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The South by Southwest 2022 Scorecard
Welcome to the South by Southwest 2022 Scorecard, featuring every movie at the festival that got a Tomatometer, includes Grand Jury Narrative Feature winner I Love My Dad and big-profile premieres, like Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Lost City, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent! —Alex Vo
#38
Adjusted Score: 107467%
Critics Consensus: Whether as a story of one couple's quixotic quest or simply a stunning collection of nature footage, Fire of Love burns bright.
Synopsis: Fire of Love tells the story of two French lovers, Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died in a volcanic explosion...
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#37
Adjusted Score: 106458%
Critics Consensus: A fresh spin on the classic slasher formula, X marks the spot where Ti West gets resoundingly back to his horror roots.
Synopsis: In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 103035%
Critics Consensus: Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community.
Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown ("The Order of Myths", "The Great Invisible") returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document...
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Starring:
#35
Adjusted Score: 100405%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: New Year's Eve 1999. Cappo, Two Tonne and Kidda drive through London in their tiny Peugeot 205, pumping a live...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 104543%
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and wildly creative, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent presents Nicolas Cage in peak gonzo form -- and he's matched by Pedro Pascal's scene-stealing performance.
Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as... Nick Cage in the action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 100638%
Critics Consensus: Aftershock points a sobering spotlight on a public health crisis, maintaining a heartbreaking focus on its tragic human cost.
Synopsis: Following the deaths of their partners due to preventable childbirth complications and medical negligence, two bereaved fathers galvanize activists, birth-workers...
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Starring:
#32
Adjusted Score: 93968%
Critics Consensus: The Lost City doesn't sparkle quite as brightly as some classic treasure-hunting capers, but its stars' screwball chemistry make this movie well worth romancing.
Synopsis: Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 98365%
Critics Consensus: The sweetly nostalgic Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood finds Richard Linklater reusing visual and thematic ingredients in a deeply personal, freshly inspired way.
Synopsis: Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 98751%
Critics Consensus: Impeccably cast and smartly written, Bodies Bodies Bodies is an uncommonly well-done whodunit.
Synopsis: When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game goes awry...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 107652%
Critics Consensus: Poignant, profound, and utterly heartwarming, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is animated entertainment with real heart.
Synopsis: Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint,...
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#28
Adjusted Score: 93568%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Internationally acclaimed at Venice, Berlin, SXSW and beyond, writer-director Teemu Nikki's darkly humorous Finnish romance becomes a cinematically unusual action-thriller,...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 94043%
Critics Consensus: Packing a lot into its brief runtime, Jethica anchors its supernatural thrills with the serious story of a truly terrifying stalker.
Synopsis: Hiding out in New Mexico after a freak accident, Elena runs into Jessica, an old friend from high school. When...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 93609%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: For over a thousand years, a secretive Buddhist sect has lived in an isolated monastery in Japan performing acts of...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 100813%
Critics Consensus: As sweetly enjoyable as the candy at the heart of its story, The Pez Outlaw is a true treat for fans of stranger-than-fiction documentaries.
Synopsis: This incredible fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man, who boards a plane for Eastern...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 93925%
Critics Consensus: Lily Gladstone's outstanding performances powers The Unknown Country through some narrative drift to its ultimately profound destination.
Synopsis: Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 92574%
Critics Consensus: An effortlessly engaging true-crime documentary, The Thief Collector reaffirms that reality can be stranger than fiction -- and sometimes just as entertaining.
Synopsis: It was one of the most audacious and puzzling art thefts of a generation; In 1985, Willem de Kooning's seminal...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 91101%
Critics Consensus: An impressive feature debut for director/co-writer Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back puts a refreshing spin on the standard alien invasion thriller.
Synopsis: Set in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a sleepy hamlet nestled in the majestic mountains of Baffin Island in the Arctic Ocean, SLASH/BACK...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 96345%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Centering around intimate new interviews with Tony Hawk himself, the film is an all-encompassing look at the skateboarder's life, legendary...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 100638%
Critics Consensus: As entertaining as it is educational, Nothing Lasts Forever opens an insightful window into the diamond industry while questioning the nature of intrinsic value.
Synopsis: Hidden from public view, a war is raging inside the diamond industry. When filmmaker Jason Kohn infiltrates this highly...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 115874%
Critics Consensus: Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses.
Synopsis: Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 99355%
Critics Consensus: Taking the form of a classic college comedy while adding some socially relevant function, Emergency is as smart and disturbing as it is hilarious.
Synopsis: Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are both seniors in college about to embark on...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 92690%
Critics Consensus: Entertaining and informative, 2nd Chance uses its subject's incredible story to offer a dark reflection of the American dream.
Synopsis: In 1969 a bankrupt pizzeria owner, Richard Davis, invented the modern-day bullet proof vest. To prove that it worked, he...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 99389%
Critics Consensus: Sissy weaves timely themes into its rich blend of horror and dark humor, topped off by terrific work from a talented cast led by Aisha Dee.
Synopsis: Cecilia and Emma were tween-age BFFs who were going to grow old together and never let anything come between them,...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 92569%
Critics Consensus: Proof that there's still life in the found-footage gimmick, Deadstream is a scarily good bit of B-movie fun.
Synopsis: After a public controversy left him disgraced and demonetized, a washed up internet personality tries to win back his followers...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 98026%
Critics Consensus: To Leslie's familiar framework is granted extra depth through a stellar Andrea Riseborough and a sensitive and nuanced approach to the cycle of addiction.
Synopsis: Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) is a West Texas single mother struggling to provide for her son (Owen Teague) when she wins...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 97574%
Critics Consensus: A touching dramedy that wears its heart proudly on its sleeve, Cha Cha Real Smooth further affirms writer-director-star Cooper Raiff as a talent to watch.
Synopsis: Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 85444%
Critics Consensus: A solid showcase for Jim Gaffigan as well as a sneakily ambitious dramedy, Linoleum adds another impressive entry to writer-director Colin West's filmography.
Synopsis: Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children's science TV show called "Above & Beyond", has always had...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 93580%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: "Still Working 9 to 5" reunites stars Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman from the original "9...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 86685%
Critics Consensus: A painfully timely horror-fueled thriller, Soft & Quiet forces the viewer to confront the ugly underbelly of modern American race relations.
Synopsis: Playing out in real time, SOFT & QUIET is a runaway train that follows a single afternoon in the life...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 78734%
Critics Consensus: I Love My Dad may take its cringe comedy too far for some viewers, but Patton Oswalt's fearless performance keeps the story anchored in honest emotion.
Synopsis: Inspired by James Morosini's true life experience, I Love My Dad follows Chuck (Patton Oswalt), an estranged father who desperately...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 80460%
Critics Consensus: Relying more on atmosphere than straightforward storytelling, It Is in Us All burnishes its slow-building story with outstanding cinematography.
Synopsis: Hamish is a man gripped with drive for self excellence. A futile battle against the suffocation caused by his oppressive...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 83421%
Critics Consensus: It can be didactic rather than truly suspenseful, but Master is an impressively well-crafted horror outing with a lot on its mind.
Synopsis: At an elite New England university built on the site of a Salem-era gallows hill, three women strive to find...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 95836%
Critics Consensus: Although its story may lack surprises, Watcher benefits from director Chloe Okuno's chilling grip on the material -- and Maika Monroe's terrific work in the leading role.
Synopsis: As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia -- a young actress who just moved to town with her boyfriend...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 51147%
Critics Consensus: If it never quite lives up to its potential, Spin Me Round remains a dizzily diverting comedy elevated by Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza's performances.
Synopsis: When the manager of an American chain restaurant is selected to attend a special training program in Italy, her head...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 68638%
Critics Consensus: It's more entertaining in theory than execution, but if you're looking for an amusingly cheesy slasher, Bitch Ass should just about fit the bill.
Synopsis: A gang initiation goes horribly wrong when four recruits break into a house of horror and a sadistic killer forces...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 32685%
Critics Consensus: Although it doesn't tumble to The Cellar of the haunted house genre, this is a mostly musty exercise in second-rate supernatural horror.
Synopsis: Keira Woods' (Elisha Cuthbert) daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house. She soon discovers there is an...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 37580%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In their seemingly ordinary senior year at West Greenview High, the unexpected unfolds when overachiever Ben and his carefree bestie...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 47745%
Critics Consensus: Gone in the Night has a handful of interesting ideas, but they're largely undone by some deeply questionable storytelling choices.
Synopsis: Upon arriving at a remote cabin in the redwoods, Kath (Winona Ryder) and her boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.) find a...
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