by Christopher James
It’s the end of the world as we know it on Day Three of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival.
The festival only continues to heat up with more great films. A buzzy first feature, documentary of a viral sensation and dramedy on the brink of apocalypse comprise my watches on Day Three. The virtual film festival continues to impress, not just in terms of the filmmaking but also in terms of organization. Aside from registration confusions, booking and watching films throughout the week continues to be seamless and stress free. Most of all, it helps make sure the films are presented in the best light possible, short of being in a physical theater...
How It Ends
How would you spend your last day on Earth? That’s the question at the center of How It Ends, the new film from Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein. Filmed on a shoestring budget during the pandemic, How It Ends is likely the smallest budget film that ends in the destruction of the entire world. Yet, there’s something delightfully quaint about this lowkey final day on Earth. It’s a movie about accepting the end and spending it achieving closure and peace.
Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) wakes up on the final day of Earth dreading a final end-of-the-world party being thrown by an acquaintance, Mandy (Whitney Cummings). Urged by her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza sets out on a journey to squash any beefs or unfinished business she has before an asteroid crashes into the planet at 2am. This includes her divorced parents (Bradley Whitford, Helen Hunt), ex-friend (Olivia Wilde) and ex-boyfriend (Lamorne Morris). Liza runs into many other kooky characters throughout her walkabout journey of acceptance down the sidestreets of the Eastside of Los Angeles.
The episodic nature of the film does get repetitive. Luckily, most of the day players are funny enough to make every appearance entertaining. Paul W. Downs, Nick Kroll, Ayo Edebiri and Fred Armisen are just some of the famous standouts that pepper the film. This mumblecore walk around Silverlake might feel cloying or navel gazing to many people. They wouldn’t exactly be wrong. Yet, after spending a year inside, there was something comforting about watching people accept and enjoy the end of the world. Why wouldn’t you want to spend the last moments of your life happy and content? B
How It Ends is currently seeking US distribution.
Alien on Stage
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, second only to parody by way of amateur theater. It's hard to imagine a more joyous recreation of Alien than the theater performance at the center of Alien on Stage. The documentary transports us to Dorset in the United Kingdom to investigate “Dorset bus crew displaying unusual levels of creativity,” (as the “spaceship” reads). This crew of bus drivers regularly do family friendly pantomimes, such as a spoof musical of Robin Hood, which encourage participation from the audience. They change up the tradition by doing an elaborate rendition of the classic Ridley Scott film, Alien. Despite painstaking detail to practical effects, the performance doesn’t draw a huge crowd on opening night. However, word spreads of their amazingly detailed production and they are invited for a “one night only” performance on London’s West End.
None of the subjects individually standout, but the local theater troupe works best as a collective. Directors Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey have a lot of affection for their subjects and always treat them with kindness and excitement. This makes for a sweet ride, though not one with much of a dramatic engine.
The climactic performance combines the crafty ingenuity of Be Kind Rewind and the earnest fun of Waiting for Guffman. There’s a world in which the documentary wants to laugh at the cast of bus drivers. Yet, the movie falls in love with them just like the West End audience eventually does. There’s something pure about their performance, as it's not part of any grander ambition for fame or success in the theater. As one of the cast members tells the crew, he spends most of his free time studying for law school. These people have lives that exist outside of the Alien stage show. This is merely a creative outlet done for their own pride and self-worth, rather than gain. The purity of their artistic pursuit shines through. B-
Alien on Stage made its International premiere at SXSW. You can find out more about this film on its website.
Violet
We all feel imposter syndrome sometimes. Actress turned director Justine Bateman manages to turn that voice in our head to a looming, scary villain in her highly effective first film, Violet. Thanks to great performances by Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux, Violet has emerged as the standout film of this year’s SXSW festival so far.
Violet (Olivia Munn) is a film development executive who struggles with the voice in her head (voiced by Justin Theroux) that breeds self doubt. While she loves her job, she hasn’t found a way to get her life on track after a project she loved failed to come to fruition. Her personal life also seems in shambles, as she lusts after her friend, Red (Luke Bracey), re-lives trauma from a past relationship with Martin (Simon Quarterman) and remains estranged from her brother (Todd Stashwick) and aunt (Bonnie Bedelia). How can she get her life back on track when her voice continues to make her believe she’s worthless.
Director Justine Bateman expertly finds ways to cinematically dramatize a very internal conflict. Justin Theroux is appropriately menacing as Violet’s demeaning inner voice. For so much of the movie, we also see handwriting on the screen that seems to echo the belittling thoughts that Theroux’s voice spews. However, it becomes clear that the writing is Violet’s own self perception of herself. The movie isn’t just watching Olivia Munn get verbally beat up by the voices inside her head. It’s a liberating, and often intentionally frustrating, journey of standing up to the anxiety and imposter syndrome that threaten to take over your life.
This wouldn’t be nearly as successful if it weren’t for Olivia Munn’s evocative performance. So many scenes hinge on the drama of her swallowing her insecurities just to engage in a conversation. Her anxiety only remotely registers, as Violet is an expert at hiding her fears from others. The conflict between what other characters see and we hear makes for a very interesting and unique viewing experience. Depending on where we are in the story, the sound design of the voiceover will either drown out everything happening around Violet or just be a quiet hum underneath everyday occurrences. A red tint that takes over the whole frame further frames Violet’s spirals of self-doubt. Visually, aurally and structurally, Violet understands what it’s like to struggle with self worth in an almost chronic fashion. A-
Violet made its world premiere at SXSW. You can find out more about this film on its website.