SXSW - PART 1
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 19/03/2021
Hi everyone. I hope you’re all well. The newsletter this week will have a different format. I’m currently taking part in the SXSW festival and decided to use this and next week's newsletter to talk about it.
After being canceled in 2020, SXSW returned virtually in 2021. The virtual festival started Tuesday, March 16, and will conclude on March 20. And this week I will talk about some great films and cool music performances that I had the chance to watch and listen to in the first 2 days of the festival. And next week I will tackle the other half.
SHORT FILMS
JOE BUFFALO
Joe Buffalo is an Indigenous skateboard legend. He’s also a survivor of Canada’s notorious Indian Residential School system. Following a traumatic childhood and decades of addiction, Joe must face his inner demons to realize his dream of turning pro.
The film is extremely touching, engaging, and super well done. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Joe is such a strong and interesting person. His story is really sad and the filmmakers captured his sadness in a very raw and honest way.
SISTERS
SISTERS focus on two estranged siblings who are forced to confront each other as their comatose mother nears death.
I really enjoyed this one. The film perfectly captured the love-hate relationship between these two sisters. The cinematography and the performances are both outstanding. And the chemistry between Sarah Burns and Mary Holland is amazing. And shoutout to whoever picked out the wig that the ailing mother is wearing in the film. That was a hilarious prop.
SISTERS is a lovely debut from the director and writer, Jess Brunetto. And I would love to see this short being expanded into a feature film.
DOCUMENTARY
INTRODUCING, SELMA BLAIR
In a quest to take control of her personal health, actor Selma Blair adapts to new ways of living while pursuing a risky medical procedure, after revealing her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2018.
This is a beautiful and raw doc. It is heartbreaking to see Selma struggling with this awful disease but at the same time, very inspirational. I really admire her strength. Director Rachel Fleit did an outstanding job. She created an intimate film that is full of heart. INTRODUCING, SELMA BLAIR will be available on the Discovery+ streaming service that will be launched worldwide later in 2021.
FEATURE FILMS
Executive Order
In a dystopian near-future in Brazil, an authoritarian government orders all citizens of African descent to move to Africa – creating chaos, protests, and an underground resistance movement that inspires the nation.
EXECUTIVE ORDER is strengthened by a strong cast as well as great character writing. For most of the film, we are with Antonio and André (Seu Jorge) in an apartment, and the two of them bring levity to the material. Enoch and Jorge have tremendous chemistry throughout the film and share some of the best scenes.
The film also succeeds in its plausibility, displaying an acute understanding of the slippery slope of disaster. And conveys strongly the terror in the streets as those who are targeted by this racist order get chased throughout the city.
For a dystopian film on a modest budget, EXECUTIVE ORDER is a success. It takes a clever premise and effectively shows the dangers of putting the wrong person in power. And it can definitely lead to some interesting conversations, so it is worth checking out.
THE END OF US
After a savage breakup, two exes must continue living together when California issues its stay-at-home order for COVID-19. Now they’ll try to move on without moving out.
THE END OF US is great fun. The cast has great chemistry and the concept really worked for me. This is probably the only “COVID lockdown” film that I liked.
There is so much to relate regarding the pandemic. We all went through most of the same things the main characters of this film went through. I also loved the visual production. And I think they found the perfect house to shoot the film. Every shot was natural and interesting, and the costumes and props were on point.
Overall, this is a really entertaining film and I totally recommend it.
Top 5 songs
These were my favorite 5 songs from musicians that are taking part in the SXSW online 2021. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
1 - VERO - Burning Ride
2 - LIGHTSWITCH - CHAII
3 - Jaguar Jonze - CURLED IN
4 - Deezie Brown - I Want It All
5 - Merk - GOD