The 5 Must-Watch Films That Premiered at South By Southwest 2022

After a three-year in-person hiatus, the South by Southwest Film Festival made its long-awaited comeback. To celebrate, we headed down to Austin for the opening weekend of SXSW 2022 and to catch the return of the biggest Texas film event. I had not been to the famous festival since I was a volunteer during my UT Austin undergrad days, so I was excited to get back into the swing of things and cover some of the most highly-anticipated new movies.

Walking around downtown Austin, I got a sense that the festival and conferences felt smaller — an understandable state given the months (and years) leading up to the March event. Several people I talked to noted the same feeling, but that didn’t damper experience or the excitement of catching several buzzy World Premieres. I tried to see as much as I possibly could, both in-person and online (besides headlining premieres, most had options to view screenings virtually), throughout the week.

The following five films were my favorite, must-watch projects that premiered at SXSW 2022. Brush up to plot your next movie night, and find out where and how you to watch them after the festival.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

In theaters March 25

The World Premiere of this new action, comedy, sci-fi hybrid film by Daniel Kwan (Swiss Army Man) served as the SXSW 2022 Film Festival’s opening night screening. It stars Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians) as Evelyn, an aging Chinese immigrant who can’t seem to finish her taxes and gets swept up exploring other universes. Also starring James Hong and Jenny Slate, the film explores what it’s like for one woman to get a glimpse at the other lives she could have lived.

One of the most incredibly unique, smart, and funny films that I’ve seen in a long time, Everything Everywhere All at Once doesn’t just attempt to shock audiences with its jaw-dropping scenes — although that is a very entertaining part of it. It also has an intensely emotional storyline. Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (Evelyn’s husband), and Stephanie Hsu (Evelyn’s daughter) perform together as a family of three that has been having issues. A wake-up call for Evelyn, this adventure through the multiverse is a journey that allows her to see what could have been and ultimately face the difficulties within her own universe.

Cha Cha Real Smooth

Streaming on Apple TV+ on June 17

After winning the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Dallas-native Cooper Raiff’s newest film made its Texas premiere at SXSW. In 2020, Raiff debuted his first feature film, S#!%house, which won the Grand Jury prize in the Narrative Feature Competition at South by Southwest. Cha Cha Real Smooth stars Raiff as a recent college grad who gets a job as a Bar Mitzvah party host. He becomes friends (and possibly more) with a young mom (played by Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola at one of the parties.

An impressive second film from Raiff, the dramedy was picked up by Apple TV+ for release this summer. Similar to S#!%house, the movie explores the life of a young man in the process of becoming an adult. Andrew (Raiff) moves back home with his mom (Leslie Mann), kid brother, and stepdad (Brad Garrett) after college, and works at a place called Meat Sticks while his college girlfriend moves to Barcelona. Feeling confused and stuck, Andrew’s bond with Domino (Johnson) and her daughter intensifies quickly. Although Domino is engaged to another man, she develops a complicated relationship with Andrew rooted in her fears about settling down. Along with Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), the three have a wonderful and feel-good dynamic that makes things tricky. Raiff portrays the post-college struggle of being on the threshold of kid and adult in a comedic and emotional way.

The Lost City

In theaters March 19

Starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, this action rom-com follows the story of author Loretta Sage who has spent her career writing romance-adventure novels. Her covers feature model Alan (Tatum) who goes on Sage’s book tour. Sage is kidnapped by a billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who thinks that she can lead him to the lost treasure from her novel. Alan must then prove himself as a hero in real life by rescuing her. Brad Pitt also makes a hilarious appearance as an ex-Navy Seal who Alan hires to find Loretta.

A fun, fresh take on the romantic comedy, The Lost City is an uncomplicated and entertaining adventure movie starring two of the biggest stars by directors and co-writers Adam and Aaron Nee. Although not an obvious match, Bullock and Tatum have great chemistry. Radcliffe plays the villain, whose main goal is to prove his media-mogul family wrong (as they chose his younger brother to take over the empire). This film is a must-see for a silly and feel-good experience. Also, Sandra Bullock is always a delight to watch.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

In theaters April 22

Another World Premiere screening, this action-comedy film stars Nicolas Cage as, well, Nick Cage. A fictionalized version of himself, the story follows a creatively unfulfilled actor who faces financial ruin. To remedy this, Cage takes a gig for one million dollars to attend the birthday party of a superfan played by Pedro Pascal. Tiffany Haddish stars as a CIA operative who recruits Cage as an informant to take down the fan, who is also a drug kingpin.

One of the films I was disappointed to miss at SXSW, this Nic Cage meta film currently has a 100 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. So far, it’s been lauded as hilarious, Nicolas Cage extravaganza where the high-energy actor explores every character he has ever played throughout his career.

Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off

Streaming on HBO Max on April 5

This documentary about the biggest skateboarding legend of our time, Tony Hawk, offers a never-before-seen, in-depth look at the athlete’s boarding beginnings and rise to stardom. Produced by the Duplass Brothers and directed by Sam Jones, the 2 hours and 15 minute-long film explores not only Hawk’s career, but personal life and complicated relationship with skateboarding. The film includes interviews with several other former pro skateboarders of the Bones Brigade (which Hawk was a part of as a kid) including Rodney Mullen, Stacy Peralta, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, and more.

On the more personal front, Until The Wheels Fall Off explores Hawk’s relationship with his parents, particularly his father who started the National Skateboarding Association. The film also goes over past relationships (Hawk has been married four times) and how they were affected by becoming a famous skateboarder at such a young age. And not for the faint of heart, clips are shown of some of Hawk’s worst falls.

Hawk, who is 53-years-old now, attended the premiere of the documentary in Austin with a broken femur. But he still used his crutches to get up on stage and answer some questions. So many of his former Bones Brigade brothers and family express concern in the film as to whether he is going to kill himself skateboarding one day. But at that moment, after we had just seen Hawk landing one last 900 (he says), Tony Hawk seems invincible.