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Festival coverage

South by Southwest

8 March – 17 February 2019

Darlin'
Darlin'

2019's SXSW opened with Jordan Peele's Us and closed with the hotly anticipated remake of Pet Sematary. Dedicated to supporting innovation and emerging talent, it boasted a diverse line-up of films from around the world. Events aimed at bringing together filmmakers and other industry professionals ran alongside the screenings.

The festival ran from 8 to 17 March.

Other years (7)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Alice
    Review preview for Alice

    The script is sharp, witty and not afraid to ask awkward questions.

    Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
    Alice, a happy and perfect wife and mother has her life turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life.
  • Saint Frances
    Review preview for Saint Frances

    As the sunny days pass and Bridget finds herself sinking into the job of caring for Frances more than she imagined, the warmth trickles into the corners of the film leaving cynicism no place to lurk.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    After an accidental pregnancy turned abortion, a deadbeat nanny finds an unlikely friendship with the six-year old she's charged with protecting
  • Daniel Isn't Real
    Review preview for Daniel Isn't Real

    Schwarzenegger handles his role with a restraint unusual in actors his age, so that even viewers with a strong sense of what's coming will warm to him or wonder how bad he can really be.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A troubled college freshman, Luke, suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope.
  • Wild Rose
    Review preview for Wild Rose

    Nicole Taylor's quickfire script provides great material for the actors to work with .

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A Glasgwegian single mum tries to make it in the world of country music.
  • The Garden Left Behind
    Review preview for The Garden Left Behind

    With beautifully drawn relationships and a fine central performance, The Garden Left Behind takes frequently politicised subject matter and reminds us of the human side of it.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A story about the relationship between a young trans woman and her grandmother as they navigate transition and struggle to build a life for themselves as undocumented immigrants in New York City.
  • Darlin'
    Review preview for Darlin'

    Lauryn Canny is stunning in the central role, easily adopting the same body language that Mcintosh has used continually to break away from conditioned patterns of movement and take up space.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A sequel to The Woman in which a feral teenage girl is taken into strict Catholic care and prepared for her First Holy Communion.
  • Boyz In The Wood
    Review preview for Boyz In The Wood

    It's laugh out loud funny in places, and there's an endearing earnestness throughout.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    An anarchic cocktail of generational politics, hip-hop loving farmers and hallucinogenic rabbit shites, set in the highlands of Scotland.
  • Amazing Grace
    Review preview for Amazing Grace

    One doesn't need to be religious to find something ineffable not just in the music itself but in the way it is expressed.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Concert film about the recording of Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace album.
  • Pet Sematary
    Review preview for Pet Sematary

    The directors, Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, avoid horror comic clichés. In fact, they avoid clichés altogether.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    When a family discover an old Native burial ground near their new home, sinister things begin to happen.
  • Maiden
    Review preview for Maiden

    Alex Holmes' documentary is brilliant.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    The incredible, against-all-odds story of sailor Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first all-female international crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

A–Z of South by Southwest 2019 reviews

Features

  • Forbidden fruit
    Keola Racela on wholesomeness, horror and comedy in Porno
  • The real thing
    Sasha Lane on mental illness, action scenes, choosing roles and Daniel Isn't Real
  • Beyond the garden
    Flavio Alves on telling authentic stories, representing violence, and The Garden Left Behind
  • Cultivating a story
    Flavio Alves on the lives of trans women and undocumented immigrants, and The Garden Left Behind
  • A woman's story
    Pollyanna McIntosh on Darlin’ and the wildness in all of us
  • Handcrafting from scratch
    Cindy Hulej on Jim Jarmusch and Carmine Street Guitars
  • Into the woods
    Rick Kelly on working with wood and Carmine Street Guitars