SXSW 2021: 15 must-see movies to check out at the online film festival

After being forced to cancel last year’s entire festival at the 11th hour due to the rampant spread of the coronavirus, SXSW is back for a comprehensive virtual edition this year, which includes a packed and exciting film festival slate.

Running from March 16-20, this year’s lineup includes 75 features, the majority of which are making their world premiere at the festival. In order to help you narrow down what to stream over the festival’s five days, we’ve highlighted 15 must-see titles below, from documentaries on Kevin Smith and first-wave UK punk legend Poly Styrene to a number of exciting new horror debuts, coming-of-age black comedies, and much more.

All screenings are accessible only via a SXSW badge — more details can be found on the official SXSW Online film festival site. Unfortunately, due to rights issues, a number of screenings are geo-blocked to U.S. addresses only — you can find a detailed list of which films are available to screen in your region here.

Stay tuned for reviews and interviews from SXSW in the coming days. In the meantime, get your calendar open and start making your schedule!

Alien on Stage
A gang of bus-drivers in a small UK town gather together to put on a live stage show of Ridley Scott’s Alien in this delightful and inspiring documentary. Directed by Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey, the doc follows a group of extremely amateur actors as they launch their faithful re-creation of the 1979 sci-fi classic in their town to minimal fanfare, only to eventually be invited to perform the show in London’s prestigious West End theatre district for one night only. Filled with enthusiastic acting gusto, impressive DIY sets and effects, and even one pretty convincing alien costume, Alien on Stage is a total blast.

Clerk
Director Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar) traces the life and career of Kevin Smith in this new documentary. From launching Clerks at Sundance 25 years ago to the creation of the View Askew Universe, his podcast empire, and much more, Clerk takes a deep dive into the proud New Jersey native’s history and examines Smith’s legacy and continuing influence. Given Smith’s legendary storytelling prowess, it’s a feat of editing magic that Clerk is a feature-length doc and not an extended mini-series. Snoogans!

Disintegration Loops
Twenty years after the attacks of 9/11, director David Wexler examines the legacy of experimental music icon William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops, a four-album set of ambient music that would come to be forever associated with the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City. Consisting of a looped piece of analog tape that slowly disintegrates with each pass-through, changing its sound in subtle and remarkable ways, The Disintegration Loops is a hypnotic set of music that has become an elegy for those lost in the terror attacks. Made up of Zoom interviews with Basinski, his family members, fellow ambient musicians, and critics, Disintegration Loops is a thorough examination of that fateful recording, as well as an open look at Basinski’s life and career, and how COVID has affected his work.

Here Before
The incomparable Andrea Riseborough (Mandy, Possessor) stars as Laura, a bereaved mother who begins to suspect a strange connection between her dead daughter and Megan, a new neighbour’s child, in Here Before, a twisty psychological-thriller set in Ireland from first-time feature director Stacey Garrett. As Megan’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, Laura becomes convinced that she holds the key to her daughter’s soul, setting her off on a dangerous obsession that threatens to tear her family apart. A haunting story about loss and acceptance, Here Before is an eerie and effective thriller that will keep you on your toes to the very end.

Jakob’s Wife
Director Travis Stevens follows up 2019’s grisly Girl on the Third Floor with this story of a woman married to a small-town minister who begins to envision a new existence outside the staid confines of her life with her husband following an encounter with a man known as “The Master.” We can only assume the body count will increase from there. Starring horror legend Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) and prolific genre director and actor Larry Fessenden (Depraved), this should be a gory good time.

Ludi
A timely and intimate story about an overworked immigrant nurse trying to make her way in Miami’s Little Haiti neighbourhood, Ludi shines a revealing light on the intense pressures put on immigrants and health-care workers in today’s America. Directed by Edson Jean, the film stars Shein Mompremier as the titular Ludi, a young nurse who breaks her agreement with her hospital to take on a private caregiver shift for extra money. Set to care for a reluctant older man for the night, the seemingly simple job turns into a whirlwind endurance test that highlights the lengths immigrant workers will go to for the opportunity to support their families and carve out a small piece of the American Dream.

Our Father
Following their father’s suicide, estranged sisters Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) team up to locate a newly-discovered missing uncle in hopes of salvaging their father’s estate from their creepy step-family in Our Father, the feature debut from writer-director Bradley Grant Smith. A moving dark comedy about the bonds of family and learning to support each other in spite of our differences, Our Father will have you laughing out loud one minute, while soberly reappraising your own family experiences the next. Bradley Grant Smith is definitely a voice worth watching out for.

Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break
Paul (Tom Meeten, The Ghoul) is a middle-aged man who works at a second-hand shop in a small town in the UK, with a long-standing dream of winning a national talent show competition. Endlessly rehearsing his dance routine (complete with a sparkly suit) in front of his supportive mother, he finally has his shot at his dream, but through a series of frustrating hold-ups, he misses his audition. Fueled by rage at the five imbeciles he blames for causing him to miss his shot at success, he decides to kill them all during his lunch break in this wild black comedy from director Nick Gillespie.

Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché
Iconic X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene is the subject of this fascinating new documentary, as seen through the often-conflicted eyes of her daughter, Celeste Bell. Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) made waves as the first woman of colour to front a major punk band in the 70s, shouting out anthemic and boundary-pushing tracks like “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” while sporting her unique and plastics-heavy homemade outfits. Following her death in 2011, her daughter went back into her mother’s archives to put the pieces of her mother’s tumultuous life back together and to try to gain new insights into their difficult relationship. A moving look at a cultural icon, her rollercoaster life and career, and the lasting effects they had on her daughter, Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché is a fitting tribute to the unique and complicated trailblazer.

Potato Dreams of America
Expanded from his 2017 short film, Potato Dreams, writer-director Wes Hurley’s Potato Dreams of America is an autobiographical dark comedy about a young gay child growing up in the USSR in the 90s, and his mother’s decision to sign up as a mail-order bride in order to get them to America. The titular Potato (played by Hersh Powers in his younger years and Tyler Bocock as a teenager) lives for the movies, and his fascination with Hollywood imprints his experiences in Russia and the US, allowing Hurley to employ some unique tonal and stylistic choices throughout. Potato Dreams of America is a witty and sensitive LGBTQ coming-of-age story about immigration, cultural identity, and the power of imagination.

Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free
Following the recent release of the extended version of Tom Petty’s 1995 classic Wildflowers comes Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free, a new documentary by director Mary Wharton focused on the mid-90s period where Petty conceived and recorded the fan-favourite album. Made up of rare 16mm footage from the era alongside new interviews with Wildflowers producer Rick Rubin and Petty bandmates Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, this should be a great tribute to one of America’s most beloved and sorely missed musicians.

Sound of Violence
A young woman (Jasmin Savoy Brown of The Leftovers and the upcoming Scream reboot) learns to create music through the sounds of bodily harm in Sound of Violence, an intense horror-thriller from Alex Noyer (808). After regaining her hearing and first experiencing synesthetic abilities following the brutal murder of her parents when she was a child, Alexis (Brown) begins to crave the sound of physical human violence in order to feed into her abrasive music. When she is at risk of once again losing her hearing, Alexis sets out on a violent path to capture the sounds of humans in physical agony in order to maintain her hearing and create her increasingly frenetic music, while trying to hide her newfound torturous streak from her roommate and best friend Marie (Lili Simmons). Sound of Violence is a unique and unconventional coming-of-age story about the ultimate sacrifices we make for the creative process.

Swan Song
Screen legend Udo Kier (Suspiria, Bacurau) stars as retired hairdresser Pat Pitsenbarger in Swan Song, the latest from director Todd Stephens (Another Gay Movie). Long out of commission and living in a nursing home, Pat is coaxed to return to the small town of Sandusky, Ohio to do the hair for a former client’s funeral, while navigating his way in a world that has long passed him by. The incredible cast also features Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Urie, and even Linda Evans of Dynasty. A queer road trip story about maintaining your passions and identity regardless of your age, Swan Song might just be the cult breakout hit of this year’s SXSW.

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
Writer-director and genre film historian Kier-La Janisse goes deep into the history of folk horror in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, a 3-hour+ documentary examining the roots and longevity of one of horror’s eeriest and most pervasive sub-genres. Featuring over 40 interviews with filmmakers, authors, and critics, the film focuses on the holy trinity of UK folk horror films (The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan’s Claw, and The Witchfinder General), before expanding outward to examine the cultural and historical movements that have contributed to folk horror’s endurance over the decades. Featuring collage animations by Canadian filmmaking icon Guy Maddin and poetry readings by folk horror legends Ian Ogilvy and Linda Hayden, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is as spooky and beautiful as its subject matter and should be essential viewing for horror fans.

Violation
Originally screened at TIFF last year, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s Violation is a stunningly beautiful and horrific rape-revenge thriller that turns the often-maligned genre on its head in remarkable ways. A harrowing revenge tale shot in the picturesque Quebec Laurentians using only natural light, Violation is filled with scenes of striking beauty, offset by some of the most horrific imagery and gut-wrenching performances you can imagine, including Madeleine Sims-Fewer’s unforgettable lead performance. Steer yourselves for this one.

SXSW runs from March 16-20. Badges can be purchased via the festival’s official site.