SXSW 2025: Our Favorite Movies from the Fest!

I was lucky to attend SXSW in Austin, Texas this year. It marked my first time attending what’s quickly leapfrogged up the list of important festivals. It used to be that Cannes, TIFF, and Sundance were the major ones, but it can’t be denied that as the indie film scene has changed, the kinds of movies connecting with audiences just aren’t what they used to be. SXSW strikes an interesting balance between indie films and mainstream studio fare, albeit of a somewhat more elevated pedigree. It’s led to some high-profile premieres for the festival recently, including Air, Everything Everywhere All At Once and more.

This year, we got the premiere of the long-awaited The Accountant 2 (winner of the SXSW audience award), the latest Blumhouse thriller, Drop, plus the anticipated sequel, Another Simple Favor. So what were the best movies we saw? Here’s our list!

The Accountant 2:

It took nine whole years, but Ben Affleck’s back as autistic forensic accountant Christian Wolff in this sequel to one of the most entertaining star vehicles of his career. This one played like gangbusters at SXSW, winning an audience award, and it seems like it could be a solid hit for Amazon/ MGM when they release it later this spring. What makes it so much fun is the fact that Jon Bernthal, who was a quasi-antagonist in the first film, is bumped up to co-star status, with terrific buddy movie chemistry between the two stars. While the story is a touch convoluted, the movie has tons of laughs and a terrific, action-packed climax. I had a blast.

Drop:

Blumhouse is hit and-miss with me, but this contained romantic thriller feels to me like it could be a solid breakout hit. Meghann Fahy is terrific as a single mother whose dream date (with 1923’s Brandon Skelenar) turns into a nightmare when she’s blackmailed into potentially killing her date. Director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) has always done a good job mixing humour and horror, and his detour into thriller territory works just as well, with it reminiscent (in the best way) of movies like Red Eye and, of course, a hefty dose of Alfred Hitchcock. 

The Rivals of Amziah King:

Of all of the movies playing at SXSW this year, the showstopper had to be The Rivals of Amziah King, which marks Matthew McConaughey’s first role in six years. In it, he plays a homemaker who takes his former foster daughter (breakout star Angelina LookingGlass) under his wing. Sounds heart-warming, right? It is, BUT the film also takes a much darker turn into crime movie territory than anticipated, and the film is a total blast. It’s well-directed by Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night), with some bravura musical sequences peppered in to boot. 

Hallow Road:

Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys lead this terrific, eighty-minute contained thriller focusing on a married couple whose daughter hits someone with her car while intoxicated, leading to a race against time for the two to cover up the crime. It asks some heavy questions about the lengths parents will go to in order to keep their kids from facing the consequences of their actions, with an intriguing genre twist sprinkled in towards the end that will get folks talking.

Friendship:

So, I’m cheating with this one a bit, as I saw it for the first time at TIFF. The fact is, we never see comedies anymore, so it’s such a treat to get a good one hitting theaters, with I Think You Should Leave star Tim Robinson starring as a suburban dad infatuated with his cool new neighbour (Paul Rudd). It’s an insane flick that should become a major cult hit when A24 puts it out this spring. I can’t wait to see it again.

Check out all of our SXSW reviews HERE.