Wrapping SXSW 09: Features Competitions.

By David Hudson on 03/30/2009

Coverage of the coverage, beginning with the narratives and docs in competition.

Narrative Features Competition

"Artois the Goat" (site) is a "a nutty, spry, altogether charming picture about love and artisanal cheese-making," writes the Austin Chronicle's Kimberly Jones. More from Chris Garcia (Austin Movie Blog) and Leonard Pierce (AV Club).

"Bomber" (site) is "a prime example of a movie that feels fresh and insightful even though its individual elements are familiar," writes Eric D Snider at Cinematical. "It's about a road trip, an underemployed 30-year-old man-child who lacks direction, a husband and wife who no longer communicate, and a family that must learn to relate to one another again. Not exactly a groundbreaker, obviously, but writer/director Paul Cotter's feature debut benefits from strong performances and from Cotter's knack for avoiding the obvious, easy resolutions." More from Leonard Pierce (AV Club).

"The technologically progressive 'Four Eyed Monsters' looks like a downright period piece compared to the social media content in Daryl Wein's 'Breaking Upwards' [site]," writes Eric Kohn for indieWIRE. "Wein and co-star Zoe Lister-Jones (his real life girlfriend and the co-writer) assemble a playful narrative filled with vibrant dialogue and a swift pace." The Film Panel Notetaker meets Wein for a one-on-one; Alicia Van Couvering talks with Wein and Lister-Jones for Filmmaker.

Kris Swanberg's first feature, 'It was great, but I was ready to come home' [site] really works as a visual essay exclusively based around the title sentiment," writes Eric Kohn for indieWIRE. "'It was great' might not work for everyone, but its beautiful compositions can't be denied." At the SpoutBlog, Noralil Ryan Fores interviews Joe and Kris Swanberg.

"Filmed partially in Texas and partially in Shanghai, 'Made in China' [site] is certainly an odd duck," writes Leonard Pierce at the AV Club. "There's a lot of things that have the potential to sink it, from its obvious micro-budget to its spotty performances to its sense of humor, which more than once veers into hollow, smirky hipster gags. But overall, it has a relentless energy and sense of excitement which overcomes any initial resistance; it believes so much in itself that its pure momentum carries it forward over most of its rough spots." More from Gary Dingus (Austin Movie Blog). Interviews with director Judi Krant: indieWIRE and the SpoutBlog.

"I was ready to pan 'The Overbrook Brothers,' [site] John Bryant's zany road trip comedy about two adopted brothers in search of their adopted parents, but then it started to grow on me," writes Eric Kohn at indieWIRE. "Somewhere between the eccentric character stylings of 'Napoleon Dynamite' and the gross-out extremes of Farrelly brothers lies the unique sense of humor contained in this movie." More from Jenn Brown (Slackerwood).

"All throughout Scott Teems's gorgeous drama, I had to suppress a rising anger that this film was probably not going to find the audience it deserved, while Clint Eastwood's slapdash and shamefully inept 'Gran Torino' played like gangbusters at the multiplex," writes Michael Tully, reviewing "That Evening Sun" (site) at Hammer to Nail. "Hal Holbrook's performance is Spirit Award worthy, but it is the care Teems puts into the performances around Holbrook that confirms his maturity as a director." More from Scott Knopf (Film Threat) and Joe Leydon (Variety). IndieWIRE interviews Teems.

"True Adolescents": Site, Daily.

Documentary Feature Competition

"45365": Site; Daily.

"A documentary by first-time director Mai Iskander, ['Garbage Dreams; site] - filmed over a period of nearly five years in a Cairo suburb - follows the lives of teenagers Osama, Nabil, and Adham as they make a living in a 'garbage village,' a huge maze of discarded refuse that serves as a home and a way of life for over 50,000 human beings." Leonard Pierce at the AV Club: "One can scarcely begin to fathom the full reality of such a massive number of people whose lives depend on what is essentially a huge ball of garbage when it becomes clear that not only aren't they the only ones, but that their trade - fifth-hand trading of castaway junk - is actually being threatened by globalization as similar garbage villages across the world provide the same 'products' for less money." More from Jenn Brown (Slackerwood).

"Even if you're not a dog lover or a pet owner, 'MINE' [site], a new film by Geralyn Pezanoski that had its World Premiere at SXSW - and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - may churn your emotions." Peter Martin at Twitch: "It takes a good while before the film really sparks; 'MINE' requires a fair degree of patience as it establishes the circumstances of various New Orleans residents. But once the true essence of the story becomes apparent, it's difficult to turn away from the screen." More from Jette Kernion (Cinematical). eFilmCritic and IndieWIRE interview Pezanoski.

Leonard Pierce at the AV Club: "'Say My Name' [site] is a compelling documentary on women in hip-hop by the Dutch multimedia artist and filmmaker Nirit Peled, in which a diverse array of female rappers, DJs and R&B performers - hailing from the Bronx, Britain, and Europe - frankly discuss the expectations, tribulations and experiences of gender, sexuality, and race in a musical genre where machismo is the cheapest available fuel."

"'Severe Clear' [site] is the Iraq documentary I've been awaiting conscientiously if not eagerly," writes Karina Longworth at the SpoutBlog. It "breaks free of the 'Iraq war movie' stigma by remaining essentially apolitical," adds Eric Kohn at indieWIRE. More from Robert Davis in Paste. For Filmmaker, Alicia Van Couvering talks with Kristian Fraga and Mike Scotti.

"Sons of a Gun": Site; Co-director Rivkah Beth Medow has a piece in Moving Pictures; eFilmCritic and indieWIRE interview Medow and Greg O'Toole.

"TRIMPIN: the sound of invention' [site] attempts to take a look at the man's genius, observing him in his element as he creates personal projects and prepares for an experimental concert with the Kronos Quartet," writes Jonathan Pacheco at Edward Copeland on Film. More from Jette Kernion (Cinematical).

"The Way We Get By" (site) is "a doc about a group of senior citizens in Bangor, Maine ('where Stephen King lives') who spend their time greeting and sending off the stream of American troops who parade through Bangor Airport on their way to and from Iraq and Afghanistan," writes Eugene Novikov at Cinematical. "I feared the worst: 'They're old and their lives are empty, but look how adorable they are!' But 'The Way We Get By' turns out to be a lovely, uncondescending look at three lives enriched by kindness."

Tags: SXSW 2009