It’s been interesting to see Austin and the SXSW Festival explode over the years. Not only has film and music grown, but the festival’s become a trailblazer for tech, interactive, comedy, sports, and much more; SXSW just keeps expanding. Throughout it all, however, the festival has shown very-few-to-no growing pains which is astonishing considering all the expansion. Moreover, the film festival committee and programmers haven’t lost sight of what they do and have continued to deliver their eclectic mix of crowd-pleasing, raucous comedies, and mainstream efforts mixed in with under-the-radar, about-to-breakthrough indies, breakout documentaries and so much more.
The SXSW Film Festival hasn’t lost a step over the years and in 2019, it’s another great year of programming that is sure to wow audiences. Here’s a quick 16-film snapshot of highlights, but remember, this is just scratching the surface and you should definitely dive in deep into the line-up for the full layout of all the weird and wonderful goods.
“Us”
Look, of course, we’re starting out with the new Jordan Peele movie, the biggest film of the festival, playing one night on opening night (tonight). Peele injected a huge shot of B12 into the arm of horror with “Get Out,” in 2017, dazzled audiences, broke huge box office records, won an Oscar and moreover, brought a sense of social politics into the mix with his consideration of race, bigotry, and terror. “Social horror,” as it’s been dubbed makes another appearance this year with “Us,” Peele’s sophomore directorial effort, which will apparently still mine the rich vein tapped in “Get Out.” This latest effort stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke from “Black Panther,” Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker. Most of the specifics of the film have been kept vague including the trailers, but the story is about a black family’s domestic serenity which turns to chaos when a group of doppelgängers begins to terrorize them. This one is sure to touch a lot of raw nerves. Universal releases the film shortly thereafter on March 21.
“Booksmart”
Could this coming of age tale be this year’s “Lady Bird?” A24 is sure hoping so and it comes with a great package. “Booksmart” is the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde and it stars breakout actress Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, funnily enough from Greta Gerwig’s aforementioned smash hit. Told from a wildly original, fresh and modern perspective, “Booksmart” is an unfiltered comedy about high school friendships and the bonds we create that last a lifetime. Capturing the spirit of our times, the film is a coming of age story for a new generation. The dramedy also co-stars Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, and Jason Sudeikis. Already set for a May 24 release, A24 is hoping for a big breakout summer hit and alternative-programming option from all the superhero films and hell, it could just work.
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1086295684888883200
“What We Do In The Shadows”
New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian Taika Waititi might be a household name now thanks to “Thor” and his beloved wacky Marvel movie, but what got him the gig was his side-splittingly hilarious “What We Do In The Shadows” (co-directed and written by Jemaine Clement) mockumentary, found-footage horror comedy film where a documentary crew follows the mundane day-in-and-day-out life of a group of vampires living in Wellington, New Zealand. Following “Wellington Paranormal,” a spin-off series that aired in New Zealand in 2016, we’re now getting the long-promised “What We Do in the Shadows” TV series by FX. Starring Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillen. This version is set in set in Staten Island and follows four vampires who have been roommates for hundreds and hundreds of years. Full credits aren’t out yet, but Waititi is said to have directed the pilot episode and Jemaine Clement & Paul Simms are the showrunners. If it can capture even have the laugh-out-loud magic, it’ll still be better than most shows on TV. Series stars March 27 on FX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyZi3rJPENs
“The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Having abandoned (resented?) superstardom, Shia LaBeouf has starred in a lot of crazy movies of late, including the one he wrote about his life as a young child actor and his emotionally abusive stage father that he actually starred in at the past Sundance. But “The Peanut Butter Falcon” could take the cake. It’s about a young man with Down syndrome who runs away from the retirement home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. It stars LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church, Jon Bernthal, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Mick Foley. Directed and written by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, we know what you’re thinking and no, thank god, LaBeouf does not play the boy with Down syndrome—that’s Zack Gottsagen, who was born with Down Syndrome. Incidentally, there’s a good magazine profile from last year where LaBeouf called Gottsagen an amazing inspiration and one of the best actors he’s ever worked with. Must-see in our minds.
