SXSW 2024: THE BLACK KEYS, SHE LOOKS LIKE ME, BRANDY HELLVILLE & More

This is a Film About The Black Keys – Directed by Jeff Dupre

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, The Black Keys became an unlikely breakout band. The two young men – Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney – burst onto the scene and got picked up by a major record label based on their first demo. Their blues sound became iconic, sharply diverging from popular rock radio at the time. Documentarian Jeff Dupre has a long history of highlighting unique artists in their element. However, This is a Film About The Black Keys does not rise to that level of introspection.

Dupre paints the picture of The Black Keys as a rise and disruption. They emerged as a powerhouse in the rock world, quickly racking up Grammy nominations and success. Their willingness to commit to being a two-piece was unique in its own right. Both Auerbach and Carney prove willing to outwork many others in the space, both as musicians and as self-marketers. Their willingness to network and put themselves out there allowed them to take advantage of the opportunities to take a step forward. Playing small festivals, traveling in a van, and meeting the right people helped them get heard, but their talent is what made them blow up.

There’s honesty from both Auerbach and Carney, with each repeating how surprising their success has been. They own their unwillingness to shift their sound until Danger Mouse helped them recognize nuances in their approach. The slight shift resulted in overnight respect and success. Attack and Release put them on the map, and by the time Brothers released in 2010, they were riding high. However, their interpersonal lives began to diverge. Both Auerbach and Carney found themselves starting families, getting divorced, and abusing substances. As they did, their already surprising partnership began to fray.

This yields the most interesting aspect of This is a Film About The Black Keys, but Dupre tells the rest of their story as an oral history. Both Auerbach and Carney dominate a considerable amount of the narration. A very short aside from rock journalist Peter Relic dispels some of their self-mythologizing. It’s a stunning moment and offers hope for real introspection in the movie.

However, This is a Film About The Black Keys serves that mission first. While the archival footage and open dialogue help showcase the band, they ultimately serve their narrative about their career. This is common in the documentary sphere, and unfortunately, it hurts the movie. Fans of The Black Keys will have a great time. Those unaware of their output will gain a newfound respect. However, looking at the state of the bio-doc industry, this could have been more inventive than what we got. It’s a shame because The Black Keys were that for music in the 2000s and deserve that treatment.

Alan’s Rating: 5/10

Check out This is a Film About The Black Keys on the SXSW 2024 website.

A House is Not a Disco – Directed by Brian J. Smith

While Fire Island continues to grow in popularity, it was not always known nationwide. The LGBTQ+ haven became a safe space for culture to develop away from the rest of the world. A House is Not a Disco attempts to capture the community that stays on the island year-round. With many elderly queer men upkeeping the area, the future of the area remains up in the air. Brian J. Smith documents the open culture and the parties that draw those to Fire Island. He also finds the discourse around the future of the area, allowing the documentary to showcase the discussions to save beaches for future generations.

As the queer community grew, Fire Island found more flocking to its shores. Just off the coast of Long Island, men and women could escape the pressures of their lives and find comfort in the arms of others. While the events became known for their promiscuous nature, they also proved a valuable harbor for those looking to escape persecution or the rise of HIV/AIDS. Fast forward to today, and a cultural divide exists. While LGBTQ+ individuals still find themselves worrying about safety, they have been embraced in most areas of popular culture. The fight for today’s queer community differs significantly from those who turned Fire Island into the Mecca it is today.

It’s a wise choice to explore the nooks and crannies of the ideologies at the movie’s heart. Smith uses Fire Island’s framing to hold honest conversations about the queer community. A House is Not a Disco might be slightly overambitious, but it also brings important dialogues into the community. Simultaneously, it does not thoroughly discuss other problems, such as racism or body image, at least not sufficiently. There’s more on the bone in this regard.

At the same time, the visions of Fire Island change drastically when Smith discusses the “elder” queer community. While the fear of AIDS and HIV is not gone, the way it’s perceived has changed drastically. It’s impossible to fault the elder queer community for their mourning. So many of their friends died, and that does not change overnight. It also allows A House is Not a Disco to serve as a midway point for queer generations to engage and talk about what their lives look like today.

Alan’s Rating: 7/10

Check out A House is Not a Disco on the SXSW page.

SHE LOOKS LIKE ME – Directed by Torquil Jones

Jen Bricker was born without legs, but she never let that slow her down. Adopted as a baby, Jen chased big dreams. She idolized gymnast Dominique Moceanu and pursued a dance career of her own. Bricker would go on to compete in the Junior Olympics and became a professional aerialist. When Bricker performed with Britany Spears, she followed through on her promise. However, questions about her birth family remained. With some research, she found an unbelievable link: she might be related to Moceanu.

She Looks Like Me features two parallel stories about endurance and overcoming obstacles. Bricker’s story stands out for its inspirational approach. However, Moceanu standing up against Larry Nasser pushed her into the national spotlight. Her struggles with abuse consistently put her Moceanu in a difficult headspace. Given Nasser’s reputation in the sport, she also received unwanted attention and death threats. The combination strained her mental health.

She Looks Like Me mostly succeeds in telling the overarching story. However, the lines from one story to the next are messy. There are stretches where She Looks Like Me becomes too focused on one story rather than interweaving them. This almost creates the impression that we watch two separate films. The lack of cohesion, apart from Moceanu and Bricker’s relationship, raises a question about the approach. Ultimately, the story about the two women’s unknown relations intrigues because of the questions it raises about family. Moceanu’s story remains important in a larger cultural context but does draw away the personal aspects from Jen’s story.

While She Looks Like Me has grand ambitions, the stories do not fully fuse. Each story, independently, deserves an entire documentary and deep dive. There are big questions that feel unresolved and need further investigation. For all the promise She Looks Like Me has, the emotion almost pulls it through. Unfortunately, it does not do enough.

Alan’s rating: 5/10

Check out She Looks Like Me on the SXSW 2024 website.

Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion Directed by Eva Orner

As new brands achieve overnight success, our buying instincts have to evolve. Over the past decade, the exploitation of labor, customers, and cheap fashion has cultivated terrible trends. Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion takes this issue on with discussions from those who worked at the stores. Featuring so many employees, some of whom faced danger in their roles, Brandy Hellville explores how some owners and companies feel untouchable and what that means for their employees.

The story of Brandy Melville begins online. The clothing brand featured dozens of young women modeling the clothes and finding Instagram clout. However, behind the scenes, the organization was run by men. These businessmen not only managed the big picture, but instituted arcane micromanagement at every location. Using cheap labor to get their first jobs helped create the toxic culture detailed throughout Brandy Hellville.

The C-Suite, including CEO Stephan Marsan, required pictures of every woman working in their store daily. This not only felt nefarious because of the age of many of the girls, but Marsan would duplicate their outfits with knockoff products. By hiring “trendsetters” in their local community, Marsan took advantage of their style to build cheap fashion lines. Additionally, former members of his senior management highlight racist and problematic tweets from Marsan as he descends further into far-right politics. His beliefs, if exposed, could blacklist the company. However, most of their clientele does not know the stories or exploitation behind the scenes.

Additionally, director Eva Orner explores the environmental impact of a company like Brandy Melville. This helps add to the story, showing the long-term destruction that comes from the fast fashion trend. As quality gets worse and worse, so too does our ability to pass these items on. Yet they do not degrade, and the “donations” create oversupplies worldwide. It’s not just harming our local economies but communities in developing nations.

While Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion makes strong points, it does so with a relatively generic shooting style. In this case, the message is more important than the filmmaking, and the evidence feels overwhelming. With negative perceptions of body image continuing to affect the mental health of patrons, a company like Brandy Melville continues to feel insidious.

Alan’s Rating: 7/10

Check out Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion from SXSW website.

My Sextortion Diary – Directed by Patricia Franquesa

When a woman’s computer gets stolen from her, she becomes upset that her work device is gone. However, within a few months, the thief proves far more nefarious. Director Patricia Franquesa received threats from a hacker for weeks before they began contacting friends and family. Soon, her private pictures started finding their way to her professional and personal contacts. Franquesa documents her journey through the system to fight against the hacker. Using My Sextortion Diary as a tool, Cranqyesa documents her mental state and frustrating experience in the system.

When it comes to Sextortion, the power to catch those responsible can be challenging. Franquesa finds herself in the unique position of both documenting a case about the process and documenting her experience as a victim of Sextortion. These crimes continue to rise in the digital age, and as a result, many women and men find themselves targets. Using pornography and private pictures to get back at someone is vile, but sextortion adds a second level of heinousness. What was a private experience becomes very public, and demanding money becomes a diabolical form of blackmail.

Franquesa shoots My Sextortion Diary utilizing screen capture technology, which may frustrate some. With many events stemming from the digital world, this is the natural way to shoot the film. However, it runs into an issue that many modern documentaries that utilize computers cannot figure out. Unfortunately, watching someone scroll around a laptop is not as interesting as watching a human process emotions.

A positive side for My Sextortion Diary comes in its short runtime. Under 70 minutes in length, Franquesa does not overstay her welcome. We get enough time to explore a handful of issues, and it rarely feels like the documentary adds filler. It’s efficient storytelling that focuses on Franquesa’s mental frustrations with the process. As she grows paranoid and retreats from friends, we see the toll on her. If nothing else, My Sextortion Diary proves this experience is harrowing for those involved and destroys part of the trust you have in society.

Alan’s Rating: 6/10

Check out My Sextortion Diary from the SXSW 2024 page.

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