The Best and Worst Films at SXSW 2017
The 2017 edition of South by Southwest wrapped up its film program last night, and the 10 days of premieres produced some welcome hits (with five films scoring 81 or higher) as well as some surprising misses.
Below, our editors have picked out the most notable films debuting at the festival, and sampled the critical consensus for each one. You can also find bonus reviews for a handful of television shows that premiered at SXSW (though not the highly anticipated upcoming series American Gods, since Starz has embargoed reviews until April 17th).
For this new Netflix dramedy series, Justin Simien adapts his own 2014 movie of the same name about racial tensions at a mostly white Ivy League college. Brandon Bell returns, but Logan Browning (Powers) replaces the film's Tessa Thompson as the lead.
Critics loved the two opening episodes screened at SXSW. In an "A" review, Ben Travers of Indiewire finds Simien's decision to shift perspectives from character to character each episode a compelling reason to convert the film into an ongoing series. The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen similarly notes that Simien's film "has transferred impressively to TV," while Variety's Peter Debruge admires the show's blend of "cutting-edge social commentary" with "wit, attitude, and a terrifically charismatic black-led cast."
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