SXSW Film Festival 2023, Report 1: CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT, SISTER & SISTER And RAGING GRACE

My first foray into this year’s SXSW festival is a trio of first-time feature debuts by directors from various parts of the world. All of them have a certain magic about them, but the way this is harnessed and ultimately experienced is wonderfully different.

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (Tomas Gomez Bustillo)

What would you do to present a miracle? For that expression on another’s face of curiosity and elation?
When the film begins we are introduced to Rita (Monica Villa) inside a church in a small religious town in Argentina. She’s cleaning, moving about the space, and praying. Even in these brief moments, we can see there’s something in Rita’s eyes, a yearning for something more.

She lives a quiet life with her husband (Horacio Marassi) who share a companionship that has a sweetness and also a longing. He seems to want her attention while she’s distracted by this quest, looking for a spark, something that brings her back into their fold.

When she finds a statue that resembles one that had been lost, she gets the idea of transforming it into the very same. She brings it to Father Eduardo (Pablo Moseinco) who declares it a miracle. It seems to have worked, but, on her journey to find a sense of purpose and a display of sainthood, she ends up getting more than she asked for.

Tomás Gómez Bustillo writes and directs this comical, subtle visage of internal satisfaction and expedition of remembrance for those around us. The detail taken with the characters is my favorite aspect of this winning film.

There are a lot of moments of dry humor that find a home in the ethereal quality of the picture. It is an intelligently written feature debut that crafts its own, curious world. Our two leads are wonderfully portrayed and display a poignant characterization.

There are some beautiful shots and mixed with the wry sensibilities and genuine compassion, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint is an unexpected wonder and a stellar feature debut. There’s an unexpected turn in the middle, really representing the deflating of a dream, before lifting its audience back up.

It had me laugh but then redirected me to a wealth of sadness. The film could benefit from some deepening of characters outside of our lead and her husband, but the overall charm is undeniable. Chronicles of a Wandering Saint is a touching, idiosyncratic voyage that I was delighted to experience. Tomás Gómez Bustillo enchants us. He’s a director to watch.

Sister and Sister (Kattia G. Zúñiga)

Sister & Sister follows 17-year-old Marina (Cala Rossel Campos) and 14-year-old Luna, (Ariana Chaves Gavilán) as they travel from Costa Rica to Panama. They are headed there to meet their father Alonso, (Mir Rodríguez) and ask for money for Marina’s dream of being a pilot.

It’s a surprise visit and at first, they have trouble getting a hold of him. They stay with their Aunt Maher and cousin Sol, filling their days with new friends and adventures. It exudes a colorful youth and a vulnerable sincerity. The music feels like pop music and candy. There’s the innocence of uncertainty and experience as well, coming in at this delicate time in a woman’s life.

This is a debut feature of Panamanian-Costa Rican writer/director Kattia G. Zúñiga and there’s confidence in the story and direction that makes her one to watch. It stirs the feeling of nostalgia, of a time that is fleeting but new. New sensations, feelings, and fears. It’s a time of discovery with one’s body, with the opposite sex, and with the bond of family. It bears the semblance of Summer, in its bright hues and vivacious exploration.

Femininity enfolds the narrative in subtle ways. Sister & Sister is a touching display of sisterly affections and dissimilarities. Marina is more flirtatious, and Luna is more reserved, but both are equally curious about the world around them and their place in it. When we begin they’re arriving and when it ends, they’re on their way back. What’s occurred throughout has changed then, and it’s a lovely snapshot of the spirit of teenage years.

A semi-autobiographical that’s relaxed pace bodes sentimental, a gentle and intimate peer into these sisters’ stories. Both young leads are captivating, invoking an emotional tether for us to gravitate to. It exists in a sort of bubble, a season of change and exploration. Alejo Crisóstomo’s rich cinematography utilizes the beauty of Panama, to curate a lovely atmosphere for our leads to blossom.

From its opening to the close, there’s a maturity that occurs, from a storytelling point of view and that of our characters. The script doesn’t push the envelope, but it truly feels like a love letter to the past.

Sister & Sister takes a seemingly simple premise and makes it radiate with a lively tenderness. As fleeting as our young years, each moment is already seeking the next, but they all inspire who we are to become.

Raging Grace (Paris Zarcilla)

Raging Grace, the feature debut by Paris Zarcilla is a funny, intelligent, and terrifying feat that settles into its moody premise with terrific acting. There’s a line that it walks for the first half between wit and wear. A skeletal sadness about the difficulty of living as an immigrant, navigating the job market, and supporting a child on your own.

Joy (Max Eigenmann) a Filipina immigrant and her daughter Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla) bounce around homes that Joy has worked as a maid for, often stowing Grace away without anyone knowing. Joy is trying to save money to get immigration papers. Once she lands a position that seems too good to be true, things prove that saying right.

She stumbles upon this opportunity which makes good money and provides a place to stay. It’s from the intimidating Katherine (Leanne Best), niece of the owner of the large estate, Mr . Garrett (David Hayman) who is bedridden and in a coma. Joy sneaks in the prankster Grace (often leaving her little mark whoever they go) and things seem to go alright, though not without some close calls until Katherine has to leave for a few days.

Joy, previously a nurse, notices some concerning things about how Mr. Garrett has been treated and decides to help. She wakes him up and purges out the medicine that has been impeding his healing.

It turns out, there may have been a good reason for Katherine’s actions. From the start, there’s a sense of foreboding, with great use of the music to remind us of the dangers that await. Raging Grace has some biting commentary and the horrors to boot. Mr . Garrett (David Hayman) has a formidable presence even when he’s unconscious.

Once he’s awake, there’s an eerie shadow cast over the film and home. Some of the final act is a little rushed. Once the why is discovered and the dirty secrets revealed, it makes its way to the climax. It could have benefited from a longer time of living in that place. I wish there was even more with the daughter, who was wonderful.

Many of the scenes with Max Eigenmann and Jaeden Paige Boadilla feel natural and carry a fantastic warmth. Once the cold sinks in we are delivered a disturbing history that threatens their lives.

There’s a distinctiveness in Paris Zarcilla’s direction that is poised in its articulation and portrayal of these real concerns, those horrors that can exist, that terror of having what you love taken from you while also capturing the worst-case scenario. Its wry sensibilities take on social disparities, and the taut tempo showcases a unique voice in horror.

It favors its horrifying mood rather than a reliance on special effects. A decision that makes this vary from others of the genre and the thrilling countdown to the finale is realized in excellently crafted strides.

That’s what makes this film a standout for me, it felt like it resides in its own space, and that expanse…gets creepy. Raging Grace is a pearl of a horror; inventive and compelling.

Look out for more SXSW coverage to come!