South by Southwest (SXSW) is full of innovation and talent every year. It is Austin’s darling media industry event, and while the old timers (myself included) will tell you “it has changed,” no other event garners the same amount of inspiration and creative output.
In terms of films, SXSW feels like the ideal place for the strange, the “out there,” and the brilliant. I spent much of the week at the historic Paramount Theatre with occasional trips to the more modern Zach Theatre and the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse.
Since making Austin my home, I regularly haunt these three venues to see shows, concerts, and films. The energy of these spaces at SXSW was just electric; the anticipation for the premieres of some truly wild and personal projects filled each room.
These were my five favorite film experiences from SXSW 2026.
I Love Boosters
Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You is one of the best and most unforgettable films from the 2010s. I am thrilled to report that his sophomore film, I Love Boosters, is even better. It’s more critical, but also more clever.
I Love Boosters begins with a simple enough premise: Shoplifters (or boosters) take on a billionaire’s fashion company. What ensues is not only a brilliant crime but a series of unexpected turns and laughs. There were moments where my jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief as the film leaned into magical realism. Some of the jokes (at capitalism’s expense) led to the best laughs of the festival.
The film’s cast is phenomenal. The chemistry between the boosters — played by Keke Palmer, Taylor Paige, and Naomi Ackie — is unmatched for a crime comedy. Demi Moore’s billionaire villain confidently allegorizes and critiques the worst excesses of late-stage capitalism.
I Love Boosters demands that viewers take its world on the film’s terms. Visually, there’s nothing else like it. Riley’s directorial eye presents a kaleidoscopic experience, from intricate set pieces and costuming to the rotation of monochromatic retail stores. This visual experience helps make the stranger moments feel more at home in the world.
I Love Boosters was not only my favorite film at SXSW, but the best movie that I’ve seen in 2026 so far. Please go into Riley’s latest film knowing as little as possible (but I do recommend watching Sorry to Bother You to prepare for its style).
I Love Boosters will be coming to theaters on May 22. Watch the trailer (which, again, I recommend you skip to avoid spoilers) here.
Normal
I didn’t know about Ben Wheatley’s Normal before SXSW, and I’m glad that I didn’t have trailers as a frame of reference going into it. The film finds Bob Odenkirk as Ulysses, the interim sheriff of the small town of Normal, Minnesota.
At its best, Normal reminded me of the beloved 2007 comedy Hot Fuzz (the best film of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy). The action is over-the-top, and the writing is not only quick and quirky but also carefully crafts the identity of the small town and its politics. Each local is not only memorable, but an effective archetype of the American Midwest — from the lady who runs the yarn store to the gun store owner to Odenkirk’s Ulysses as peak dad energy.
Normal is an incredibly violent and trope-heavy film, not leaving a single Chekhov’s Gun unfired (y’all, there’s literally a restaurant filled with loaded rifles). The conflicts of the film revolve around when Normal gets a huge influx of money from two bank robbers (played by Reena Jolly and Brendan Fletcher) who force Ulysses and the audience to confront the town’s dark financial secret. But as “trope-y” as the narrative beats feel, Normal never ceases to be entertaining and engaging.
Normal hits theaters on April 17. Watch the trailer here.
They Will Kill You
Kirill Sokolov’s They Will Kill You was the primary reason that I wanted to attend SXSW this year. The trailers promised a bloody action film where the protagonist Asia Reeves (played by Zazie Beetz) fights back against a group of cultists (three of whom are played by Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette) who want to sacrifice her. There was some internet concern that the trailers gave too much away, but I assure you that they barely scratch the surface.
They Will Kill You is both violent and heartfelt. Zazie Beetz gives a brilliant performance, supplying a series of kickass choreographed fight sequences and an incredible emotional range for an action film. The locale of the New York high-rise becomes a character itself in this twisted action film. After the first shotgun blast, the adrenaline rarely stops. When the film does slow down, it provides engaging exposition and emotionally riveting backstories. If you are going through Hell, there’s no one you’d rather have on your side than Asia Reeves.
Without spoiling any of the twists, They Will Kill You is reminiscent of some of my favorite video games and medieval poems.
They Will Kill You arrives in theaters on March 27. Watch the trailer here.
Noah Kahan: Out of Body
Noah Kahan: Out of Body is the only film on this list that made me cry (twice, for the record). I fell in love with Noah Kahan’s Stick Season album after hearing songs from it at a wedding in 2023. The folk-pop singer and songwriter has given a soundtrack to so many millennial and Gen-Z feelings, anxieties, and bouts of depression.
Noah Kahan: Out of Body provides an intimate look at the artist’s life as he transitions into stardom post-Stick Season. At times, it feels like watching a series of home videos that we aren’t supposed to have access to. Kahan examines his music’s relationship with his family, his life, his hometown, and himself. At its most personal, Kahan meditates on his self-image and mental health.
Kahan’s hometown of Strafford, Vermont, becomes a central character in the documentary. It presents the folks of Strafford honestly and as wholly human, with flaws and authenticity. Its wildness — whether green or snow-covered — and small-town sentiments create a canvas on which Kahan’s lyrics move across the screen.
Kahan proves that you (and your dogs) can go home again. I can’t wait for the release of his Great Divide album (and tour!), which almost coincides with the documentary.
Noah Kahan: Out of Body streams on Netflix beginning April 13. Watch a reel by Kahan here.
Forbidden Fruits
Meredith Alloway’s Forbidden Fruits is a little witchy and a little slasher film-y. Most of the film takes place in a mall in Dallas, Texas. The film’s titular fruits (played by Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp) are “mall royalty” since they work at the excessively expensive Free Eden. Protagonist Pumpkin (played by Lola Tung) enters their in-group only to discover they are a coven.
Forbidden Fruits is endlessly entertaining. The chemistry of the cast is only matched by their perfectly designed fashion style. Each interaction is not only memorable but woven into Alloway’s incredible tapestry of a film. Alloway withholds the gore and the action long enough for the tension to build. Her camerawork plays with certain slasher tropes but doesn’t lean heavily into them until its gory third act.
I’m hesitant to say too much. The film’s allegory (Free Eden, Fruits, and an often-mentioned Snake) is never too heavy-handed, but instead provides a deceiving roadmap for how the film’s world operates. Watching Forbidden Fruits was the most fun that I had at SXSW.
Forbidden Fruits releases in theaters on March 27. Watch the trailer here.
The Joy of Seeing Films at SXSW
I saw some brilliant films at SXSW. The people that I met in line and while seated were honest about their fears and anxieties about the world that we currently inhabit. Conversations about the film industry’s future and generative AI were frequent.
On the flip side, we all left each show with so much optimism and joy. Even in films that we cried during or debated after, we found hope in the industry’s innovations and creations.
I hope we never stop making and watching wildly creative and “out there” films.
Clint is a writer and educator based out of Columbus, OH. You can often find him writing about Middle English poetry, medieval games, or video games. He just finished a PhD in English at the Ohio State University. You can find his academic and public work at clintmorrisonjr.com.
