Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 1
Yesterday was the first day of the 2019 Austin Film Festival. I’ll be writing every day about all the movies I see. Check out my festival preview here.
The Obituary of Tunde Johnson
This film is a fatalistic, fucked up version of Russian Doll. In the Netflix series, the lead character repeatedly dies and relives the same day as she attempts to become a better person in order to avoid her demise. The difference here is that there’s nothing wrong with Tunde Johnson. He’s just a good kid trying to survive in a world that doesn’t accept or understand him.
As a gay black immigrant, Tunde encounters bigotry in all its forms. At the end of the day, that bigotry results in Tunde’s death in one way or another, regardless of how he attempts to avoid it. Even if Tunde physically survives, he’s emotionally ostracized from society. He wants to come out of the closet, but his popular boyfriend isn’t ready to risk the impact to his reputation. He loves Tunde in secret, but he refuses to speak out when his friends heckle him.
I really enjoyed this film. Writer Stanley Kalu’s script feels very personal to his experiences. He paints an authentic picture of the daily struggles of minorities and the futility of trying to side step bigotry in the minefield of American society. While Tunde’s struggle is something I’ll never fully understand, the film does a great job of putting the viewer in his shoes and making you feel a fraction of his pain.
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake is a psychological thriller about a mother trying to save her daughter’s life. When Katrina’s car gets a flat tire in the middle of nowhere West Texas, her daughter is bitten by a rattlesnake. She is miraculously healed by a mysterious desert woman, but Katrina later discovers that there’s a catch. Her daughter will die unless she kills someone before sundown.
This thing is really slow. I’m usually a fan of slow burn thrillers that build a sense of dread, but Rattlesnake is too slow and doesn’t build much dread. Carmen Ejogo (Selma, True Detective) does her best as Katrina, but the role and the film just aren’t that interesting. The film grapples with the value of human life and whether the ends justify the means. Is it okay for Katrina to take another life if it results in her daughter being spared? If she kills an old person or an abusive person, does that make it any better? These are intriguing ideas, but they’re not enough to overcome the film’s sluggish pace. Rattlesnake is streaming on Netflix today.
Michael Dixon is a mild mannered accountant by day and a mild mannered movie watcher by night. He will not do your taxes for you. He lives in Austin, Texas with his lovely television and collection of fine whiskies. You can’t purchase his book anywhere because it doesn’t exist. See the rest of his festival coverage at the links below.
2019 Austin Film Festival Preview
Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 2
Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 3
Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 4
Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 6
Austin Film Festival 2019: Day 7
