SXSW 2021 Film Festival Recap

Welcome to AIPT's recap of the South by Southwest Film Festival

My name is Nathaniel Muir, and I'm joined by Julie Cabot and Regina Chavez Mir

Hello. I never know whether to add the last part or not. Me neither

For those of you who haven't been following us on AIPT, definitely check it out

There are so many articles on their reviews. interviews and just post-fest coverage

So definitely check it out. And this is our recap of the event. So before we get in, even get into the movies

how was your guys' experience of South by Southwest? I'll say it was awesome

There were so many movies I wanted to see. And because it was online, I think I was able to see more of them

than I would have seen in real life. Like, I was just able to watch them on demand

like one after the other. Yeah, I agree. I really like the online experience

I think it makes it easier to watch more movies. I know it's also from the comfort of your own home too

But I think had it been in person, I don't think I would have been able to cover as many as I did

Yeah. I was actually, Julie, you were the one who pointed it out about the ticketing system

I didn't realize they were doing that at first. So that was a little confusing to me

But then I was like, oh, they're trying to give that real festival vibe to it

like seats getting sold out, and you had to be there at a certain time and stuff like that

So it was cool. I also liked how stuff you purchased on the app

you can see on the TV app if you downloaded it. Sundance, I'm not comparing the two festivals

but you weren't able to do that at Sundance. So that was really cool that South by Southwest did that

So let's get into the movies here. Features, what were your favorite features

Mine might have been the same as yours, Nathaniel. Mine was the feast. It was like my hands-down favorite

it, but there were a few others I really liked. I thought the feast was awesome

I absolutely love the feast. And the further I get away from it, the more that I liked it

I thought just, I think I've never seen a movie where the language was so important to it

I thought it was, I thought it was great. Like, as I was watching it, I thought they were speaking, well, I knew they were speaking Welsh

because I had read what the movie was, but it sounded like gibberish to me. I thought Welsh was like a dead language, like Latin

So I thought it's like, it's probably going to end up being one of the scariest horror movies that I've seen this here

One of the best movies in general. Yeah, agreed. Yeah, I really like the feast, too

It was very, I don't know, we had just finished watching that

Woodlands Dark and Dark Days Bewitched Folk Horror Documentary, and it seems to just be the perfect movie to follow that up

It was very, very much. with the folk horror and the lore of the setting, the language

It was all just very suspenseful and creepy and I loved it

And along with the feast, what else did you too? Like... So one of my other favorites was Executive Order

It's a Brazilian sci-fi dystopian film. Not so much sci-fi, but very dystopian where..

Sorry, my cat is like pawing at my headphones. Say hi! So executive order is about in Brazil, the government decides that all people with any melanin, any people of African descent have to go back to Africa

So there's some realism to it, but it was also just a really cool movie

And I recommend that one when it's available again. I wanted to see that one because the storyline was, it's topical, but it just seemed like a lot of fun also

All of us saw this movie, and I guess Julie, you wrote it down Violet

Yeah. Violet was a really good movie. That one, the whole time we were watching it, like, I had this weird, anxiety

Like, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach, like, what's going on, what's going to

Well, I knew what was going on, but it was like, what's going to happen next. And I was really, really drawn into Violet, her character

I was really, really engaged with her story. Yeah, I watched a few horror movies

Violet was not a horror movie, but it kept me on edge. Like, I felt like that was the scariest movie I'd seen

I mean, it was starkly relatable. And I guess this is sort of like the struggle kind of we all go through, right

So, I don't know, it really freaked me out. It was good, good acting in it as well

Yeah, I think what I like most about Violet is, like, there's things that are relatable for everyone in it

like just having that inner critic and just mental health and dealing with that

but also really honed in on some of those microaggressions that women in the workplace face all the time And that was just nice to see addressed like so directly

That movie, I forgot what the other movie, I think it was promising young woman, which wasn't at South by Southwest

but I can't relate to that part of the story as much, but as I watch movies like Violet

you can watch it as a male and think, like, wow, it must be horrible to be a woman

It must be so difficult, not horrible. I'm sorry. So difficult to be a woman

Like it's, it really gets to you. I think it's relatable to everybody. And then those aggressions, like, even though I can't relate to it

I can kind of understand where it's coming for. It kind of puts you in, well, doesn't put you in those shoes

but it tries to teach you what's going on. And I really appreciated that about it

Along with feature films, there were documentaries there. And we all got to see some documentaries of what were some of your favorite documentaries

I mentioned earlier, the Woodland Dark and Daisy. bewitched. That one was about three hours, but it was just like I love full core. So I found it so

interesting. And like the nerd in me was just writing down like all the books, like whenever they

talk to an author of anything having to study that, I was like, okay, I got to read this book and

check it out. I was just really into it. Really good use of the film footage that they used

It was, you really looked at the blood on Satan's Clause and Wickerman a lot. And I thought

those were really good examples to drive the point home so I was really in I think that was one of my favorites

the only documentary that I actually watched was the oxy kingpins like there are so many documentaries that I wanted to see at South by Southwest

but the oxy kingpins which focuses on like the role of manufacturers and retailers in the

with opiates and it was just it was really well done it was fast-paced

and really interesting. It's like based on a, not based on, it's about a real lawsuit that is in process right now

that we'll be going to court in April. So it was just really cool to see

It's well done. I wanted to see that one, especially after you recommended and I didn't get around to it

Mine's kind of a cheat, but I really enjoyed Sasquatch. It's a docu-series

I thought it was, I think it might have been the first thing I watched from South by Southwest, but I loved it

It's really cool. I'm not the biggest true crime fan So every once in a while I'll watch one

And, you know, cryptids are really cool when you're younger. They get less cool as you get older

But just the premise of a guy who, you know, 25 years ago or heard a story about, what was it

three guys getting murdered by a herd of Bigfoot. I mean, and then he went back to investigate it

It's awesome. From there, it just kind of takes off. But I really enjoyed it

I think it did a cool thing with true crime, too, because true crime is pretty cut and dry. Even the best ones at CNN

know, it is what it is. Like, they just present the case and either you're into it or you're not

But this one was actually really clever and creative about it. And it's coming to Hulu, too

So for those who are interested in that kind of stuff, it's out there. There was also lots of short films at South by Southwest

I didn't get to see as many, but I know that both of you got to see quite a few. What were some of your favorite shorts

So I watched all of the midnight shorts, and I really liked almost all of them

I thought were excellent. And my favorite out of those out of the midnight shorts

would probably be flick. It's like about a guy who gets a booger stuck to his nose

to his finger when he's picking his nose and then he's trying to get it off and he's just like running around his apartment

trying to get it off. And it was like so stressful and gross and gory

but also like I was laughing the entire time. So that was a good one

And then I also really liked Marvin's never had coffee before. That was just like really wholesome

woman cute. What about you, Regina? I really liked, are you still there

And it was really, it's a mother-daughter story, but it was just, what it did so well was it's about

a girl whose car battery dies in a parking lot. And you can tell it's hot, she's stressed out

she needs help. She's young, she's calling her mom, and her mom's like, I'll be right there to help you

But her mom's a doctor, and her mom keeps getting called back into the hospital. So I just, what I think it does

especially by setting it in a car, it does a really good job of creating that claustrophobia and then like adding to her stress of trying to get out of there

She's in a parking lot that she shouldn't be in the parking lot. And she has people like yelling at her

And, but at the, it's overall like a really good story about how it was a bad day

but it's a bad day and it's over. You have things that make you happy

And it was just like a really like heartwarming and uplifting story. It's a really good mother daughter story

I really liked. even though I didn't get to see it at South by Southwest, so I'm going to cheat again

I really like squeegee. I think that's a really cute, silly, funny, sexy, short

Very, very funny. But one of the ones that I did see at South by Southwest is one of the ones you cover, Julie

A Tale Best Forgotten. I thought it was really, I like murder balance to begin with

I like Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen. And I like that Nick Cave

I like Nick Cave stuff. I thought it was really, really cool. And then the one-shot thing was really neat

Like, really cool atmosphere. I just really, really enjoyed that one. There were a lot of things

So between the three of us not bragging but we got to see a lot of things So was there anything that really exceeded your expectation Lucha Lois the documentary about

it's about three women in Juarez who are female wrestlers. And Juarez for decades, women have been disappearing and being murdered

like on their way to work, especially the ones who work in the factories. And, I mean, growing up there, I mean, I've heard the story so many times

And it was very interesting the take they took on it and focusing on these three women who were living a very unconventional life

You see the casual sexism that's part of the culture, the overt misogyny

And I just think it's really interesting that they chose these three women, very different backgrounds, really

It's like a lady, candy and baby star and mini set in Sirenita

So there were just such interesting subjects. And it really does show, I think, like, ultimately it is a hopeful story

And it's about trying to survive, really, in this city that's trying to kill you, like, just for being a woman, basically

So I was really, like, impressed with it, and I really loved what they did with it

I think for me, violation exceeded my expectations. Just hearing the description of it, I guess, as like a rape revenge film

My expectations weren't great, and it's coming to Shutter. So a lot of Shudder is kind of like cheesy horror

And I didn't really know where this was going to go. But it's a great movie, and it's really just like well done

It's definitely atmospheric. It's creepy and suspenseful, but it's also like a really human story about revenge and the consequences of getting revenge

And I thought it was really, really well done. I like violation a lot

I can't stand rape revenge stories. I think they're like the absolute worst form of horror

Like they're way down there. I like what they've done in recent years with the genre

People are a little more aware. And I think violation is really clever in a lot of the sense

stuff that it does. I really enjoyed it. I saw the fallout. It's directed. So I wasn't expecting

very little out of it. It says it's a coming of age story about a high school tragedy. So I'm like

the first thing you're wondering, it's like, okay, I wonder what the tragedy is. Coming of age is

usually a death in the family type of thing. And then it's directed by Megan Park, who is on the

secret life of the American teenager, stars Jenna Ortega, who's like a Disney kid, I think. So very

low expectations. I was just like, well, I'll just watch this just to watch it. It turns out it's like a really

amazing movie. It deals with high school shootings, which unfortunately is a part of our everyday world now

very emotional. But what I really liked about it was how authentic it was. Like they came across as real

high school kids. Like it was real. It was very, very real. I think, and I won't spoil anything. I think that

the ending is very heavy-handed. But I think in this case, it needs to be heavy

Like I watch it and I was like, wow, I can't believe they did that, but I thought, that is perfect

It was really well done. It won a bunch of awards to like the jury award for Best Narrative

the audience award, and Megan Park won for the best director there. Like definitely a really good movie

And far exceeded my expectations. The flip side is sometimes movies don't live up to your expectations

And in this case, I think we're all on, I think we're all thinking the same thing here

So broadcast signal intrusion. I thought the acting was pretty good. And what happened

But I think that sometimes it wanted to be much more fast-paced and it actually pulled off

And some parts do seem to kind of like lag a little bit

But I was also hoping it focused more on the actual, like, I don't know, the mythos of the broadcast

signal intrusion and not so much on this guy's like hunt for it. So, but that's maybe this my

expectations of it were just, you know, the, uh, after you and I saw it, the first time I said was

uh, there's a great movie in there somewhere. Like, this wasn't it, but it's a really cool

story. Like the, the, the broadcast signal, like the real, it's a really cool story. The premise

is really neat. The idea of someone trying to figure it out, that's a cool little mystery. And you can go

so many different directions with it. The direction they chose was unfortunately not a very

interesting one, I thought. But every once in a while there'd be these cool nuggets

of there'd be a new revelation or even some of the third video that he watches

It's kind of creepy. Like there's some cool stuff going on in there. But yeah, the end result, it just

didn't all come together for me. Yeah. For me, it really lacked sense of world building

and maybe because it was supposed to be in 1999. It's like the real world sort of

But for a sci-fi movie, like that was really lacking. And I love Harry Shum Jr

And I think he like carried that movie. But like you guys were saying, the story of what's going on with the tapes and solving that mystery is really cool

And then you introduce this crime element into it. And it started to become like this noir movie with that older detective guy that he met who they forgot about I don know if he was a detective but yeah And that really changed the pacing too And it felt like it was just trying to be too many things

You know, it really didn't feel sort of like an 80s, early 90s movie in that sense

We have like these movies that are clearly about something else. And out of nowhere, this crime element comes in and just like you have three men and a baby

And all of a sudden there's like drugs you have to worry about. Like, it just, it's sort of like they don't match up

Like, it's sort of like, it really was jarring almost to have these stories together

And you mentioned the noir element. There was also like that saxophone that would come out every once in a lot

You know what the most disappointing one was Luchadovas actually. There was no Ray Mysterio

What's up with that? Yeah. Totally rude it for me. So one of the things with Fess is, unfortunately, you know

get to see everything that you want to see. So what did you, was there anything that you

that you missed out on that you really were hoping to catch? So I was not planning on watching the fallout

and you guys both recommended it and I was like, I should watch that, but instead I watched executive order

and it was like the last day of the festival. But I've seen what everyone had to say about the fallout

and that it won the audience and the jury awards and I'm wishing I'd watch that one

Well, that sounds like it might have worked out, though. I mean, the executive order is one of your best. So at least you saw something good

Yeah. Yes. What about you, Regina? I really wanted to see Gaia and witch hunt, and I just didn't have time for them at the end

I really wanted to see Romeo Juliet, which they thankfully let us know that it's Romeo and Juliet, not Romeo Pounds Juliet, despite the style

place. But I really want to see, not that I'm the biggest William Shakespeare fan or

Roman and Juliet fan, but I don't know, I just like seeing adaptations. And it just seemed

kind of corny in a good way, like it's all done on social media and Instagram and stuff

It just seemed kind of fun. But didn't get around to it. So hopefully a little beyond

I don't know, USA Network or something. So final thoughts? What were your guys, final thoughts

of South by Southwest? I mean, there are so many movies that we didn't talk about that I loved

Like, Gaia was one of the ones that I did get to watch, and it was really cool

It's an excellent movie. And just overall, like, I always love the shorts with film festivals, so I'm glad that I was able to watch as many of them

Like, you never know what to expect, and so many of them are, like, squeegee

I didn't have any, you never know what to expect the shorts. You're growing off, like, one sentence telling you what you're watching

And that one was just like, whoa. So it was really cool

And yeah, I think the app made everything really cool. One thing I wish I had done is I wish I'd been in any of the live Q&As with filmmakers that was on the app

You could chat with them. So I went back and read some after, but it would have been cool if I had planned my time a little better to do that

I think that both of you within, gosh, I want to say like within 15 or 20 minutes of you, both brought up to me

Well, Julie, in your article, you mentioned inclusivity. And Regina, you just kind of outright mentioned to me, like, oh, I want to write this article about inclusivity at South by Southwest

And I thought that was really cool that you both notice that because it's kind of, it's something that people drop all the time

They say that they're doing it, but you don't get it all the time. And it was noticeable at South by Southwest

But it wasn't like an in-your-face. Here's what we're doing. So it was just a part of the festival

And I thought that was really cool. I really appreciated it. But I always tell people that I really think that genre movies

and I think like underrepresented people of color, I think that's where all the best stuff is

Like just no one ever knows it because no one ever gave them a chance. So I'm really glad that these festivals of South by Southwest months recently

that they're giving a chance to people that normally wouldn't have had that chance. What about you, Regina

Second year in a row South by Southwest. What are your thoughts on it? This time I think I was a little bit more prepared

The first time was my first festival, and it was just, I don't know, it was pretty daunting

Also, we had Julie to help us this time around, so it wasn't as terrifying with the workload

But I don't know, it's really fun. I really enjoyed the movies

I've seen some of them have been so oddball and quirky, but there's been some really good stories in there

And I wrote the article about how women were telling their stories

And I think that was very important. A lot of people got to share their voice at the South by Southwest Festival

especially this year. And I saw some of that last year as well, too, but I really saw it this year

I really do like this online format. As we're saying earlier, it kind of gives you a chance to see a little bit more

In that sense, you get more exposure to all these different stories. So I really enjoyed it

It's a lot of fun. Can't wait for the next one. And for everyone who wants to read about everything that we wrote, go to AIPT.com

We talked about a lot of movies, but there's so many more reviews up there that you can find

plus our post-press coverage, plus there's some interviews. But check it out, and we'll talk to you later