The SXSW film festival begins today, and we’ve picked the top 10 films we are looking forward to seeing this year. Check out the list below and drop us a line on twitter @RSVPster with your own picks!
Coming to town for unofficial parties and events? We RSVP you to the best unofficial SXSW parties when you Order RSVPster. Interested in attending screenings, there is still time to pick up an official SXSW film badge.
US
Friday March 8, 6:30pm @ Paramount Theatre
Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated follow-up to GET OUT, US is a psychological horror narrative film starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke who face off against unlikely adversaries, the ‘Tethered’, a group of doppelgängers that looks like the main protaganists. Peele has done a good job of keeping most of the plot under wraps, but Rolling Stone described the film as “spill-your-soda scary” in comparison to the “existentially terrifying” GET OUT. Catch the World Premiere at the Paramount Theatre.
HER SMELL
Saturday March 9, 9:00pm @ Zach Theatre
Her Smell tells the story of Elizabeth Moss’ punk rocker who’s toxic self-sabotaging ways complicate her desire to reinvent her failing bands future. Moss told The Hollywood Reporterlast year, “this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done…At the end, I was incredibly fulfilled and happy that I’d done the role. But when we were shooting it, it was not easy. I’ve done four films this summer, and that was definitely the hardest one.”
THE BEACH BUM
Saturday March 9, 6:00pm @ Paramount Theatre
The Beach Bum pairs Matthew McConaughey as Moondog, a rebellious stoner who is also a poet, with director Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers, Kids) and features McConaughey dropping the line “Life’s a fuckin’ rodeo. I’m gonna suck the nectar out of it and f*ck it raw dog til the wheels come off.” The film also stars Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jimmy Buffett, Zac Efron and Martin Lawrence and will be making it’s World Premiere at SXSW.
BROAD CITY FINAL SCREENING
Sunday March 10, 2:15pm @ Zach Theatre
We’re not ready to say goodbye to Abbi and Illana yet, but if we have to, why not join them for a screen of the final 3 episodes of Comedy Central’s BROAD CITY. The two hilarious creators and stars will be on hand to answer your burning questions after the screening.
DANIEL ISN’T REAL
Wednesday, March 13, 8:00pm @ Alamo S. Lamar
Starring Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sasha Lane, DANIEL ISN’T REAL, is an American Thriller based upon the novel In This Way I Was Saved by DeeLeeuw. The film tells the story of Luke, who is deeply traumatized as a child and invents an imaginary friend to help he names Daniel. When he gets older, Daniel returns to visit Luke as a charming, hansom young man with a horrifying plan.
EXTRAORDINARY
Monday March 11, 1:45pm @ Alamo S. Lamar
From Ireland, comes the story of Rose, a mild-mannered driving instructor in a small rural town who also possesses supernatural abilities which she’s tries to avoid, even with constant requests from locals who want her help exorcising demons. When she gets asked to help save a man’s daughter, Rose is up for the task as hilarious antics ensue. The film stars Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte, Claudia O’Doherty, Terri Chandler, Jamie Beamish, Risteard Cooper, Emma Coleman.
SAKAWA
Friday March 15, 2019 @ Alamo S Lamar
SAKAWA is a documentary feature filmed in Ghana, where money and resources are scarce, and some young men and women have taken to internet scamming with the help of black magic. The film tells the story of three Ghanian youngsters. While some view this act as an atonement, or taking back the stolen money and resources from the West, others do this simply as a means for survival.
VAI
Sunday March 10 3:30pm @ Alamo S. Lamar
VAI is a narrative feature featuring 7 different women directors filmed in 7 different Pacific countries, including: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). The film is a series of 7 stories, each 10 minutes long and shot as one continuous take, about a female lead named Vai, which means Water in each of the countries languages.
BECOMING LESLIE
Saturday March 9, 6:30pm AFS Cinema
BECOMING LESLIE is a documentary feature that shows us the life of the famous cross-dressing Austinite, Leslie Cochran. Known as more than just another homeless guy, the story shows Leslie’s rise to become a cult icon among the changing cultural landscape in Austin, while showcasing his relentless humor and independence.
WILD ROSE
Monday, March 11, 6:00pm @ Zach Theatre
WILD ROSE stars the talented Jessie Buckley as young Scottish woman hell bent on breaking into the country music scene in Nashville, despite the bemoaning from her mother. The film has already garnered impressive reviews critics who rave about Buckley’s performance and how well the film portrays the contradiction of a Scottish woman wanting to break into country, a musical genre deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the performer.