by Emily Maesar, Staff Writer

I have only been to Austin, Texas once in my life. It was for ATX Television Festival, which was an extremely good time, but I’ve always wanted to go to SXSW. Sadly, the world being what it is currently, that’s just not a possibility. However, I can still go digitally (and so can you!), which feels good enough in 2021! Plus, it has the added bonus of being significantly more inclusive of peoples’ locations and ability to travel. Which is always a bonus, honestly. 

So, instead of packing myself into a theater in downtown Austin (despite the fact that it is my truest wish at this moment in time), I’ll be on my couch with a blanket and a bowl of nutritional yeast covered popcorn. Luckily, our TV is big enough that it will hopefully feel something akin to a theatrical experience. Even if I can’t only be illuminated by the glow of the big screen. Sad!

I’m excited about so many things premiering at SXSW, but let’s talk about a few of them that I’m paying special attention to!

Introducing, Selma Blair

In 2018, Blair announced she’d been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after years and years of being undiagnosed. Directed by Rachel Fleit, Introducing, Selma Blair promises to be an intimate and deeply personal look at one woman’s attempt to slow the progress of her illness, as she fights to regain part of both her life and health. Now, I love Selma Blair. Is that particularly surprising when I love Legally Blonde or the Guillermo del Toro Hellboy movies as much as I do? There are a lot of really interesting sounding documentaries at the festival this year, but this is my number one. I’m excited to cry. Will it be happy and hopefully crying, sad and depressed crying, or a fun mix of both? Can’t wait to find out!

Potato Dreams of America

When looking through all the films in the Narrative Feature Competition, I was struck by two films. One of them was Potato Dreams of America, and boy did I get excited as I started reading the synopsis. It feels like this film is perfectly tailored for me. Based on a true story (the life of writer/director Wes Hurley, in fact), the film tells the story of a young gay boy who moves from Russia to Seattle when his mother marries an American. It’s described as a “fantasia” that uses magical realism and humor to celebrate queerness and immigrants. And all of that? That’s exactly what I need in my life at this particular moment. I’m excited to see if this film makes it into my personal queer film pantheon. I have high hopes!

The Fallout

The other film from the Narrative Feature Competition that really struck me was The Fallout. The promo image alone, of the two leads floating in a jacuzzi with facemakes (the fun kind, not the necessary kind) and drinking wine, was enough to make me take note. Written and directed by Megan Park, the pull of a school tragedy and dealing with the titular “fallout” of that is always a plot that interests me. No matter what the tragedy actually ends up being (though the trailer certainly leads me to believe it’s an act of violence, like a school shooting), it looks and sounds like it will be a really touching exploration of modern teen trauma. Which is something I’m always looking for in films with young protagonists, regardless of if the story is a comedy or a drama. 

The Spine of the Night

I can’t lie and say that Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King’s The Spine of the Night wasn’t one of the first things that caught my eye when I was looking at the list of films. I really love animation (truly wish I had any artistic talent, wow!) and the key words “ultra-violent,” “epic fantasy,” and “hand rotoscoped” were all things that hit my weird brain in just the right ways. Also, I love it’s absolutely wild ride of a voice cast, which includes Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, and Joe Manganiello. Plus, not to be that person, but it certainly looks, and sounds, (from the very vague description and very few promotional stills) like it’s going to be the adult Dungeons and Dragons animated film of my dreams. It’s about a group of heroes from different eras and cultures who band together to defeat an evil that’s been unleashed on the world. If they meet in a tavern or in a forest, then it’ll be the best campaign I never get to play!

Alone Together

Wrapping up the festival is the other documentary I’m beyond stoked about: Alone Together. It’s been a hell of a year, and Charli XCX made a new album in 40 days as a collaborative creative endeavour between her and her fans. And beyond being an absolute bop, the album is a reminder of how entertainment can so often be more than that. That not just music, itself, can bring people together, but that the actual action of creating it can give us purpose and allow us to process whatever it is that we’re feeling. I’m excited to see what the creative process of making how i’m feeling now was like, because my guess is that it’s going to make me hopeful about the future of making things in this very strange new world.

But these are just some of the flicks, and shows, that I’m excited about watching at SXSW. I’m sad to not be there in person, but excited to be surrounded by some really amazing art. Even if it’s just from the comfort of my couch!