Cinema Scholars highlights some of the hits and misses from SXSW 2024 Film and TV Festival. The annual event takes place in Austin, TX every year in March. Check out some main takeaways from this year’s festival.
Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience
Every year at SXSW Film and TV, there are always the obligatory Austin-centric films. After all, it would be nearly impossible NOT to feature some of the artistic works that continually pour out of the festival’s famously creative hometown. In usual form, one of this year’s feature documentaries centers on local legendary public radio DJ John Aielli.
Most docs about radio usually spotlight stories of rock jocks and provocateurs of the industry. However, one of Austin’s most beloved jockeys was better known for antics like playing whale songs, live opera arias, or 50 covers of “Blackbird.” In between, the purveyor of all things music also became a champion of local and international acts alike.
Directors Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein have compiled a loving tribute to the mostly loved (and sometimes maligned) visionary radio host. Endless archival footage of old Austin punctuates Aielli’s uniqueness and the community to which he became a loyal steward. Among the exhaustive stock footage are interviews with Aielli colleagues along with loved ones providing countless stories backing up the significance of the DJ’s 50-year career.
The film will certainly hit differently for Austinites who revered Aielli’s epic run. This includes many years when his show dominated KUT’s airwaves for 6-hour programs. But even the newly indoctrinated will appreciate the film for its creative and loving depiction of an esoteric legend.
Official Website: http://www.bluesuitcase.tv/
Freaknik
Spring break has become synonymous with beachside partying, scantily clad 20-somethings, and general debauchery. From Daytona Beach to Galveston, this rite of passage has lured college kids and earned the chagrin of locals for decades. Away from the sand and surf in 1980s Atlanta, a different kind of Spring Break tradition began to take hold. The AUC (Atlanta University Center), is an area in the capital city home to several major historically black colleges. There, students disenchanted with the whitewashed beach experience and decided to start their own happening. And Freaknik was born.
Freaknik was a traditional picnic with an edge. It began as a party for all the AUC kids who wanted to embrace the togetherness with their university neighbors. But soon it evolved to become one of the rowdiest mass gatherings of college students in the country. In a pre-internet world, news of the event soon spread by word-of-mouth. It eventually landed Freaknik in the national collective consciousness via news segments and an episode arc on the popular sitcom A Different World.
By the time the late 80s and early 90s rolled around, the former grassroots soiree began living up to the “freak” part. Raucous partying and booty shaking were taking place long before anyone heard the word “twerk.” While the sexually charged atmosphere empowered some people to let their freak flags fly, the unfortunate side effects of alcohol-fueled aggression signaled the eventual downfall of the storied event.
In P. Frank William’s new documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told, the director chronicles the rise and fall of the legendary gathering with both affection and realism. The film is packed with nostalgia-inducing footage from back in the day. It also not only tells the compelling story of a cultural phenomenon, but it also beautifully evokes the carefree spirit of a bygone era.
Current-day interviews with Freaknik founders as well luminaries of the era fill in the blanks between grainy VHS and Hi8 videos. Commentary is provided by original players like Luther “Luke Skywalker” Campbell of 2 Live Crew, famed music producer Jermaine Dupri, and rapper Lil Jon. This elevates the trove of archival evidence, further demonstrating the relevance of Freaknik. The result is an engrossing account of a pivotal moment in African American pop culture.
Official website: https://twitter.com/hulu?
My Dead Friend Zoe
Sometimes in storytelling, the conclusion is already foregone. It’s the journey to the end that serves as the mystery. Since the title gives it away it’s no big shock that Merit’s titular pal in My Dead Friend Zoe is no longer with us. Yet the roundabout trail of discovering the truth behind her loss is incredibly captivating.
Partly because Merit, a veteran who served with Zoe in Afghanistan, can’t seem to grapple with her painful past. But mainly because her friend appears to her at every moment, complete with the same scathing commentary that endeared Merit to her during their service.
Even in the opening scenes of the film when Merit is completing her court-required group therapy sessions, Zoe is right beside her. Always offering biting opinions on those sharing their feelings. Merit eventually goes on with her life. However, the burden of Zoe’s constant presence starts to become painfully apparent.
Based on his own experience as a Bronze Star-winning convoy commander in the US Army, writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes tells an important story about veterans and the ongoing struggles they face after service. As Merit, Sonequa Martin-Greenwize painfully conveys the complex range of emotions her character is working through.
Natalie Morales’ performance as Zoe ironically provides much-needed comic relief. This is done via both flashbacks from the war as well as her current apparition. Screen veterans Morgan Freeman (as a group therapy counselor) and Ed Harris (as Merit’s grandfather) help demonstrate a more old-school military tradition with their unique perspectives and gravitas.
While the film has many lighter moments, Haussmann-Stokes does not shy away from the heavy emotional toll service in the armed forces can take. Yet despite facing these issues head-on, My Dead Friend Zoe succeeds as a powerful and well-rounded inspirational film.
Official website: https://join.legionm.com/my-dead-friend-zoe-i/
I Saw The TV Glow
Not all film festival screenings are wins. One of the unfortunate misses of SXSW TV and Film this year is Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow. Some may be drawn to its art-house sensibilities. But many will be searching for greater meaning that never really crystallizes.
In I Saw The TV Glow, Owen is a quiet 7th grader trying to find his place in the late-90s social pecking order. When he meets 9th-grade misanthrope Maddy, she introduces him to her favorite series, a Buffy-esque show called “The Pink Opaque.” After the two form a bond over their shared love of the program and their mutual antisocial tendencies, Maddy mysteriously disappears. When she suddenly emerges many years later, cryptic messaging and themes of repression are explored but never fully realized.
To be clear, I Saw The TV Glow is a gorgeous film with tons of ephemeral and evocative imagery. Schoenbrun’s eye for detail and nuance is on point, with visual references around every turn. Performances by the lead cast Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine are terrific and hold the whole thing together. Also, clips from “The Pink Opaque” will certainly tickle fans of 90s shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Goosebumps.
Nevertheless, strong performances, beautiful visuals, and nostalgia cannot save I Saw The TV Glow. Unrealized metaphors and dogma with no follow-through plague the film. While the story practically begs you to read into all the signals, the final message is confusing at best.
Despite these shortcomings, the champion of the offbeat film, A24 is releasing the film on May 3, 2024. Lovers of non-sensical weird cinema stay tuned!
Official website: https://a24films.com/films/i-saw-the-tv-glow
Kneecap
On the other end of the festival spectrum is Kneecap. One of the biggest buzz-worthy films out of Sundance, it definitely lives up to the hype at SXSW Film and TV. Based on the real story of an Irish rap trio of the same name, Kneecap chronicles the group’s unlikely rise while proudly rhyming in the traditional Irish dialect.
The film begins as one of two drug-dealing friends gets pinched by the cops. When he refuses to speak the King’s English, a local teacher/Irish translator is called into the station to advocate for him. After discovering that his charge raps in their native tongue, the teacher, also an avid beatmaker, decides to collaborate with the ne’re-do-well and his partner in crime. Following a few drug-fueled sessions in his makeshift garage studio, the trio takes their songs to local pubs where they quickly attract a loyal following.
Director Rich Peppiatt tells the origin story of Kneecap in narrative form with exciting visuals and kinetic breakneck energy. But he also underscores the group’s meteoric rise in the context of the political undercurrents integral to the Northern Irish people. Furthermore, Peppiatt carefully outlines the significance of the Irish Language Act of 2022 which ensures the survival of the native language. This is done all while featuring the thumping, head-nodding music of the titular act.
The outcome is not only a highly entertaining, real-life musical origin story. It’s also a very poignant and important representation of the people of Northern Ireland. The film features incredible performances from the musicians playing themselves. And with the always-captivating Michael Fassbender as a father/activist, Kneecap goes way beyond your typical musical underdog story.
Sony Pictures Classics will release Kneecap worldwide in August of 2024.
