SXSW Online this year might lack the power of the mighty Hollywood machine (and the hilarity that ensues when something like what happened with Ready Player One occurs) but I have found the Shorts section of this year’s film programming to be of extremely high quality. Here’s two that stood out:
Learn Tagalog with Kayla (2021, Kayla Galang)
This short, without spoiling too much, captures a certain post-pandemic vibe that I think we can all relate to. There’s a realness to this film that triumphs at capturing what I imagine a lot of people are feeling right now, all with the mood of a public access video. Really enjoyable.
Marvin’s Never Had Coffee Before (2021, Andrew Carter)
Speaking of movies that capture our times correctly, I can’t praise this short enough for perfectly conveying the anxiety and weird social traditions that have been established since the Pandemic started. This short is funny each step of the way, and frankly, very entertaining.