SXSW Film Reviews

Reel Shorts One

"Fake Stacy" kick-starts RS1 as a bittersweet paean to alienation. When a beguiling sitcommer is pseudonymously billed, the in-joke resonates throughout her life. Excellent, and not unlike sleeping with Princess Leia. "9:30" follows one Singaporean expatriate as he flees a lover to anonymous hostels and an urban din. "We Have Decided Not to Die" seethes and undulates, all metal, flesh, and shattered glass. "Underground" moves with Bruckheimer precision and half the heart. Well-crafted, yet if the surprise ending doesn't schlock you, the Anaïs Nin quote explains it, simpleton. Cinematic bastard child of Flannery O'Connor, "Song of Wreckage" is dirging American Gothic: a silent slow burner, best in show.