South By Southwest: 6 more movies you should know about

(Image credit: (Facebook.com/FortTildenMovie))

last updated 8 January 2015

The swarm of activity at Austin's annual South By Southwest festival has wound down, with attendees enjoying their last mouthfuls of BBQ and starting their detox back to real life.

Fortunately, the second half of SXSW was just as packed with buzzy movie premieres as the first half. (Read our guide to the movies that debuted during the first half of SXSW here.) Which movies should you keep an eye out for in the year ahead? Allow The Week to be your guide:

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Should you see it? Yes. Fort Tilden will inevitably be compared to Girls, if only because it’s about twenty-something women living in Brooklyn. But it’s much more on par with a Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion or a buddy road trip film, as Harper and Allie both indulge their selfish motivations to go to the beach and recruit friends and lovers along the way. It’s an awkward, hilarious comedy full of quotable lines that will resonate with all kinds of audiences.

Should you see it? Yes. Director Berkeley offers a surprisingly moving and heartfelt documentary about Harmon, whose career has repeatedly been undercut by his self-sabotaging behavior. Throughout the doc, Harmon’s incredibly self-aware nature is reflected in his writing process, drinking habits, and relationships — in ways both good and bad. Replete with insights from his friends and collaborators, Harmontown provides a fascinating look at a complicated man who has already analyzed himself down to the bone.

Should you see it? Absolutely. While early buzz from Sundance marred Wetlands as bizarre and crass, anyone who’s willing to be open-minded will encounter one of the most unique and weirdly joyful perspectives on female sexuality on film. Wetlands is highly explicit and shockingly visceral — at times to the point of gagging. But Carla Juri is captivating in the difficult role of Helen, depicting a sexual exploration that feels both truthful and revolutionary.

Should you see it? Only if you’re a big Belle and Sebastian fan. God Help the Girl is gorgeously shot, and the music is unsurprisingly great. But the generally aimless plot — featuring a love triangle, and a girl battling her poorly defined inner demons — allows for a lot of beauty but little substance. If you want to escape into a twee indie world for almost two hours, go for it; but if you want something with more teeth, look somewhere else.

Kerensa Cadenas is an editor for Snakkle, a pop culture throwback site. She has also written about TV, films, and music for Women and Hollywood, Bitch, Ms. Magazine, This Was TV, and Forever Young Adult.

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