps?
My features take away: SXSW never ceases to deliver compelling films. It is the freshest major fest around – and Austin is a great city to visit!
Shorts will be coming up next.
- Genie Davis; images provided by SXSW or film companies/publicists
