Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break
COVID-separated relationships and sociopathic actors mark SXSW's latest crop of narrative spotlight features. The second day of South by Southwest’s Narrative Spotlight titles went all over the map, from Costa Rica to a lavish house in California to a wannabe Joker located in Britain. All brought to your own home through the magic of a virtual film festival. The wonders of technology in the age of COVID-19 never cease. Let’s unpack the wonders (or lack thereof) in the newest Narrative Spotlight films, the first of which concerns a budding friendship between two people living on different continents. Language Lessons (SXSW) It wouldn’t be an independent film festival without a movie starring Mark Duplass! We get just that with Language Lessons, the feature-length directorial debut of Natalie Morales. The film concerns Adam (Duplass), whose husband has gifted him with 100 weeks of virtual Spanish lessons with Cariño (Morales). The two start out just exchanging friendly chit-chat between mastering Spanish grammar. However, a personal tragedy for Adam totally upends the relationship between the two, which ends up becoming both deeper and messier than either could’ve initially imagined. Continue Reading →