SXSW 2022: Top 10 Narrative Highlights
After a long 2-year wait, my first time at SXSW Film Festival, finally came to pass. The festival ran from March 11–19, during which I saw a whopping 25 films. I decided to split my coverage between the narrative features and the documentary features just because there were too many great films to highlight. So, here are my reviews of the best narrative films I saw. And you can find the full reviews of all the movies I saw right here on Letterboxd.
10. Cha Cha Real Smooth, dir. Cooper Raiff
Cha Cha Real Smooth is Cooper Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 feature, Shithouse. Andrew (played by Raiff) is good at throwing parties, which is not good news for a guy about to leave college and enter the real world. He’s had his heart broken by his much more successful girlfriend, who is studying on a Fullbright scholarship in Barcelona, and works at “Meat Sticks,” a glorified hot dog stand in the mall. When he starts working as a “party-starter” for local Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), who change the way he looks at the world.
This movie hit me at the perfect time and place in my life. I’ve heard a lot of complaints that the film is too low energy or conflict-free, but I don’t understand that at all. As a recent college graduate on a cycling spectrum of feeling directionless one day, hopeful the next, and then like I’m in a full-fledged crisis the next, I could relate to Andrew quite a bit. Andrew and I also both live at home with a family member with bi-polar, and a younger sibling we are dreading to leave when we move out. I found the scenes that showcase Andrew’s relationship with his younger brother, David, (as well as his mother, played by Leslie Mann) to be incredibly emotional and moving.
I found Cha Cha Real Smooth to be both charming and poignant in the best ways. Raiff’s natural performance coupled with the chemistry he shares with Dakota Johnson is a big part of that. The film strikes a great balance between comedy and seriousness, and the emotional moments slowly sneak up on you, to great effect. Sure, it can be a little sappy at times, but at the same time it felt so real. I understand how people who have passed this stage of their lives may find Andrew a little childish or too sweet for his own good, but post-college life is a confusing, weird, daunting stage of life, and Raiff perfectly encapsulated all that emotion and insight into the film.
9. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, dir. Tom Gormican
Nicolas Cage is back! (Not that he went anywhere).
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent follows struggling actor Nicolas Cage as he accepts an offer to attend a birthday party for one of his super-fans (Pedro Pascal), who also happens to be a dangerous crime lord. Pascal and Cage have great chemistry together and feel as if they are actually life-long friends in real life.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a joyous ride of meta-madness, and that is largely due to Cage’s ability to laugh at himself and commit to this exaggerated version of his real self. He is charismatic (of course), hilarious, and it is a joy to see him lean into the “neurotic Nic Cage” persona that makes even his worst movies so enjoyable. And his alter-ego, Nicki (AKA Wild at Heart Nic Cage) makes for some of the best moments in the film.
Experiencing this film at SXSW with the legend himself only a few feet away and a crowd of other Nic Cage lovers made this one of the best moviegoing experiences ever.
8. Raquel 1:1, dir. Mariana Bastos
Raquel 1:1 follows a young Christian teen, Raquel, who has come to live with her father in a small town after a tragic incident with her mother. Soon after moving in, Raquel has a mysterious spiritual experience and sets on a new mission to rewrite the Bible without its blatantly sexist passages. This mission proves difficult and controversial as the town turns on her for being a heretic.
Mariana Bastos, who wrote and directed the film, has a clear vision for the message she wants to send in this film: that women are tired of always being treated as less than. Even in the Church, which is supposed to be a safe and loving space for all people, we see passages in the Scripture that attempt to tear women down; we are worthy, as long as we know we are subordinate to men.
Like Genesis 3:16 when Eve’s punishment is not only pain in childbirth but also that Adam “shall rule over thee.” Then there’s 1 Corinthians 14:34–5, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame to speak in the church.” Now we can’t even have the freedom of thought, in Church or at home. Or there’s the infamous passage from Ephesians 5:22–5, “Wives submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.”
As women in the Church, we grow up hearing these harmful, hateful passages and internalize the idea that women can be great, just as long as there’s a man there to keep us in check. And so many women, like Raquel’s mother, feel the wrath of men who live out these passages. Raquel 1:1 explores the hatred lobbied at Raquel for wanting to write Scripture that actually reflects the teachings of Christ rather than the (obviously) sexist men that wrote it (Oh, but they were inspired by God, so it’s okay…). The film has its flaws, mostly in the pacing of events, but Raquel 1:1 is a triumph for women who are tired of being treated like second class and ready to stand up for our rights in the Church and in society as a whole.
7. Pretty Problems, dir. Kestrin Pantera
Pretty Problems is a riot! I loved every second of it. Not only is it laugh-out-loud funny, it also has a lot to say in between the lines about wealth disparity and class tensions. The script by Michael Tennant (who plays the main character, Jack) is clear in its message and sharp in its execution — and did I mention it’s f*cking hilarious?
Lindsay (Britt Rentschler) and her husband, Jack are both living unhappy lives, working unfulfilling jobs, and not earning nearly enough money. Jack is a door-to-door solar panel salesman, constantly having doors slammed in his face and Lindsay works at a high-end boutique that is a revolving door for entitled snobs. But all that changes when Lindsay runs into a suspiciously kind (and very wealthy) stranger, Cat (J.J. Nolan), who promptly buys half the store to boost Lindsay’s commission, and then invites her and Jack on a lavish weekend away to Sonoma. When they arrive, they enter into an unfamiliar world of disposable wealth.
There truly are no small roles in this film. Every actor is at the top of their game, giving it their all. Charlotte Urban plays the ditsy drunk, Carrie, and her physicality in the role is incredible. Carrie is dating Kerry (Alex Klein), the obnoxious frat-type who goes against frat stereotypes by actually being very in touch with his emotions — a little too in touch. Then there’s Matt (Graham Outerbridge), Cat’s husband, and proprietor of all this wealth. The dynamics between each character and clearly defined and result in expertly crafted comedy at every turn.
Kestrin Pantera’s direction is superb, bringing the best out of each performance and every comedic moment. We quickly gather that although the surface seems pretty and perfect, there are myriad issues lurking beneath. Tennant subtly adds elements of horror to the film — Jack and Lindsay are trapped with a bunch of crazy strangers who are anything but normal. There is so much nuance and depth packed into this 1 hour and 43 minute comedy, and everything about the film worked for me.
6. Soft & Quiet, dir. Beth de Araújo
Soft & Quiet captures a day in the life of a white, conservative, Kindergarten teacher, named Emily (Stefanie Estes) who also happens to run a white supremacist group on the side, called the Daughters of Aryan Unity. Emily seems harmless if you’re not paying attention. While waiting for his mother, she shows a young boy the children’s book she is working on and lets him see the pie she made for a meeting. She then persuades the child to chastise the cleaning lady for “endangering” his life by mopping. First-time feature director, Beth de Araújo, slowly builds the tension here, peeling back the blindfold to reveal our worst fears.
The title conveys the scariest aspect to the white supremacy at play in the film (and in the real world). These women don’t seem to pose a threat to anyone. One woman in the group tells everyone that her father was the leader of the local KKK chapter and she has since taken over. She wants to dispel the “myth” that members of the KKK are evil and scary threats to society. “I mean, do I look scary to you?” the woman jokes with her peers. There lies the heart of the issue: these women don’t look scary, but the evil that lurks beneath the surface is extremely scary and dangerous, as we witness throughout the rest of the film.
Soft & Quiet is an uncomfortable film as we are forced to be in the company of these women for the entirety of the film, even as they brutally terrorize two mixed-race Asian women simply for existing and then for daring to stand up for themselves. We must continue to follow them down this dark path. Just like in the real world, we can’t ignore them, and we can’t escape them.
The women all come to the initial meeting for varying reasons. One woman, Marjorie (Eleanore Pienta) wants to vent about the Colombian woman she works with getting a promotion over her. Another woman, Leslie, played by the terrifying Olivia Luccardi expresses that she “learned a lot” about racism against white people in prison. She quickly takes control over the group and exacerbates the situation to disturbing ends, to say the least.
Soft & Quiet definitely makes my Top 5 movies from SXSW. Its realistic depiction of the white supremacist, neo-Nazi movement lurking beneath polite society is bone-chilling and will have you squirming in your seat. It is without-a-doubt the scariest movie I have seen in a long time.
5. Women Do Cry, dir. Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva
Women Do Cry is a testament to the power of female filmmaking. When Sonja (Maria Bakalova) finds out she is HIV positive after sleeping with a man who was not honest about his previous sexual encounters, she and her family — primarily her sister, Lora (Ralitsa Stoyanova) — are thrust into a world of cold judgment and negligent healthcare.
Directed by Bulgarian filmmakers, Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva, the film highlights way serious issues like healthcare, gender identity, and domestic abuse are handled in a country that does not value women as people.
This is a film about family, specifically, the bond between sisters. Sonja and Lora fight constantly, but always under the mask of deep love for one another. Their mother, Ana, and their aunts, Veronica and Yoana are all played by real-life sisters (Katia, Bilyana, and Vesela Kazakova, the latter two also wrote the script). The generational trauma of their family is present, but so is their generational spirit of courage.
Each performance here is Oscar-worthy. These are actresses at the top of their game, who (as they say) completely understood the assignment. But I want to specifically highlight Maria Bakalova’s Sonja, who feels like she is on the brink of mental breakdown (or past the brink) in every scene. She taps into all the emotions of a woman who has been disrespected and disregarded at every turn. The desolation she feels upon finding out about her diagnosis; the righteous anger she expresses when being examined by a wholly unprofessional physician. She never breaks for a moment and completely inhabits Sonja’s character.
Women Do Cry is a revelation in female filmmaking that should not be overlooked or undervalued. This is a deeply important subject matter that deserves to be seen and heard.
4. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, dir. Dean Fleischer-Camp
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is not where I expected to find profound musings on the meaning of life, but I am here for it. Marcel is, as you can guess, a talking shell with shoes on, but he is also the most delightful being you may ever have the privilege of getting to know.
When a struggling filmmaker, Dean (played by the director of the film), moves into an Airbnb, he discovers that Marcel, his grandmother, Connie, and their pet lint, Alan are already living there. Marcel and Connie have been separated from their large family of shells, making life harder, both physically and emotionally. Dean begins making videos of Marcel, launching them to Internet fame and sparking a journey to find Marcel’s lost family.
Jenny Slate, as the voice of Marcel, simultaneously gives the most heartfelt and hilarious voice performance of the year. And Isabella Rossellini brings a bitter-sweet sadness to the voice of Connie, who is losing her memory in her old age. The social media attention and Marcel’s search for their family takes a toll on Connie, but she always pushes Marcel to get out of his…shell.
The journey allows Marcel to see how the world is much bigger than just his house, eventually even meeting one his favorite celebrities, Leslie Stahl. A pseudo-documentary that is both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Marcel the Shell is a guaranteed good time.
3. Everything Everywhere All At Once, dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
The Daniels have delivered on another amazing, creative, and inventive film. Everything Everywhere All At Once is an uproariously funny and a wild ride from start finish. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) and her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) just want to get the IRS off their backs and throw a successful Chinese New Year party, but everything changes when Evelyn is thrust into the multiverse where she must stop a mysterious force of evil named Jobu Tupaki.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is pure joy packaged up into a 2-hour movie. Michelle Yeoh gives the performance of a lifetime (literally) as Evelyn, who throughout the film becomes different versions of herself in different universes — including a Kung Fu film actress, like Yeoh herself. And Yeoh alongside newcomer Stephanie Hsu, who plays Evelyn’s daughter, Joy, together form an unstoppable force. And Ke Huy Quan (who you may recognize as Short Round from the Temple of Doom) brings a subtle force of positivity to the film as his character proves that violence is not the only way to solve your existential, multiversal problems.
This really feels like a return to the great sci-fi, action movies of old in that it leans not only into those elements, but also into the human element. The Daniels seem to specialize in this practice (see: Swiss Army Man) of creating these crazy, outlandish worlds, but giving equal importance to the mundane challenges concurrently facing the characters. Everything Everywhere reflects on the value of family, the superficiality of wealth, and the role that forgiveness plays in bringing balance to one’s life.
This is the must-see film of 2022. The editing, costumes, and makeup alone are enough to astound you, but all that, combined with a script that twists and turns every which way and the pristine, visionary direction from the Daniels is enough to change the way you view movies forever. Why make just 1 movie when you can make 100 movies in 1 (and make it all flow together perfectly)?
2. Emergency, dir. Carey Williams
Emergency is an intense, genre-mixing, thriller/comedy/mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat with nervous excitement. I went in pretty blind on this one, so I don’t want to say too much about the plot. It follows 3 college students — Sean (RJ Cyler), Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins), and Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) — as they are faced with a unique and unexpected situation upon finding a barely conscious, intoxicated, young white woman in their room.
After I saw Emergency, I went to see Mariama Diallo’s horror film, Master. Both films engage with the state of racism in America today in relation to fear and horror, particularly on college campuses. However, I was surprised to find that the latter merely dips its toes into these conversations, whereas Emergency digs into them, unafraid. If the main characters were white, much of the conflict would not need to exist.
The script by K.D. Dávila is intricately crafted to build and release tension at the perfect times. The writing allows you to step into the mindset of these young men and understand their decisions at a deeper level. And it is able to seamlessly switch focus from the overarching conflict of figuring out how to get the young woman to safety, the smaller (yet equally important) conflicts between the 3 young men, and the larger dangers that may befall them if someone were to misunderstand their intentions. First-time feature director, Carey Williams, skillfully makes the film into something that is not only exciting and fresh, but coherent and profound.
I loved every second of Emergency. It is intense, funny, and heartbreaking, and I can’t wait to watch it again and again.
1. Nika, dir. Vasilisa Kuzmina
Nika opens with real footage of Russian poet, Nika Turbina, as a young girl. She is showered with praise from her elders for hear beautiful and profound poetry. We later meet Nika as an adult, struggling with the lingering fame from her childhood and her inability to write poetry anymore.
Nika is largely about escaping the pressures that are thrust on children from a young age to be great. This harmful practice instills in Nika that she only has value as long as she is working and producing art. Adult Nika is haunted by the younger, more perfect version of herself. She is plagued by her controlling mother, played by the daring, Anna Mikhalkova, who only values her daughter when she is producing art (read: making her mother look good).
Elizaveta Yankovskaya (who won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance) gives an impressively reserved performance as Nika, showcasing all the nuances of the character. Director, Vasilisa Kuzmina and co-writer Yulia Gulyan, give Yankovskaya the space to dig in to Nika’s character and bring forth the truth of her story by always placing Nika at the center of each scene. As more is revealed about the story, a feeling a dread begins to sit over the film.
The cinematography by Mikhail Milashin (the movie was filmed on Kodak 35mm) adds an exquisite beauty to the film, especially in the scenes where Nika walks the streets alone amongst the vast oppressiveness of the city. Nika was the best film I saw at the festival. Its quiet beauty and haunting storytelling will stick with me for a while.
Click here to read more SXSW review on my Letterboxd. Can’t wait for SXSW 2023!
