Last year, the SXSW Film Festival was an early casualty of the emerging coronavirus pandemic, which forced the Austin-based event to shut down for the first time in its history. Flash-forward to 2021 and the show went on… in a virtual edition. Even though viewers couldn’t attend in person, SXSW still generated headlines as the launching pad for movies you’ll likely be hearing about for the rest of the year, from the intensely personal documentary Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil to Justine Bateman’s #MeToo-era directorial debut Violet. Here’s Yahoo Entertainment round-up of the best and buzziest movies we saw during the festival.
Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil and Introducing, Selma Blair
After years of seeing their stories told by other sources, Demi Lovato and Selma Blair take control of their own narratives in two of SXSW’s buzziest documentaries. Filmed after Lovato’s near-fatal 2018 overdose, Dancing With the Devil features the Disney Channel icon-turned-pop superstar dropping one bombshell revelation after another about her troubled past, from surviving a sexual assault at 15 to her recent break-up with fiancé Max Ehrich. But the four-part series — which premieres on YouTube on March 23 — also gives Lovato’s fans reason to hope that better days are ahead for her: The singer talks about how recovery has left her in a healthier headspace, allowing her to explore her life, her sexuality and to “really live my truth.”
Introducing, Selma Blair is also filled with painful, but healing truth-telling. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, the Cruel Intentions star allows director Rachel Fleit to document the impact of the disease on her mind and body. When she’s not receiving intensive medical treatments, Blair reflects on her Hollywood career, and how she feels she never found her place in an industry that often demands that actresses subscribe to a specific appearance and behaviors. A candid, open-hearted portrait of a challenging life, Introducing, Selma Blair received an award for Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling, and is set to premiere on discovery+ later this year. — Ethan Alter
+ There are no comments
Add yours