MOVIES: SXSW Recap – Part 1

The South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival – one part of the much larger Music, Film & Interactive behemoth – is unlike any other film festival in the country. Over the last 20 years, SXSW Film has celebrated works which are unique and engaging while still having that distinct “SXSW vibe.” Growing from a small arm of the original SXSW Music Conference, the Film component is now an internationally recognized forum for filmmakers of all types to showcase their work for an incredibly discerning but loyal audience.

The 2014 festival featured some very strong entries, but overall was less impressive than in years past. While many eagerly awaited films were shown to packed houses (Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2), the lineup was lacking in the small, unexpectedly delightful films which audiences can’t stop talking about after the screening and incessantly rave about when they return home. I was fortunate enough to see some very good films as well as some moderately entertaining films. While nothing I saw was bad, per se, there is only one or two which I am eager to watch again.

The Opening Night film has in recent years become reserved for large, Hollywood studio movies which brings attention to the festival, but does little to sate the appetite of the film geeks in attendance. This year, though, SXSW made a bold decision and featured writer/director Jon Favreau’s return-to-his-indie-roots labor of love Chef. In the film, Favreau, the writer and star of Swingers – one of the greatest indie films of all time – is able to exorcise his demons and address his critics after helming large budget features like Iron Man and Cowboys & Aliens. He plays Carl Casper, a disgraced chef who returns to his daring roots as a food artist after an unfortunate social media meltdown. The film is quite funny and while the script wonders, it is never boring. Thankfully, Favreau has an incredible cast (John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johannson) to keep the audience entertained. Chef is proof Favreau has not lost his touch or lost sight of his roots. (B+)

The Opening Night late show was Bad Words, the directorial debut of Jason Bateman. Bateman (who was in attendance and hilarious as always) plays Guy Trilby, a man who enters the national spelling bee through a loophole in the rules in order to execute a very devious plan. The film is full of offensive and hilarious language and is genuinely funny, but it relies too much on crude humor to carry the story. Bateman is quite enjoyable to watch as an amoral scumbag, but he’s upstaged by his supporting cast members Kathryn Hahn and Rohan Chand. Chand, who plays a wide-eyed little moppet named Chaitanya, is absolutely terrific and scores some of the film’s biggest laughs with his innocent, toothy grin. (C-)

Perhaps the most surprisingly impressive film is The Infinite Man, the first full-length feature film from Australian filmmaker Hugh Sullivan. A three-person tragi-comedy, The Infinite Man is a Mobius-strip of a narrative in which tortured romantic Dean (Josh McConville) tries everything in his power to win back the love of his life, Lana (Hannah Marshall). His attempts include building a time machine which eventually traps him and Lana in a seemingly unbreakable loop in which he makes the same mistakes over and over again. A creative amalgam of Groundhog Day and Timecrimes, The Infinite Man was without question the most inventive and intelligent film at SXSW this year. (A)

Documentaries are just as important to the integrity of SXSW as the narratives and short films. An underwhelming entry in the documentary program this year was Ukraine is Not a Brothel, which focuses on Femen, a Ukrainian feminist movement whose goal is to make public the horrific sex trafficking that affects a large population of the country’s women. While their message is commendable, their methods are…questionable. Led by a very sketchy and controlling man, Femen protests in the streets while naked or topless. Ostensibly they are doing it to bring greater attention to themselves and their message, but it seems counterintuitive. Director Kitty Green never truly explores the roots of Femen or how they came to be, though she is clearly very close to the women involved. The film would be much more effective had Green taken a stand or employed more investigative skills. The only thing revealed in the final product is the women’s bodies. (C-)

Look for the second part of the SXSW recap which includes a film that should fail and succeeds, a film which should succeed and fails and a film which has more ass-kicking than every Jackie Chan movie combined.