SXSW 2024 Festival Diary Day 2: Lobster Rolls, Babes with Babies, and Fred Durst

Well, Day 2 did not get off to a hot start. The first film on my list was called Cold Wallet which is billed as a Crypto Heist Thriller. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm this because I was not able to get in. The venue hosting the screenings is notorious for not being the best managed during the chaos of SXSW but there was still hope because there were two screenings of the film and each theater held about 50 people. I was about 46th in line. Out of the primary access line I was in, less than 30 people were let into both screenings in total. This usually happens when the filmmakers invite an entourage of people and considering this is a movie about Crypto Bros it checks out. But blessings in disguise. I decided to take an early lunch and stopped by Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls. Now, I don’t know exactly how famous these lobster rolls are but boy do they deserve to be. The lobster was tender and buttery, the roll pillowy soft on the inside and buttered and toasted to perfection on the outside. Couple that with a small side of potato salad and I was thoroughly satisfied. So to the small army of Crypto Bros flooding the film, I thank you for leading me to one of the best lunches I’ve ever had during SXSW, beats the hell out of 7/11 hot wings. Now it is off to the Paramount for my day’s triple feature.

The first film on the list was My Dead Friend Zoe, Directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales and Ed Harris and so far this is the most hard hitting of all the films. About a veteran who is haunted by her former platoon mate who lost her life and has to navigate preparing her veteran Grandfather to a retirement community, the film is heavy on the themes of loss, guilt, depression, and PTSD. Hausmann-Stokes put his entire life as a soldier into this film, basing the characters on his former platoon mates who lost their own struggle with suicide. The film is made for soldiers but the message could resonate with anyone dealing with survivors guilt, PTSD or is struggling with depression.

Film number two was an extreme contrast to the first. Babes is an extremely funny look at the lesser talked about subjects revolving around pregnancy. Directed by Pamela Adlon and starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau, the film follows the journey of Eden as she leans on her married best friend and mother of two as she navigates her own pregnancy after a one-night stand. The film is a laugh a second and one of the funniest I’ve seen at any of the festivals which to be expected from the trio of female comedic powerhouses steering the movie. However, what was surprising was the earnest heart that was effortlessly built around at the films core. The comedy was integrated so well with the subject matter that it didn’t feel like comedians making light of hard to talk about subjects, it felt like real woman dealing with the realities of their pregnancies with humor because that’s who they are as people. The film is a much watch for anyone who is a fan of comedies or has grown a human inside of them.

The closing film of Day 2 was Y2K, a disaster teen comedy directed by Kyle Mooney and starring Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison. The full review will be on FilmSpeak but, I will say that if you were alive during the turn of the millenium then you have to see this movie. It is wall to wall references to the 90’s and early 2000’s culture through the eyes of those who lived through the dry fart that was Y2k (the event, not the movie). If you are wondering about the comedy style, if you have ever seen a Kyle Mooney sketch on SNL then there is your answer. Every line sounds like it came directly from Mooney’s mouth so if that is an issue for you then consider waiting until streaming. But once again the real surprise came during the Q&A when we were graced by the prince of Nu Metal himself, Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit. Honestly, he seemed just as surprised to be there as we were. Similarly to Conor McGregor, he seemed a little bit on the toasty side. However, unlike McGregor, he had no issues talking for a reasonable amount before relinquishing time back to the moderator, even though his answers were just him asking whether or not he was being pranked. Overall a great movie day before I take a day for networking and pick it back up with a 4 movie marathon at the Paramount.