by John Bizub, Contributing Writer
Before I delve into my thoughts on some of the last films I saw at the festival, I would like to discuss my experiences at film festivals. Though it is unfortunate that I cannot see these films in person in the beautiful locations with a packed audience, virtual festivals are worth it because it saves a lot of time and money. The festival planners make the process of getting tickets and passes very easy and simple and are very open to receiving help from others. I highly recommend going to the film festivals. This is my second one of 2021 and I have no sign on stopping! Now onto the last day of films I saw at SXSW 2021!
How It Ends
How It Ends feels like a poorly written Comedy Central special. With thrown in cameos from A-list celebrities that only exist for audiences to shout “oh, my gosh, it’s _____!” The comedy in this film does not land due to its unfunny script and familiar story structure. The acting feels very stiff — every line delivery feels like the actors are holding in something better than what was written for them. The music and story structure feel very repetitive. The same narrative is repeated over and over: there is walk and talk dialogue with self deprecating jokes on the actors’ existence and then they meet a random A-list star. The world building feels very convoluted and messy, making me scratch my head on what was actually happening on screen.
Grade: F
Alone Together
Alone Together is a well presented documentary on female musician Charli XCX trying to become creative during the global pandemic. It is an interesting subject matter and Charli handles the ideology of fandom and her music very well. You can tell this was made with a lot of heart, soul, and care to make it a project Charli was proud of. However, it dragged a bit too long during the latter portion of the film and the pacing felt stale, which is saying a lot for a 68 minute runtime. And the message of how the pandemic can affect you has the chance to feel dated in about five years. I think making a documentary or a feature length film is tough because it only captures a certain amount of time. However, this is one of the better films centered around that era.
Grade: C
The Spine of Night
The Spine of Night takes the story elements of the hit gaming franchises Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls combined with the world building of Dungeons and Dragons. I think this film works better as a D&D campaign over a feature film. It includes wonderful animation, great performances by its very talented voice cast, and establishes a very creative world to be explored. Unfortunately, the story felt a bit messy and it was hard for the one note characters to explain what is going on in the film’s story and universe. However, the film’s third act makes this film a fun ride to explore. The Spine of Night is a midnight movie and cult classic in the making. I’m curious to see how mainstream audiences react to this.
Grade: C+
And there we have it, my coverage for SXSW 2021! Thank you all for reading my reviews covering the festival!