Chelsea Alexandra
As SXSW comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the most buzzworthy films that left a lasting impression. This year’s festival brought a mix of bold storytelling, daring performances. Whether through thought provoking subject matter to stir up conversations or unexpected twists, these three movies made waves at SXSW and are sure to keep audiences talking long after the festival ends.
Slanted
Chinese teenager Joan Huang (Shirley Chen) sees winning prom queen as the ultimate symbol of beauty, popularity, and acceptance into American life. Now asa senior herself, that is all she wants. When she tries to campaign by being herself, she realizes that no one would vote for her and that the senior class only mocks her. Determined to claim the crown, she undergoes an experimental racial transformation to become White.
Slanted doesn’t hold back. It’s bold, unfiltered, and unapologetically in your face about the story it wants to tell. Although Slanted is dealing with heavy themes about identity, it does it humorously. Its jokes hit billboards satirizing American culture, and a mid-film karaoke sing-along leaves the audience in fits. Director Amy Wang (Netflix’s From Scratch) has crafted a film that is not only deeply personal but also sparks a conversation that feels long overdue. There are a lot of big swings and uncomfortable conversations being had throughout the movie when it comes to race and identity. That discomfort is being felt proves we need the space to talk about it in the open. The pressure to fit in is already overwhelming for any teenager, but for those navigating rigid American beauty standards, it can be even more suffocating. Wang brings this struggle to life with an unapologetic willingness to push boundaries.
We Bury the Dead
Daisy Ridley stars in a new post-apocalyptic zombie thriller directed by Zak Hilditch (1922). She plays Ava, a woman who is desperate to find her husband after a catastrophic military experiment went wrong killing almost 50,000 people. For those who are not quite dead, they are walking around Tasmania wondering how to take care of any unfinished business they may have. Knowing that there is hope to find her husband alive or even somewhat, Ava decides to track him down.
Ridley delivers a gripping performance in We Bury the Dead, a post-apocalyptic zombie thriller. It is a role that demands emotional depth and resilience throughout and it is some of her best work. With such a film resting on her shoulders, she masterfully conveys the nuances of grief and determination. She conveys a deeply human struggle we have all felt, struggling to make peace with something so inevitable as death. Even in the film’s quieter moments, her presence is commanding. We Bury the Dead is more than just a terrifying zombie thriller, it is an intimate exploration of loss and the desperate need for closure. Even with Hilditch crafting such a haunting and atmospheric world, at its core this is Ava’s story.
American Sweatshop
This year belongs to Lili Reinhart. The former Riverdale actress stars as Daisy, a young woman tasked with moderating disturbing content for a major social media platform. Day after day, she sifts through graphic videos and decides what stays and what has to leave the internet. Too many for one person to have to endure in one eight-hour shift. But when she stumbles upon a particularly horrifying clip involving a woman, a hammer, and a nail, something shifts. Unable to shake the image, Daisy becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the video.
Reinhart leads a stellar supporting cast. Daisy’s slow psychological unraveling is palpable—what starts as coping with weed and meditation spirals into full-blown vigilante justice. Every so often there will be a meltdown from an employee, one in particular comes from a colleague who begins to yell threats that would get him fired probably anywhere else. The film depicts the emotional and psychological toll of content moderation without exploiting its characters or their suffering. It presents their unraveling with nuance and restraint, allowing the weight of their experiences to speak for itself. Even a night out that should be coworkers bonding, ends up being a trauma dumping circle. Daisy and her coworkers struggle to compartmentalize the horrors they witness daily. It makes their breakdowns all the more heartbreaking and real.
A film like American Sweatshop opens the door to crucial conversations about the psychological impact of violent content. In an era where graphic images and disturbing videos can surface in an instant, even a late-night TikTok session can expose viewers to unsettling content, often without warning. What does constant exposure to such imagery do to our sense of empathy and perception of reality? How much of the horror slip through the cracks, shaping our subconscious in ways we barely recognize? American Sweatshop forces us to confront these questions, making it more than just a thriller.
