One week of all-you-can-watch movies is a kind of ubiquitous phenomenon, only this time, I’m not talking about that weird week in between Christmas and New Year’s when all time loses meaning. No, I’m talking about the premiere destination for music, innovation, and cinema that electrifies the city of Austin, TX every year: South by Southwest (SXSW).
Founded in 1987, SXSW is an annual massive conglomeration of film, interactive media, music festivals, and conferences that takes over Austin, Texas. It is essentially the world’s largest creative family reunion. The festival took place earlier this month from March 12–18, 2026. For one week, my prerogative was one thing and one thing only: watch as many movies as possible.
8 SXSW Films to Add to Your Watchlist
As a first-time attendee, I walked (and e-biked) through the streets of Austin, running on little fuel and even less sleep, so I could watch as many films as possible. From laugh-out-loud comedies to bone-chilling horror, SXSW provided a smorgasbord of genres, and the spirit of indie filmmaking was vibrant! Of the 17 films I screened (16 of which premiered at SXSW), here are the 8 that should be added to your watchlist!
BRIAN (World Premiere at SXSW)
Directed by: Will Ropp; Written by: Mike Scollins
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1h 34m
Watch if you like: Superbad, Easy A, Eighth Grade
My rating: 5⭐
In the echelon of top-tier teenage comedies, you have Mean Girls, Superbad, Easy A, and Booksmart; Brian easily belongs in that category. With a powerful directorial debut from Will Rupp and a tour de force performance from Ben Wang, Brian is the kind of story that explores that universal feeling of being left out, feeling alone, and feeling like you just don’t know how to belong. Brian tells the story of a teenage boy in Oklahoma who is just struggling to fit in; anytime he feels overwhelmed, he acts out physically. Wanting to make a change and fueled by the irrational crush he has on his teacher, Brian decides to do the unthinkable and run for class president.
The thing about Brian is that he should be completely unlikable. He says all the wrong things at all the wrong times, and it’s painfully awkward watching him struggle in the shadow of his very cool older brother. He’s like a literal, walking-talking Murphy’s Law. But in the hands of Ben Wang, we get a powerful performance that is not only extremely vulnerable but a masterclass in comedy. High school comedies feel universal because we’re constantly trying to figure out who we are and how to fit in. What ends up being incredibly endearing about the film Brian is how it’s able to balance dark comedy—it really goes places—with an endlessly endearing lesson about what it actually means to connect to other people.
What was brilliant about this movie was the way it was able to mine humor in every single situation, aided by the stacked cast. Randall Park and Edie Patterson as Brian’s parents, and Natalie Morales as the teacher who has Brian’s attention. It doesn’t stop there; with such a big cast, I was impressed with just how unique and interesting each character was. It presents all the same high school stereotypes we’re used to, but flips them on their head. In an era of anti-cringe mentality, the worst thing you can do is try. To go on this really entertaining journey with Brian to see him actually try to do something that seems out of his element will not only inspire you and possibly make you cry, but it’s a humorous, beautiful accomplishment. Brian is an independent film that I hope gets to see major distribution.
FIFTEEN (World Premiere at SXSW)
Directed by: Jack Zagha Kababie and Yossy Zagha; Written by: Ricardo Álvarez Canales and Andrzej Rattinger
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 1h 39m
Watch if you like: Juno, Carrie
My rating: 4⭐
A quinceañera-themed monster horror movie is something I never thought I’d ever get to experience. Out of Mexico and Argentina, Quince (or Fifteen) is an all-new comedy-horror coming-of-age story about two young girls who are planning a joint quinceañera when one of them gets pregnant and becomes super popular, causing a strain on their friendship. However, the thing that she is pregnant with might not be human. Will the friends reconcile? Is this a demon? Who is going to be at this quinceañera? These are all of the major questions plaguing the stories beautifully set around the idea of planning a quinceañera, which, if you haven’t experienced it, is quite dramatic. Quince mines all of that dramatic tension along with all of the big feelings you experience when planning such a big event.
The chemistry between the two leads, Guerra Martí and Macarena Oz, is so freaking cute. They are the type of girls who get some flack for always spending time together, so much so that some queer rumors start to emerge. When they start feeling torn apart by one of them getting a growing popularity spike, that kind of friendship heartbreak can feel even more dramatic than possibly giving birth to a demon baby. With some incredible practical effects, brightly colored stylization, and charmingly dark comedy at the hands of some Catholic schoolgirls, Quince is a fun, blood-splattered, genre-bending comedy unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
In a Q&A following the film, Jack and Yossi Zaga, the directors of the film, admitted that it took them 17 years to get this movie made; getting to be in attendance at the world premiere was such a privilege. Unfortunately, the leads weren’t able to join us as their visas were denied entry into the United States, which only goes to show how important and needed stories like this are. I had an absolute blast with this movie; I can imagine seeing it with a bunch of my girls at a sleepover and wish there were more horror movies like this when I was growing up.
DRAG (World Premiere at SXSW)
Written and directed by: Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 1h 26m
Watch if you like: Don’t Breathe, Jennifer’s Body
My rating: 4⭐
Drag is an all-new body horror heist-gone-wrong action-comedy that is so much fun. It stars Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito as two sisters bickering their way through a heist that goes terribly wrong. One of the sisters ends up throwing out her back and has to be dragged out of the house before they get caught. This is one of those movies that once you see it, you’re going to want to watch it again, but this time you’re going to want to watch the other person’s reaction because there are so many squeamish moments that really mess you up.
Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito are a perfect sibling pair; they bicker, but there’s a deep love and a lot of history they have to get over to successfully pull off this heist. I love seeing independent horror films like this. It was shot in 21 days in Albany, New York—all in one location, all night shoots, which is not easy to do. Even though it has a very small principal cast—plus John Stamos and Christine Ko—it packs such a powerful punch. Although this movie takes some really bold strides with the body horror aspect of it all, it stays really grounded in its performances, which lets the clever writing sing. I love it when a movie centered around a heist uses that as an accelerant to really put a pressure cooker test on the characters. In the hands of Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito, it is a really daring and delightful time.
I LOVE BOOSTERS (World Premiere at SXSW)
Written and directed by: Boots Riley
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1h 45m
Watch if you like: Sorry to Bother You, The Substance
My rating: 4.5⭐
If you’re familiar with Boots Riley’s work, you know that what starts off as just one thing unfolds into many others. Initially, I Love Boosters is about a group of shoplifting friends looking to take down a fashion maven, but it quickly turns into something much more than that. It takes a big, biting anti-capitalist message and condenses it into the story of our lead character, Corvette (played by Keke Palmer), exploring all the tension, grief, and heartache that goes into surviving under capitalism. If that sounds pretty intense, that’s because it is. This movie somehow manages to take the ideological political structure of a show like Andor with all of its different factions and competing tensions, but it also combines super silliness like the heist antics in the movie Sugar & Spice. In addition to that, it delivers on that trademark Boots Riley surrealism and campiness.
What I found most compelling about the film is the way that it talks about crime and how crime is sometimes a response to a community’s needs—that those who lack resources and community can often be forced to make decisions that lead them down a road that is very unforgiving. Filled with so many vibrant colors and visual gags, I really love the way that this movie comes together to feel like a celebration of art. It encourages a curious mind to deconstruct the ways we’ve been conditioned to think about crime and community. It also features incredible performances from Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Lakeith Stanfield, Eiza González, Demi Moore, Will Poulter, Taylor Paige, and Don Cheadle. Not only does I Love Boosters deliver on the laughs and the action, but in its own presentation, it feels so radical through the use of practical effects, cool production design, claymation, and miniatures. It comes together as a hopeful and inspiring call to make art.
BASIC (World Premiere at SXSW)
Written and directed by: Chelsea Devantez
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 1h 36m
Watch if you like: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Joy Ride, Bridesmaids
My rating: 4.5⭐
Break-up movies are a relatable, mortifying minefield, especially in the highly capable and deeply hilarious hands of Ashley Park who leads this outrageously fun story about a woman who gets dumped when her obsession over her boyfriend’s ex’s social media presence becomes too much to deal with. Heartbroken and under the influence – a dangerous combo – she tracks down the mysterious woman IRL and a rowdy night of self-discovery and misadventures ensues.
What differentiates Basic from any other contemporary romcom is how the comedy frames the adventures of our lead without missing a beat to build compassion for her through relatability. Even if you’ve never exactly woken up from a drunken stupor to drink the now-melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream straight from the pint (and if you have, no judgment), there is something about the main character, Gloria, that is beautifully human. In its empathetic portrayal of people in and out of love, just trying to figure it all out, Basic avoids all the pitfalls of a traditional breakup story to concoct a glitter-covered romp that never sacrifices character for comedy. It’s heartfelt and romantic in so many ways, emboldened by the incredible chemistry between Park and Leighton Meester (the baddie ex-girlfriend with the perfect Instagram, played to a tee by Meester).
Rounded out by lovable side characters that reminded me of my own friends – played by Ashley Nicole Black, Kandy Muse, and Kenzie Elizabeth – Basic may have you yearning for your own night out with your best friends. Did I mention how good this movie looks? Cinematographer Veronica Bouza covers this in neon and shiny things and makes a meal out of this epic outing, reminding us that comedies deserve to look beautiful, too.
DEAD DEER HIGH (World Premiere at SXSW)
Directed by: Jo Rochelle; Written by: Joshua Roark
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 1h 41m
Watch if you like: Dead Poets Society, The Hate U Give
My rating: 4.5⭐
Dead Deer High is a very special film—a bold and captivating narrative feature written and directed by two teachers. It’s called Dead Deer High, and it’s about a group of high school students and their English teacher who are preparing to compete in a national poetry competition while also dealing with grief a year removed from a school tragedy.
As a film about mental health and gun violence, Dead Deer High is important and special because it is told from the point of view of the people who have been affected by this the most: our teachers. Even before I knew this film was made by teachers, you could feel how intentional, sensitive, and “lived-in” their real-life experiences were. I was captivated by just how much this movie was willing to explore and show the hard parts of grief. It was also laden with hope. The way that the poetry really drives this film is astounding. I love the way they portray the web of adults within a school community who are trying to show up for students, and the students themselves feel like real students—the way they talk, the way they take out their anger on each other, the way they’re just trying to get by. The film makes a very important decision to never actually show you a gun; even though there are references to the violence that has occurred and Talk of guns, you never actually see them.
Dead Deer High is an important and timely film that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to capitalize on a tragedy, but it feels like it just needed to be said.
LEVITICUS
Written and directed by: Adrian Chiarella
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 1h 26m
Watch if you like: Talk to Me, Love Lies Bleeding
My rating: 5⭐
What is it about Australian horror that just gets it? From writer-director Adrian Carrella, Leviticus is the latest entry into the masterpieces emerging from Australian horror. Lovingly nicknamed “the heated rivalry of horror films,” Leviticus is an impeccably made horror film that explores the subject matter of homophobia, self-love, and desire, as well as the monsters that society manufactures through its own hatred. Starring Talk to Me‘s Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, Leviticus follows two young boys who engage in a wild romance before the religious community in their dusty brown industrial town finds out about it. They perform a sort of conversion ritual that sets into motion a very haunting series of events, specifically tackling these boys.
I love a queer film and a horror film as much as the next person, but what I absolutely loved about this movie is the way that it crafts the tension, the visuals, the direction, the sound design, the incredible score inspired by 80s classic horror synth tracks, and the impressive cinematography that really sets the tone for how uneasy you’re going to feel throughout the entire thing. The pacing really bodes well for threading that tension throughout. In some instances, you get a horror film that has quick jumps here and there, and it might overall accumulate into a mild experience, but Leviticus lulls you into a sense of safety, making you think the tension is only going to be here and there. It stays there for most of the runtime until you reach a next level of horror that sends you screaming. (Literally, the theater was shrieking!) It’s a beautiful time to be a horror film lover and a lover of queer stories, and Leviticus delivers on both fronts.
Even though most of the runtime you will be creeped out, some incredibly sensual and erotic moments really sell the romance between our two lead characters. Because the film deals with themes around sexual repression and youth, it will draw comparisons to other films, such as It Follows. But with a downright chilling interpretation of a monster taking the shape of the thing you desire most, Leviticus offers a very fresh and bold take on what it means to actually define yourself and choose a path that doesn’t just mean surviving the end of a horror film. I had the best time watching this, especially in the theater with that impeccable sound design, and if you’re a fan of horror films, you will too.
ROCK SPRINGS (World Premiere at SXSW)
Written and directed by: Vera Miao
Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Sci-Fi
Runtime:1h 36m
Watch if you like: Sinners, The Farewell
My rating: 4⭐
What’s the difference between a ghost and an ancestor? That is the question framing the family drama horror film Rock Springs. I just watched the world premiere of the directorial debut from Vera Miao, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Benedict Wong, and wow. Collapsing space and time, Rock Springs traverses different generations to tell a story about grief, healing, and how feeling like an outsider can lead to a feeling of fragmentation.
The film is broken up into three parts that traverse space and time, but the initial setup follows a young girl who moves to a new home secluded in the woods of Rock Springs, Wyoming, following the loss of her father. In this home, you have three generations of women who are feeling untethered and disconnected from one another, and director Vera Miao finds a way to integrate that history with the real-life history of Rock Springs, Wyoming, where a massacre took the lives of over 16 Chinese coal miners in 1885. This film was so visually striking, giving us three very distinct-feeling stories that interpret horror in different ways, whether through the supernatural or real-life violence. I was so taken aback by how director Vera Miao is able to tie the visual language and the sound design across these three distinctive stories in a way that brings it all together to make it one singular ghost story unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.
It’s a very moving and haunting piece, and as a horror film, I love how it plays with your expectations of what you should actually be afraid of. It was so amazing seeing Benedict Wong and Kelly Marie Tran just really excel in these roles. Because it’s set in the very lush setting of Rock Springs, the beautiful scenery and the production design itself go a long way in giving a striking visual juxtaposition against the horrors that you’re experiencing through the stories. If you love ghost stories, family dramas, and history, and if you appreciate the aspects of cinema that integrate real-life horror tragedies that affect us in our present times, then Rock Springs is the movie for you.
More Films Screened at SXSW
If you’re curious, here’s the other movies I was able to see. Not a bad movie in sight and a big range of something for everyone.
THEY WILL KILL YOU (world premiere)
Directed by: Kirill Sokolov
Genre: Horror/ Action
Runtime: 1h 34m
Watch if you like: Kill Bill, Resident Evil
My rating: 4⭐
FAMILY MOVIE (world premiere)
Directed by: Kevin Bacon
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 1h 21m
Watch if you like: Shaun of the Dead, Smile
My rating: 4⭐
A SAFE DISTANCE (world premiere)
Directed by: Gloria Mercer
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 1h 25m
Watch if you like: Midsommer, Gone Girl
My rating: 3.5⭐
CHASING SUMMER (world premiere)
Directed by: Josephine Decker
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 1h 30m
Watch if you like: Sweet Home Alabama, No Hard Feelings
My rating: 3.5⭐
DREAMQUIL (world premiere)
Directed by: Alex Prager
Genre: Sci-Fi/ Thriller
Runtime: 1h 29m
Watch if you like: Companion, The Stepford Wives
My rating: 3.5⭐
GRIND (world premiere)
Directed by: Ed Dougherty, Brea Grant, and Chelsea Stardust
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 1h 41m
Watch if you like: Office Space, Final Destination 5
My rating: 3.5⭐
PERFECT (world premiere)
Directed by: Millicent Hailes
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime:1h 34m
My rating: 3.5⭐
READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (world premiere)
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet
Genre: Horror/ Action
Runtime: 1h 48m
Watch if you like: Ready or Not, Abigail
My rating: 3.5⭐
POWER BALLAD (world premiere)
Directed by: John Carney
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1h 38m
Watch if you like: Once, Music and Lyrics
My rating: 3.5⭐
