The Best Movies Of SXSW 2022
From twisted social media commentary to remote cabins to rom-com jungle adventures, there’s a lot to love about the feature and short films that came out of SXSW Film Festival 2022. As the festival wraps up, Pop Culture Planet is sharing the Best of the Fest.
Deadstream
From married co-directors and writers Joseph and Vanessa Winter comes Deadstream, a comedy-horror about a cancelled Internet personality who tries to win back his followers while livestreaming in a haunted house. His big comeback event turns into a fight for his life when he pisses off a vengeful spirit. Shot in a uniquely high-quality dual perspective found footage style, the film boasts excellent effects and an expert balance of humor and horror. Joseph Winter also leads this film as one-man show Shawn Ruddy, known for his pranks on the Internet as Wrath of Shawn. He does a great job playing up the larger-than-life stereotypes of influencer culture and has you rooting for him despite all of his goofiness and mistakes.
Deadstream has been acquired by Shudder for future release.
Five Cents
Aaron Hughes’ animated short Five Cents follows a passerby’s adventures after finding a coin purse. Hand drawn on thousands of market data pages from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times with ink, white-out, gouache paint, gold leaf, and other materials, Five Cents explores the deeper message of the perils of economic turmoil. The film took home an SXSW Audience Award in the Animated Shorts Competition.
Glitter Ain’t Gold
Punctuated by an early 2000s hip-hop soundtracks, Glitter Ain’t Gold transports us back to the good old days of our youth. Led by Alfred Lewis and Priah Ferguson, the short film follows the rite of passage of sixth grader Jilbril and his trip to the flea market to buy his first fake gold chain. Directed and written by Christopher Nolan Jones and executive produced by Common, Glitter Ain’t Gold won SXSW’s Special Jury Recognition for Directing and Community Filmmaking Award.
Local Middle Schooler
In the animated short Local Middle Schooler, a young girl named Anagha discovers she has the power to make wishes on her eyelashes. She wishes her acne away, but faces criticism from her community: why not wish for world peace? Pressured by society, she starts giving away her magical eyelashes to everyone she meets — although they also ironically never wish for world peace. Instead, we see Anagha face the hypocritical actions of her community while she battles the weight of both middle school and the world.
Master
The horrors of the past and present meet in Mariama Diallo’s debut feature Master. Set at a fictional ivy league university with Salem roots, the horror film navigates politics, privilege, and race through the perspective of three Black women: freshman Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), the first Black female dean of students Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), and literature professor Liv Beckman (Amber Gray). While the college claims to support inclusivity and diversity, both students and staff depict racist behavior and tokenize and dismiss characters of color. Master explores the reality that the racism from our past has become so ingrained in culture that, despite how much society “progresses,” it can be hard for people of color to find a safe space.
Roommates
Roommates is a refreshing take on the college experience from the perspective of Izzy and Sophia who are placed as dorm roommates because they’re both disabled. Co-written and directed by lead actors Ashley Eakin and Kelsey Johnson, we see the duo share both a bottle of vodka and their thoughts on disability. Together they have a wild night out at their first frat party, solidifying themselves as the coolest girls on campus.
Sissy finds Cecilia and Emma rekindling their childhood friendship when they run into each other a decade later. But when Cecilia is invited to Emma’s bachelorette weekend, she ends up stuck in a remote cabin with her childhood bully and the scent of revenge in the air. A genre-bending story of bullying and social media, Sissy is equal parts slasher and coming-of-age film with a different type of “happy ending” that will leave you on the edge of your seat. I spoke with actress Aisha Dee and writers/directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes about the Australian horror-comedy film during its premiere at SXSW.
The Alter
The Alter, perhaps a play on the film’s alternating perspectives, is an interactive short from Swamp Motel. We follow a dual story about a group of friends who spend the weekend at a remote country house. When they find an old map of the grounds, a hunt for buried treasure begins, and what they unearth with alter them forever. The Alter delivers an innovative and immersive way to bring audiences into their story as viewers jump between day and night with the click of a mouse.
The Cow
Winona Ryder stars as Kath in The Cow, a woman who goes to a remote cabin with her boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.) only to find it double-booked with a mysterious younger couple (Brianne Tju, Owen Teague). When her boyfriend “runs off” with the young woman, Kath becomes obsessed with confronting her — but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined. While The Cow has a compelling twist, the film is dragged down by a convoluted lead up with characters who’s motivations just don’t really make sense.
Vertical Entertainment won a bidding war for The Cow and the film will hit theaters later this year.
Led by Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe, The Lost City is about a reclusive author who gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who thinks she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure that she wrote about in her last book. Determined to prove that he can be a real hero, her cover model sets out to save her.
There might not be any crazy twists or turns in The Lost City, but there is also not a single weak link in the film. It’s self-aware, poking fun at the genre, while delivering a solid story of heart and humor from start to finish. Every moment is purposeful and hilarious, giving the phenomenal cast the very best material to work with. The Lost City has to be one of the best movies of 2022. It’s hilarious, super quotable, and has a rock solid cast.
The Lost City is currently out in theaters now.
Have you checked out these movies? What were some of your favorites from SXSW this year? Get more recommendations, here.
