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SXSW Films That Speak to the Western Fan in Many of Us

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With less than one month to go before the annual SXSW Film Festival in Austin, you might be interested to know that there are some great movies from the western genre, and some great Texans making appearances in them.

The movie “Paradox,” for example, directed by Daryl Hannah and starring Neil Young, also boasts appearances by Willie Nelson, his sons Lukas and Micah, as well as members of Promise of the Real – Lukas’ band. The gist of this unconventional neo-western reads: “Time is fluid in this far-fetched, whimsical western tale of music and love. Somewhere in the future past, The Man in the Black Hat hides out between heists at an old stagecoach stop with Jail Time, the Particle Kid, and an odd band of outlaws. Mining the detritus of past civilizations, they wait… for the Silver Eagle, for the womenfolk, and for the full moon’s magic to give rise to the music and make the spirits fly.”

SXSW Films That Speak to the Western Fan in Many of Us

Photo: Facebook/Black Girl Nerds

Next up, is the movie “The Rider.” Since it premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, this movie has been turning heads. Director Chloé Zhao appears to have daringly blended a docu-drama of sorts in which the actors and actresses depict marginally fictionalized versions of their characters in a western format that garnered four Film Independent Spirit Award nominations. According to the SXSW catalog write-up, the movie is defined as follows: “After a tragic riding accident, young cowboy Brady (Brady Jandreau), once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, is warned that his competition days are over. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.”

SXSW Films That Speak to the Western Fan in Many of Us

Photo: Facebook/Sundance Film Festival

Third on this list is the film entitled “Blaze.” Directed by Ethan Hawke, the film is a biopic, “…inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw music movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three different periods of time, braiding re-imagined versions of Blaze’s past, present and future. The different strands explore his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on earth; and the impact of his songs and his death had on his fans, friends, and foes. The braided storyline terminates in a bittersweet ending that acknowledges Blaze’s profound highs and lows, as well as the impressions he made on the people who shared his journey.” The movie stars Benjamin Dickey as Blaze Foley and the co-stars Steve Zahn and Sam Rockwell.

SXSW Films That Speak to the Western Fan in Many of Us

Photo: Facebook/In the footsteps of Robert Pattinson

And, finally, visitors to the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas may want to check out “Damsel.” Filmed by Nathan and David Zellner, SXSW notes that the movie is about an “affluent pioneer” who ventures deep into the wilds of the American West to be with his fiancée. The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, the Zellners themselves, Robert Forster, and Joe Billingiere – and yes, that’s the same Robert Pattinson we originally saw come to young fame in the “Harry Potter” series.