by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

If you are someone like me who has only attended smaller film festivals, SXSW feels like an entirely different world. Not only do you have multiple festivals centered around music, education, and tech, the film festival alone is overwhelming. There are so many things to see and do, and no matter what you will be missing out on something else you want to see. But it is also a chance to see some incredible films from across genres before they are released and get to see much of the talent in attendance. You will end up waiting in lines for hours hoping to get in, and sometimes, you might even wonder if it is all worth the effort. But then you see a film that truly speaks to you, like I Saw the TV Glow did to me. Or you get a chance to watch Elijah Wood record a live episode of his podcast Visitations. Or you get to see a rare standing ovation after watching something like Monkey Man and watch the actor and director Dev Patel overcome with pure joy at the audience reaction. That makes the chaos around you feel worth it because you get to be there in person for these moments that remind you why we love movies and how important this art is to us. 

I feel incredibly lucky to have been there for so many beautiful moments and some amazing movies. I laughed, I cried, and I beamed, and, while I am still recovering from several sleep deprived days and nights, I am still fueled by the passion and excitement festivals like this bring. So here are a few of the films I got to see, some of which I believe will be lifted up as the best of the year. 

Babes (dir. Pamela Adlon, 2023)

Maintaining and nurturing friendships in adulthood is hard; we have so many other elements of our lives to manage that it is often the easiest thing to leave on the back burner. But as Pamela Adlon’s new film Babes reminds us, those friendships are what help to fill our cup and provide the care we need to continue facing the hardships life throws at us. The film stars Michelle Butea and Ilana Glazer (who also co-wrote the script), and they are believable as a pair of long time best friends who have to navigate the strange and frustrating world of adulthood. The pair is so wonderful that iit is impossible to believe they are not best friends outside of real life. If you love Glazer from her show Broad City, the comedy is sure to be right up your alley but with a twinge more of a serious side as you get into the real heart of the movie. 

It is rare that we, especially women, get to see in film the rawness of pregnancy, motherhood, friendships, relationships, and how they change and evolve both as we grow and society changes around us. The amount of relatable moments in this movie are incredible, and it is amazing that this team could back so much into one story. Adlon manages to blend gross out humor elements with a story that has real heart and meaning. You will end up crying from laughter and from the many emotional moments the story has to offer. You will walk out of this movie and immediately want to text your best friends and tell them how much you love them and how grateful you are to be in their lives

Road House (dir. Doug Liman, 2024)

Remaking a cult classic like Road House is hard, and it is unsurprising that folks will feel mixed on this updated version of the Swayze classic many of us have come to know and love. However, this film does something very smart. As opposed to trying to mimic the style and 80s action cheese we love, it instead mimics the equivalent we have today, pulling inspiration from films like The Fast & Furious franchise. It brings a whole new kind of energy to the movie but makes it fun in its own way. There are certainly some strange and, at times, off-putting style elements, especially when it comes to the fight choreography and camera style. However if you are looking to turn your brain off and have some fun, there are certainly elements to enjoy. 

Jake Gyllenhaal has entirely different energy than Swayze–so you will find the character Dalton to be pretty different–but this choice works given the world Liman is trying to build. Gyllenhaal has a chaotic and craved side to his performances, and the filmmakers clearly lean on this to bring Dalton into a darker, more chaotic, world. By bringing in actors like Jessica Williams and Arturo Castro, they really try to play up the comedic elements, which also work in its favor. There is more time to enjoy the side characters in the story and fill the world with people who are fun to spend time with. It is certainly not the original, but that is also a good thing. 

Y2K (dir. Kyle Mooney, 2024) 

1999 was a wild year, especially as the year 2000 loomed closer and closer. If you were around then, the hype and fear around New Years was something you will never be able to forget. For those who weren’t there, it is wild to try to explain, but with his directorial debut, Kyle Mooney transports audiences back to a time and place not that long ago but that also feels so far away. The concept of imagining what if all the things people said about Y2k actually happened is a great one, and Mooney takes the opportunity to fill his movie with all of the references he can, even the cringe and awkward moments that some of us would rather forget. 

Julian Dennison really showed off his acting chops in the 2016 film Hunt for the Wilderpeople, so it is exciting to see the young man coming into his own and bringing a strong sense of humor. There are also great performances from co-leads Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler and a special star that no one will see coming (avoid as much as you can if you don’t want to be spoiled). The movie blends elements from films like This is the End, The World’s End, and the cyberpunk genre together for a fun little ride. Y2K is a great little time capsule that plays with the music of the time to bring a strange band of misfits together to save the world. And if you remember drinking vodka out of water bottles you are probably the right age to appreciate many of the elements that come together. 

I Saw the TV Glow (dir. Jane Schoenbrun, 2024) 

Jane Schoenbrun is one of the most interesting up-and-coming filmmakers around, and their second film I Saw the TV Glow should only make you more excited about what they do next. While more structured and plot heavy than her nightmarish creepypasta film We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, her new film doubles down on her keen cinematic eye and incredible world building. While set in a similar time as Mooney’s Y2K, Schoenbrun relies much more on emotion and feeling to evoke the time in which it takes place. It immerses you into a world where outcasts cling to media to make them feel like there is something more outside their own troubled lives. While there is plenty of sex and gender exploration woven through the story, this will most likely speak to many of those who felt like outcasts and who hoped they could bring magic into their lives. It is all strengthened by the gorgeous performances from Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine. 

Buffy and Twin Peaks are clear influences and there was something magical about seeing small town clubs with incredible life performances in this film. The terror of I Saw the TV Glow is rooted in something very primal and human especially as we get to adulthood: the loss of our inner child, our joy, the sense of wonder and magic about what we can make of our lives, and the even more terrifying option of making the jump outside our comfort zone. This film is cerebral and beautiful and will live in your head as a beautiful nightmare. It was an honor to see this, and the wait for this and the accompanying soundtrack to be released in May will feel like an eternity. 

That is my round up for this year’s SXSW. I encourage you to check out the website and look at the incredible lineup of movies that were included, especially the shorts and indie films that are incredible but often overlooked at these larger festivals.