Tina Kakadelis
Film Obsessive is headed to SXSW! Not only is SXSW a film and TV festival, there’s music, comedy, education, and so much more. The 10-day parallel festivals has been running for thirty-seven years in Austin, Texas. As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas and that holds true with this year’s line-up of film and television. The attending Film Obsessive writers reveal what they are most excited to catch during the March 7-15 festival run.
American Sweatshop
For many years, Lili Reinhart was known for her portrayal of Betty Cooper in Riverdale, The CW’s edgy take on the Archie Comics. Reinhart spent seven years in the often insane world of Riverdale that required her to shift from high school student to FBI agent over the course of the series. Now that Riverdale has ended, Reinhart is free to flex her acting chops in other works. She already wowed audiences at Sundance with her performance in Cooper Raiff’s first foray into television with Hal & Harper. Reinhart is headed to SXSW with American Sweatshop, which will serve as a reintroduction of sorts for those who only know her as Betty Cooper.
American Sweatshop focuses on Daisy (Reinhart), an employee at a social media company tasked with combing through flagged pictures and videos to delete anything offensive. It’s a bleak job, one that Daisy does her best not to take home with her, but one particularly gruesome video grips her in a way that she cannot shake. Daisy takes it upon herself to track down the person (or people) behind the violent video.
It’s a compelling premise, one that most people don’t think about often enough. Every time a post is flagged, there’s a team of real people who must look at the content to see if it’s too offensive or violent to be readily available online. To see that much brutality day-in, day-out will do a lot to a person, and it seems like American Sweatshop will delve into a darkness that’s rarely given a second thought. — Tina Kakadelis
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
There is no denying the cultural impact that The Rocky Horror Picture Show has had. With its campy aesthetic and catchy tunes that fans have been singing for decades, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has shaped the way audiences celebrate cult classics. Rocky Horror was unapologetically queer and celebrated sexual and gender fluidity. It blurred the lines between masculine and feminine, becoming a haven film for many queer folks. Watching a late-night showing of Rocky Horror is an experience everyone should have at least once. For decades, Rocky Horror screenings continue to take place at the stroke of midnight and allow everyone to not just dream it, but also be it.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is premiering at this year’s SXSW and it follows the humble beginnings of the cult classic. It follows the early days when Rocky Horror was just a London fringe theater play and how it became the beloved film that brings people together late at night to scream the lyrics to The Time Warp. The documentary directed by Linus O’Brien promises fans an intimate look behind the curtain while also diving into trailblazing themes. — Chelsea Alexandra
Friendship
Friendship, the directorial debut for Andrew DeYoung, has all the trappings of lead actor Tim Robinson’s magnificent Netflix show, I Think You Should Leave. The description for the film is as follows, “A man tries to befriend his charismatic new neighbor, but it soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.” But the trailer deftly blends Robinson’s comedic talent (a talent like no other) with a sense of A24 dread. Robinson stammers and screams in the trailer like it was a commercial for a Darmine Doggy Door. With Paul Rudd and Kate Mara serving as the supporting talent, Friendship is poised to be another star-studded A24 with plenty of levels of weirdness that film fans have come to expect from both the studio and Robinson. This movie turned out to be a hit when it premiered in Toronto, and I’m sure it will be a hit down in Austin. Now if you don’t mind me, I’m going to order 55 hamburgers and 55 helpings of French fries. — Henry O’Brien
Hallow Road
What would you do if your child called you in the middle of the night and said they hit a pedestrian? Would your paternal instinct to protect kick in? Or would you let your child face the consequences of their actions?
It’s these questions that seem to be at the heart of Hallow Road. Parents (Rosamund Pike & Matthew Rhys) race to where their daughter (Megan McDonnell) has called them from the dark, twisty shoulder of Hallow Road. As the family begins damage control, secrets are revealed and they discover they might not be alone on the road.
There’s always something thrilling about a mystery movie with very little information available. Of course, limited information is the ideal way to go into watching a thriller movie. Hallow Road’s brief synopsis is a perfect amuse bouche to entice audiences to see what happens on a dark road in the middle of the night. — Tina Kakadelis
Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie
If you are chronically online, you may have seen the meme, “two delusional best friends saying exactly.” That pretty much sums up the web series Nirvana the Band the Show, which started as a Canadian comedy web series (2007–2009) created by Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. It followed two delusional best friends, Matt and Jay, who desperately try to book their fictional band, Nirvanna the Band, a gig at The Rivoli, a real-life music venue in Toronto. The band doesn’t perform any music. Instead, the show focuses on their ridiculous schemes to try to play the famous TO venue.
The off-beat comedy of Nirvana the Band the Show is like a fusion of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! And Flight of the Conchords. Since the end of the web series, both Johnson and McCarrol worked together on a few projects, one notable would be 2023’s Blackberry. So what does a Nirvana the Band the Show movie have in store for its fans? Well, Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie will find Matt and Jay trying to book a show at the famous Toronto venue, The Rivoli. However, this time when their plans do not go as planned, they end up back in 2008. — Chelsea Alexandra
O’Dessa
2024 was an oddly thrilling year for original musicals. We can argue about whether or not all of these efforts were successful, but for those of us who are musical nerds, it’s genuinely exciting to see so many massive swings in the genre.
O’Dessa continues last year’s untraditional musical trend at SXSW. Details about the plot are sparse, but we know it’s set in a post-apocalyptic future where a farm girl sets out on an epic quest to reclaim a family heirloom. Based on the cast list, it appears that Sadie Sink (of Stranger Things fame) will take on the lead role, while the rest of the characters are filled out by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, and Pokey LaFarge.
Harrison Jr. is a thrilling name to see on the cast list, especially because it’s a musical. It was a crime that Baz Luhrmann cast him as B.B. King in Elvis but didn’t let him sing a note. Harrison Jr. previously starred in Joe Wright’s criminally underrated musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac and played a rising pop star in The High Note. Hopefully, O’Dessa will give him the space to really let his musical talents loose. — Tina Kakadelis
Good Boy
Dogs have long been believed to have a heightened sense of perception. Their acute sense of smell and hearing allow them to detect subtle changes in their environment, from distant sounds to unseen movements. It has been said that dogs can sense paranormal activity. Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy sets up with that simple concept and expands on it. It is a haunted house story told through the eyes of the family dog. While the human occupants remain oblivious to the growing presence of something sinister, their loyal pet senses the danger creeping closer. Indy, our best boy, is immediately hyper-fixated on empty corners and tracking down the spirit that is causing havoc in his family’s home. This seems like a creative take on the typical ghost story, finally seeing what our canine best friends see. — Chelsea Alexandra
Spreadsheet Champions
Personally, I love spreadsheets. I think any and all data should be neatly categorized in a color-coordinated spreadsheet. You should see what I can do with a conditional formatting formula. The coverage plan for the Film Obsessive team is all neatly organized in a spreadsheet. All this to say, I was blindsided to learn that there’s a Microsoft Excel World Championship, and even more blindsided to learn there’s a documentary about the students who compete in the tournament. Spreadsheet Champions looks to be the sort of documentary that focuses on a niche subject while telling a far grander, deeply human story. — Tina Kakadelis
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Having already premiered at Sundance back in January, The Ballad of Wallis Island is another anticipated film to come to SXSW. Recently, there was a trailer that dropped for its limited release. Directed by James Griffiths, The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner living in solitude on a remote island. His greatest wish in life is to reunite his favorite folk duo, McGwyer & Mortimer (played by Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan). His fantasy swiftly becomes reality when the estranged bandmates and former lovers agree to reunite for a private performance at his home on Wallis Island. However, as long-buried tensions resurface, Charles scrambles to keep his dream gig from unraveling. Mulligan always brings such depth to her roles, and this seems like Wallis Island will be another charming performance from her that will be exciting to watch. There is nothing more cozy than a charming little indie flick set behind a scenic landscape. — Chelsea Alexandra
Clown in a Cornfield
Back in 2020, Adam Cesare wrote a young adult horror novel, Clown in a Cornfield. Even before the book hit the shelves, the film rights were purchased by Temple Hill Entertainment. Based on the book’s Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel, the early purchase bodes well for the adaptation’s upcoming world premiere at SXSW.
Clown in a Cornfield takes place in Kettle Springs, a small factory town in Missouri. Quinn (Katie Douglas), a high school senior, and her dad (Aaron Abrams) have just moved to Kettle Springs after a tragic accident in Philadelphia. The city is suffering because so many jobs were lost when the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As tensions increase, an ominous figure rises from the ashes. Enter: Frendo the Clown.
The horror front is doing well in 2025, starting the year off with the genuinely comedic and romantic Heart Eyes and the bloody, brutal The Monkey. The short trailer for Clown in a Cornfield shows us an idyllic town that looks like it could have come right out of an episode of Gilmore Girls. Of course those warm, Americana feelings disappear quickly when Frendo the clown appears in a cornfield and shoots a teen in the head with a crossbow. The teaser smartly doesn’t give too much away, but it clearly shows that a confident person is in the director’s chair. Eli Craig is already well-known in the cult classic-horror world for directing Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and Little Evil. With Craig’s hand in both the writing and the directing, Clown in a Cornfield has all the makings of a new cult classic. — Tina Kakadelis
