After being the first major event cancelled last year, SXSW returned as a shorter, toned down, online event. Interactive and music were significantly smaller. Film was smaller too – missing the big name films that usually show at the Paramount but they still had a good selection of smaller independent narrative and documentary films. While I missed the vibrancy, breadth of choices, live Q&A’s, meeting people while waiting on line non-stop action of downtown there’s a lot to be said for being able to watch the films in the comfort of your own home. I was able to watch things at a much more leisurely pace, didn’t have to worry about figuring out if I could get from one theater to another, etc. I was also able to pick out more shorts to watch, abandon movies I didn’t particularly like (I would have liked that several years ago with my all time worst SXSW movie – Trash Humpers) and just do more of my non SXSW activities while still having time for SXSW stuff. So overall I enjoyed it although I’m looking forward to a live SXSW next year.
Here are some of my favorites from this year:
- Favorite Narrative Features
- The Fallout – Narrative Feature Competition Winner about impact of school shooting on one of the students and her friends
- Language Lessons – Sweet movie about relationship of teacher (Natalie Morales) and student (Mark Duplass) taking Spanish lessons via Zoom
- Potato Dreams – quirky autobiographical film about a gay Russian kid who emigrates to the U.S. with his mother in mid 80s
- Favorite Documentaries (General)
- Lily Topples The World – Documentary winner about world’s best domino toppler, Lily Hevesh
- When Claude Got Shot – This doc follows impact to Claude, another victim and the kid who shot Claude as they go through the health and legal systems.
- Alien on Stage – A real life Waiting for Guffman
- Fruits of Labor – This doc follows a struggling, low income family with an undocumented mother and her citizen kids during the Trump administration.
- Favorite Documentaries (Music Related)
- Under The Volcano – The story of the rise and fall of the music studio on the island of Montserrat built by Beatles producer George Martin
- Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free – The creative process of Tom Petty and crew during creation of Wallflowers album.
- The Sparks Brothers – Interesting doc by Edgar Wright about 50 year (and counting)! career of the Sparks. I had never heard of them but some of the music in doc was pretty good. Only complaint was the film could have been a bit shorter.
- Without Getting Killed or Caught – Doc about musician Guy Clarke.
- Favorite Documentaries (Tearjerkers)
- Not Going Quietly – Story of Ady Barkan, activist (known for confrontation about health care with Ben Sasse) and ALS sufferer. If you like this also watch Gleason about former New Orleans Saint who also suffers from ALS (although I’d suggest a break between the two to replenish your tear supply).
- Introducing Selma Blair – Intimate portrait of actress and MS sufferer Selma Blair
- Favorite Music Video
- The Dirty Projectors – Overlord – I love this song!
- Favorite Shorts (Documentaries)
- The Last Cruise – doc about passengers and crew of Diamond Princess that were stranded on ship due to Covid-19 outbreak during beginning of pandemic. I think it’s already on HBO!
- Red Taxi – documentarian talks to taxi drivers in both mainland China and Hong Kong during last years Honk Kong protests.