SXSW has become one of the largest film festivals in the United States and certainly one of the most enjoyable. But as with any collection of movies this big, it takes some work to separate the wheat from the chaff. After countless hours of watching movies, we’ve pared it down to the 12 Best Films of SXSW.
12. Eden
The plot of Megan Griffiths’ thriller seems too far-fetched and cruel to believe—an innocent teenager is kidnapped and forced into four years of sexual slavery in a warehouse just a few miles from her own house before finally escaping. But not only does this type of thing happen in America, it did happen to Chong Kim, on whose incredible story the film is based. It doesn’t work at every moment. I found some of the scenes overdone and thought Griffiths lingered a bit too long on the many scenes of violence and humiliation. But the story is an important one, and the acting is outstanding, particularly from Special Jury Award winner Jamie Chung. This is her first real chance to show her acting chops in a big project, and she’s obviously much more talented than her previous projects (The Real World, Sucker Punch, The Hangover II, etc.) have allowed her to show.—Michael Dunaway
11. Trash Dance
The premise of Andrew Garrison’s fascinating documentary Trash Dance is intriguing enough in and of itself—choreographer Allison Orr creates a performance using as “dancers” the men, women, and vehicles that collect your garbage. The tagline “How can a garbage truck dance?” is especially inspired. I was eager to see the film when I thought it was entirely composed of that performance, and I was initially disappointed to learn that most of the movie is composed of the story behind the show. But it’s actually that footage that provides the heart and soul of the film. As much as anything else, it’s a paean to the nobility of labor. It’s both inspired and inspiring.—Michael Dunaway
10. Booster
The most exciting aspect of a film festival may be the opportunity of discovery. For any critic or cinephile, there’s nothing like discovering a film you’ve never heard of, by filmmakers you’ve never heard of that you connect with and appreciate on countless levels. Booster, though not without its faults, was this film for me. Writer/director/editor Matt Ruskin, who started his career with documentaries Glen of the Downsand and The Hip Hop Project, has sheer talent as a filmmaker. Working with cinematographer Tim Gillis, he captures Boston’s underbelly honestly yet sensitively to draw sympathy—in place of judgment—from its criminals. The actors, of course, help make this a reality. Playing Simon, a petty thief whose incarcerated brother asks him to commit a string of armed robberies that will prove his innocence, Nico Stone holds the film together as a young man caught in moral dilemma. Stone’s deep and dark eyes speak further into his conflicted circumstances, in which he contemplates his criminal life. Channeling the early work of Martin Scorsese, it’s this introspection—the pit between crime and morality—that makes Booster so pertinent.—David Roark
9. Her Master’s Voice
In reading the SXSW synopsis I would never have expected this to be one of my favorite films of the festival. After all, in my book ventriloquists fall somewhere between animal acts and dance improv when it comes to entertainment. But this documentary about Nina Conti’s rise as one of the world’s top ventriloquists and her journey to Venthaven, the resting place for ventriloquists’ dummies, is like being on the inside of a Hitchcock film. Conti’s exchanges with her wooden friends go beyond entertainment. It’s Jungian analysis for all to see. It’s one thing when the audience is unsure of where the act is going. But it’s quite another when the artist herself makes self discoveries through conversations with her partners.—Tim Basham
8. ¡Vivan las Antipodas!
Victor Kossakovsky was the recipient of the True Vision Award at this year’s True/False Film Festival, and this film shows why. It’s an examination of four sets of “antipodes”—pairs of cities or towns that are exactly opposite each other on the surface of the Earth. Kossakovsky points out in a title card that antipodes are actually relatively rare, since most of the Earth is covered by water. It’s left up to the viewer to decide what deeper meaning, if any, to impart to that fact. Kossakovsky is a master filmmaker, and any of the footage, taken on its own, would be compelling. But each time he composes a chapter by choosing which footage to marry up, the juxtapositions are striking.—Michael Dunaway
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