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21 Movies We Can’t Wait to Watch (Virtually) at SXSW 2021

We’re kicking off our coverage of SXSW 2020’s virtual film festival with a list of the movies we can’t wait to watch (from the safety of our homes).
Sxsw Anticipated Movies
By  · Published on March 16th, 2021

Ma Belle, My Beauty

Ma Belle My Beauty Sxsw
SXSW | Credit: Lauren Guiteras

Idella Johnson and Hannah Pepper | Credit: Lauren Guiteras

Dubbed a “Polyamorous Call Me by Your Name,” the French romance drama Ma Belle, My Beauty is already awash in buzz, having picked up positive reviews following its world premiere at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The plot surrounds the chance reunion between two women in southern France that sparks a reigniting of passion and tension between the former lovers. The film is the feature debut of director Marion Hill and was recently acquired for distribution by Good Deed Entertainment. (Brianna Zigler)


Offseason

Offseason Movies to Watch SXSW 2021

With the vague plot synopsis of a woman becoming trapped on a remote island village after receiving a mysterious letter, the latest from indie horror director Mickey Keating (Ritual, Psychopaths, Darling, Carnage Park) offers an intriguing premise. Offseason is further bolstered by an exciting cast, featuring horror film alums Joe Swanberg, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, and Jeremy Gardner, along with Melora Walters of Boogie Nights and Magnolia fame. (Brianna Zigler)


Sound of Violence

Sound Of Violence Sxsw
SXSW

Alexis (Jasmin Savoy Brown) experiencing synesthesia. | Credit: You Know Films/No Office Films

Alexis was just a child when her family was murdered, an event which brought back her ability to hear, and now as an adult, it’s those twisted melodies of pain that she craves — so she makes her own music. The synopsis of Sound of Violence is interesting to say the least, like a Color Me Blood Red for audiophiles, and if the teaser trailer is any indication it’s a tale captured with visual style, too. I’d also add that the film’s title bodes well given the company it’s in, including Sound of Music, Sound of Noise, and Sound of Metal. (Rob Hunter)


Swan Song

Swan Song Movies to Watch SXSW 2021

Udo Kier in Swan Song | Credit: Chris Stephens

Udo Kier plays a retired hairdresser who busts free from his nursing home and sets out on an epic quest to perform his masterpiece atop the dead head of his recently departed former client. Nothing shatters apathy or despair better than anger and honor. Kier is always a marvel to watch but is rarely given the opportunity to command a movie beyond the sidelines. Last year’s Bacurau demonstrated how his mad electricity still maintains an incredible allure and why the screen sorely needs his presence upon it for longer intervals. Swan Song promises to live in the realm between bittersweet and comedy, an arena where Kier is king. (Brad Gullickson)


The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson

Drovers Wife Sxsw

Westerns are too few and far between these days, so anytime a new one appears, it’s immediately a film that has our attention. A new Australian Western is even more exciting, and that’s what we get here from writer, director, and star Leah Purcell. Based on a short story from the late 19th century, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson explores the struggles faced by a woman alone with her children on a remote farm. We expect the dangers to run the gamut from nature to wildlife to male interlopers, just as we expect the landscapes to be as unforgiving as they are beautiful. Purcell, an indigenous Australian actor, has previously adapted the story into both a play and a novel, and this is her first feature film. (Rob Hunter)


The Fallout

The Fallout Movies to Watch SXSW 2021

Jenna Ortega as “Vada” and Maddie Ziegler as “Mia” | Credit: Kristen Correll

The Fallout is not your average teen movie. The feature debut of Megan Park, the film follows a girl trying to face the world after her high school suffers a tragedy. The Fallout looks like it’s slated to be the kind of coming-of-age story that breaks its characters’ hearts and gives them a new lease on life all at once, and I’m nothing short of excited for that emotional rollercoaster. The film stars Modern Family’s Julie Bowen, Shailene Woodley, and Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler, (in a role that will hopefully be better received than her most recent film, Music). (Aurora Amidon)


The Hunt for Planet B

The Hunt For Planet B Sxsw

The quest for a second earth is chronicled in this film from documentary director Nathaniel Kahn, which centers on NASA’s Webb Telescope, an ambitious space observatory searching for life beyond the milky way. The Hunt for Planet B follows the creation of the machine — the coalition of female scientists at the forefront of it while ruminating on our chance place within the universe. At a time when some feel we need to look elsewhere for humanity’s survival, it will be interesting to see how the film tackles our latent existential anxiety. (Brianna Zigler)


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