SXSW 2019 Movie Scorecard

Critics Consensus: Fast-paced, funny, and fresh, Booksmart does the seemingly impossible by adding a smart new spin to the coming-of-age comedy.

Synopsis: Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis

Directed By: Olivia Wilde

Critics Consensus: Enthralling viewing even for audiences with little to no knowledge of or interest in sailing, Maiden pays powerful tribute to a true pioneer.

Synopsis: In 1989 Tracy Edwards leads the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race, a grueling yachting competition that covers 33,000 miles and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tracy Edwards, Nancy Harris, John Chittenden, Bruno De Bois

Directed By: Alex Holmes

Critics Consensus: A galvanizing glimpse behind the scenes of a pivotal election, Knock Down the House should prove engrossing for viewers of all political persuasions.

Synopsis: A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner's daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada, and a registered nurse in Missouri build... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Directed By: Rachel Lears

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Four small-town high school students who are believed to hold the key to the future experience the ups and downs of life in senior year.

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In snowbound Tokamachi, Japan, teenaged Akio Sakurai took refuge in his room, escaping to another world with a pair of headphones and a pile of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham, Frankie Banali, Rie Nakahara

Directed By: Peter Michael Dowd

Critics Consensus: Candid and compelling, Running with Beto is an illuminating exploration of an up-and-coming politician and the changing political landscape around him.

Synopsis: Filmmaker David Modigliani's behind-the-scenes look at Beto O'Rourke's breakaway campaign that was designed to unseat Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate.

Starring: Beto O'Rourke

Directed By: David Modigliani

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The story behind the 1998 hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out," by the Bahamian group Baha Men.

Starring: John Diemer

Directed By: Brent Hodge

Critics Consensus: Patiently constructed and beautifully filmed, Aquarela views man's relationship with water through a sobering -- and awe-inducing -- lens.

Synopsis: From massive waves to melting ice, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky travels around the world to capture stunning images of the beauty and raw power of water.

Directed By: Victor Kossakovsky

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Creating a unique mix of punk, emo and trap, Lil Peep is set to bring a new musical genre to the mainstream when he dies... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rob Cavallo, Ghostemane, I Love Makonnen, Juicy J

Directed By: Sebastian Jones, Ramez Silyan

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Kenny Sailors popularizes the jump shot in professional basketball and revolutionizes the sport for women.

Starring: Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Bobby Knight

Directed By: Jacob Hamilton

Critics Consensus: As sharp, funny, and scathingly irreverent as its subject, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins pays entertaining tribute to a brilliant writer.

Synopsis: The life and work of Molly Ivins, a political journalist from Texas, best-selling author, and Bill of Rights warrior.

Starring: Rachel Maddow, Dan Rather, Anne Lamott, Cecile Richards

Directed By: Janice Engel

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Aaron Kunkel examines the rise and fall of boy band impresario Lou Pearlman.

Starring: Ashley Parker Angel, Lance Bass, Aaron Carter, J.C. Chasez

Directed By: Aaron Kunkel

Critics Consensus: The rare comedy thriller that's funny as well as thrilling, Get Duked! marks writer-director Ninian Doff as a filmmaker with a bright future.

Synopsis: A camping trip in the Scottish Highlands turns into a fight for survival when four teens become the target of vicious hunters.

Starring: Suzy Eddie Izzard, Kate Dickie, Kevin Guthrie, Jonathan Aris

Directed By: Ninian Doff

Critics Consensus: Come As You Are approaches sensitive subjects with heart and humor, taking audiences on a thoroughly entertaining road trip to a crowd-pleasing destination.

Synopsis: A traveling nurse takes three disabled men on a road trip to Montreal so they can lose their virginity at a brothel.

Starring: Grant Rosenmeyer, Hayden Szeto, Ravi Patel, Gabourey Sidibe

Directed By: Richard Wong

Critics Consensus: Daniel Isn't Real, but the smart, stylish fun waiting for genre lovers in this well-acted suspense thriller is completely genuine.

Synopsis: A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.

Starring: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Miles Robbins, Sasha Lane, Hannah Marks

Directed By: Adam Egypt Mortimer

Critics Consensus: A horror/rom-com hybrid that somehow manages to blend its ingredients without losing their flavor, Extra Ordinary more than lives up to its title.

Synopsis: A woman who has supernatural abilities must save a possessed girl.

Starring: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Claudia O'Doherty, Jamie Beamish

Directed By: Michael Ahern, Enda Loughman

Critics Consensus: Greener Grass is far from the first comedy to skewer suburbia -- but it might be among the most bizarre and surreally distinctive.

Synopsis: Soccer moms Jill and Lisa compete for approval and acceptance in a bizarre suburbia while their kids battle it out on the playing field.

Starring: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck Bennett, Neil Casey

Directed By: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A young woman becomes a webcam model after moving to Las Vegas to live with her family.

Starring: Tiffany Tenille, Numa Perrier, Brett Gelman, Stephen Barrington

Directed By: Numa Perrier

Critics Consensus: Brought to life by a breakout performance by Camila Morrone, Mickey and the Bear finds affecting drama at the crossroads of a young woman's coming-of-age journey.

Synopsis: A Montana teenager navigates a loving but volatile relationship with her single, veteran father. In a desperate search for independence and her own identity, she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Camila Morrone, James Badge Dale, Calvin Demba, Ben Rosenfield

Directed By: Annabelle Attanasio

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In 1926, the world's most famous evangelist, Sister Aimee Semple McPherson, fakes her own death in order to run away to Mexico, and hires Rey,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Julie White, Amy Hargreaves, Michael Mosley, Macon Blair

Directed By: Samantha Buck, Marie Schlingmann

Critics Consensus: Snatchers' practical effects and strong writing come together to create a sci-fi comedy that's fun, frenetic, and at times, freakin' crazy (in the best way).

Synopsis: After a teen has sex for the first time, she wakes up the next day nine months pregnant with an alien.

Starring: Mary Nepi, Gabrielle Elyse, J.J. Nolan, Austin Fryberger

Directed By: Stephen Cedars

Critics Consensus: South Mountain sifts through the wreckage of a broken marriage, finding quietly impactful resolutions through Talia Balsam's nuanced performance.

Synopsis: An artist's life gets turned upside down when she learns her husband has another family.

Starring: Talia Balsam, Scott Cohen, Andrus Nichols, Michael Oberholtzer

Directed By: Hilary Brougher

Critics Consensus: A feelgood adventure brought to life by outstanding performances, The Peanut Butter Falcon finds rich modern resonance in classic American fiction.

Synopsis: After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes

Directed By: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz

Critics Consensus: Natalia Dyer's charming performance -- and writer-director Karen Maine's sensitive work -- will leave audiences saying Yes, God, Yes to this coming-of-age dramedy.

Synopsis: A Catholic girl finds herself having tempting thoughts after an AOL chat turns unexpectedly racy.

Starring: Natalia Dyer, Christian Adam, Susan Blackwell, Alisha Boe

Directed By: Karen Maine

Critics Consensus: Edifying and inspiring in equal measure, Apollo 11 uses artfully repurposed archival footage to send audiences soaring back to a pivotal time in American history.

Synopsis: Never-before-seen footage and audio recordings take you straight into the heart of NASA's most celebrated mission as astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Anders, David Reed

Directed By: Todd Douglas Miller

Critics Consensus: With Jordan Peele's second inventive, ambitious horror film, we have seen how to beat the sophomore jinx, and it is Us.

Synopsis: Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Directed By: Jordan Peele

Critics Consensus: Brilliantly capturing a remarkable performer near the peak of her prodigious power, Amazing Grace is a thrilling must-watch documentary for Aretha Franklin fans.

Synopsis: Singer Aretha Franklin performs gospel songs at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972.

Starring: Aretha Franklin, The Rev. James Cleveland, Alexander Hamilton

Directed By: Alan Elliott

Critics Consensus: Led by a quartet of strong performances, Villains offers genre fans a delightfully dark thriller with a sharp comic streak.

Synopsis: Amateur criminals stumble upon a dark secret in a sadistic couple's home.

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, Jeffrey Donovan, Kyra Sedgwick

Directed By: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

Critics Consensus: There's no shortage of star-is-born stories, but Wild Rose proves they can still be thoroughly entertaining -- and marks its own transcendent moment for lead Jessie Buckley.

Synopsis: Fresh out of prison, a Scottish woman juggles her job and two children while pursuing her dream of becoming a country music star. She soon... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, James Harkness

Directed By: Tom Harper

Critics Consensus: Pet Sematary takes its source material in a few different directions, but this remake feels like an exhuming almost as often as it does a revival.

Synopsis: Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence

Directed By: Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer

Critics Consensus: The Art of Self-Defense grapples compellingly with modern American masculinity -- and serves as an outstanding calling card for writer-director Riley Stearns.

Synopsis: After getting attacked on the street, Casey enlists in a local dojo that's led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei. He soon uncovers a sinister... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada

Directed By: Riley Stearns

Critics Consensus: Led by typically outstanding work from Lupita Nyong'o, Little Monsters is a horror/rom-com hybrid that proves the zombie genre still has fresh brains to savor.

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Josh Gad, Stephen Peacocke, Kat Stewart

Directed By: Abe Forsythe

Critics Consensus: Led by a potentially star-making performance from Sasheer Zamata, The Weekend takes a well-acted, smartly written approach to familiar character dynamics.

Synopsis: A down-on-her-luck comedian's vacation plans are interrupted by her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.

Starring: Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Kym Whitley

Directed By: Stella Meghie

Critics Consensus: A sharp and deceptively layered comedy that's further fueled by the odd couple chemistry of its leads, this Long Shot largely hits its marks.

Synopsis: Fred Flarsky is a gifted and free-spirited journalist who has a knack for getting into trouble. Charlotte Field is one of the most influential women... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, O'Shea Jackson Jr.

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Critics Consensus: Whether you're a guitar lover, a student of New York City history, or simply interested in celebrating a deep commitment to craft, Carmine Street Guitars strikes a chord.

Synopsis: Five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars.

Starring: Eszter Balint, Nels Cline, Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Friedberger

Directed By: Ron Mann

Critics Consensus: Expertly drawn characters and a strong senes of humanity make Sword of Trust an enjoyable -- if at times meandering -- journey.

Synopsis: A cantankerous pawnshop owner and his man-child employee team up with an out-of-town couple who are trying to hawk a Civil War-era sword inherited from... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Michaela Watkins, Jillian Bell

Directed By: Lynn Shelton

Critics Consensus: Uneven but entertaining, Go Back to China puts a refreshing cross-cultural spin on the traditional coming-of-age story arc.

Synopsis: A spoiled rich girl is sent to work for her family's toy business in China after she is cut off by her father for blowing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Akana, Richard Ng, Lynn Chen, Kelly Hu

Directed By: Emily Ting

Critics Consensus: Held together by a gripping lead performance from Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell is challenging and admittedly uneven, but ultimately worth the effort.

Synopsis: Becky Something is a talented but self-destructive musician who seems determined to alienate everyone around her -- even at the cost of her own band's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Agyness Deyn, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens

Directed By: Alex Ross Perry

Critics Consensus: Even if it's mainly distinguished by its unique setting, Olympic Dreams remains a rom-com with a heartfelt story and likable leads.

Synopsis: A young cross-country skier bonds with a volunteer doctor in the Olympic athletes village.

Starring: Nick Kroll, Alexi Pappas, Gus Kenworthy, Morgan Schild

Directed By: Jeremy Teicher

Critics Consensus: Absurd yet anchored in knotty real-world themes, The Day Shall Come adds another bleakly funny satire to director/co-writer Christopher Morris' filmography.

Synopsis: An impoverished preacher who brings hope to the Miami projects is offered cash to save his family from eviction. He has no idea his sponsor... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marchánt Davis, Anna Kendrick, Danielle Brooks, Kayvan Novak

Directed By: Christopher Morris

Critics Consensus: Alex Gibey's The Inventor declines to outright condemn the actions by Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, but instead provides a comprehensive overview of the scandal that allows viewers to mull over its implications towards the broader Silicon Valley.

Synopsis: With a new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world's youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elizabeth Holmes, Errol Morris, Dan Ariely, Tyler Shultz

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Critics Consensus: Body at Brighton Rock leaves some of its thrilling potential untapped, but the end result remains a solidly crafted outing that should entertain horror fans.

Synopsis: Wendy, a part-time summer employee at a mountainous state park, takes on a rough trail assignment at the end of the season, trying to prove... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Karina Fontes, Casey Adams, Emily Althaus, John Getz

Directed By: Roxanne Benjamin

Critics Consensus: Adopt a Highway might have done more to fill in its sparsely sketched story, but Ethan Hawke's performance is often enough to fill in the blanks.

Synopsis: When an ex-convict finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster, he gains a new lease on life, deciding to dedicate himself to making sure the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Chris Sullivan, Christopher Heyerdahl, Elaine Hendrix

Directed By: Logan Marshall-Green

Critics Consensus: Good Boys is undermined by an eagerness to repeatedly indulge in profane humor, but its appealing cast and ultimately thoughtful message often shine through.

Synopsis: Invited to his first kissing party, 12-year-old Max asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much-needed help on how to pucker up. When... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon, Molly Gordon

Directed By: Gene Stupnitsky

Critics Consensus: Teen Spirit tells a story we know by heart, but writer-director Max Minghella's connection to the material and Elle Fanning's remarkable performance add an effective hook.

Synopsis: A shy teenager dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elle Fanning, Zlatko Buric, Rebecca Hall, Agnieszka Grochowska

Directed By: Max Minghella

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Some former university friends travel to an isolated lodge to scatter a friend's ashes. When they decide to entertain each other with spooky tales of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mackenzie Crook, Dustin Demri-Burns, Laura Fraser, Sophie Thompson

Directed By: Abigail Blackmore

Critics Consensus: Them That Follow never quite captures the spiritual fervor of its setting, but the cast's committed performances make for an intermittently satisfying character study.

Synopsis: Inside a snake-handling church deep in Appalachia, a forbidden relationship forces a pastor's daughter to confront her community's deadly tradition.

Starring: Olivia Colman, Kaitlyn Dever, Alice Englert, Jim Gaffigan

Directed By: Britt Poulton, Daniel Savage

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A complex portrait of a city and its inhabitants dealing with climate change, disguised as a portrait of collective anxiety.

Directed By: Brett Story

Critics Consensus: I See You gets tripped up on its own narrative contortions, but a solid cast and an effective blend of scares and suspense make this slow-building mystery worth watching.

Synopsis: Strange occurrences plague a small-town detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a boy.

Starring: Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Judah Lewis, Owen Teague

Directed By: Adam Randall

Critics Consensus: Porno mines sexual repression to produce a laughably lurid -- and genuinely scary -- outing that should delight genre fans in search of a good time.

Synopsis: Four repressed, religious teens and a straight-edge projectionist working at a small-town movie theater in the 1990s discover a secret screening room filled with vintage... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Evan Daves, Jillian Mueller, Katelyn Pearce, Bill Phillips

Directed By: Keola Racela

Critics Consensus: The role of a lifetime for Matthew McConaughey, The Beach Bum is set apart by Harmony Korine's distinctive style, but that isn't always enough to offset the unfocused story.

Synopsis: Moondog is a fun-loving, pot-smoking, beer-drinking writer who lives life on his own terms in Florida. If he can put down the drugs for just... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Stefania Owen

Directed By: Harmony Korine

Critics Consensus: The Mountain finds its provocative director further honing his craft -- but formal flair and an engrossing Jeff Goldblum performance may not be enough to sway the unconverted.

Synopsis: Since his mother's confinement to an institution, a man has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance employs the introverted young... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Jeff Goldblum, Denis Lavant, Udo Kier

Directed By: Rick Alverson

Critics Consensus: Content to coast on jump scares rather than tap into its story's creepy potential, The Curse of La Llorona arrives in theaters already broken.

Synopsis: In the 1970s Los Angeles, the legendary ghost La Llorona is stalking the night -- and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Linda Cardellini, Roman Christou, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Raymond Cruz

Directed By: Michael Chaves

Critics Consensus: The Highwaymen depicts law enforcement's side of the Bonnie and Clyde manhunt -- a story that's unfortunately not quite as entertaining despite its marquee leads.

Synopsis: Former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault join forces to try and capture notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Starring: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch

Directed By: John Lee Hancock

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A feral teenage girl is taken into strict Catholic church care and prepared for her First Holy Communion.

Starring: Nora Jane Noone, Peyton Wich, Eugenie Bondurant, Charlie Talbert

Directed By: Pollyanna McIntosh

Critics Consensus: A messy horror-comedy hybrid that makes poor use of a talented cast, Tone-Deaf aims for social commentary, but tumbles down the generation gap.

Synopsis: After a string of bad relationships and work failures, Olive leaves for a weekend in the country, only to discover the shocking dark underbelly of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert Patrick, Amanda Crew, Hayley Marie Norman, Johnny Pemberton

Directed By: Richard Bates Jr.