2024 SXSW Dispatch 2: Documentaries, TV Premieres, and Accidental Pregnancies...Oh My!

The day capped off with a Featured Session moderated by comedian Samantha Bee entitled "Samantha Bee's Choice Words Live with Ilana Glazer, Pamela Adlon, and Michelle Buteau." Director Adlon and stars Glazer and Buteau were in attendance at the film festival to premiere their newest film, "Babes." The movie is about the power of female friendship amidst two best friends getting pregnant around the same time and the ways in which adult friendships change.

Bee recorded a live episode of her podcast, "Choice Words," and discussed Adlon, Glazer, and Buteau's careers with her guests. It was a lively discussion about making it in Hollywood, writing and acting from the female perspective, and how working in the entertainment industry can be shaped based on personal life experiences.

Honoring the theme of their film, "Babes," Buteau noted, "So many of my friends, especially women, think they have to do it by themselves. They don't!" It became an all-encompassing trend amongst the panelists to share their own experiences with trying to have it all (children, marriages, careers) but still finding time to gain independence for themselves.

By the third day of the festival, I had another documentary on my radar to check out. "A House is Not a Disco" premiered on March 8, but I chose to screen the directorial debut of actor Brian J. Smith at the newly renovated Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on March 10 instead. Amongst the crowded theater filled with brand new seats and efficient servers delivering popcorn and cookies to an excited audience, I soon learned how defiantly the moviegoing experience can lean into queer culture of a historic degree.

An excellent companion piece to my first day's watch of "High Tide," "A House is Not a Disco" takes place over two seasons as a year-in-the-life of the world-famous Fire Island Pines. A documentary that tells the varying stories of those that live, work, and vacation at the queer destination, the movie evolves into a more extensive and poignant discussion on the rising seas surrounding the area. A triumphant exploration into the aging gay community and its role in fighting climate change, the movie sparks conversations about what makes for a "normal" way of life and how best to save a section of the United States that many fear might disappear in the not-so-distant future.

"A House is Not a Disco" is an experimental documentary with a unique filming style akin to "Trainspotting" in some ways. Showcasing interviews and footage of activists, intergenerational homeowners, tourists, and those who feel entirely themselves while walking around the beaches of The Pines, the movie takes its audience from the AIDS crisis to the present day. There are heartbreaking stories about the real estate market and how younger generations can't comprehend what the residents of The Pines have gone through over the years.

Though Fire Island has survived considerable disasters and iconic events in its storied history, that history might not last much longer. It's a rallying cry for those who have never been to Fire Island to book a trip as soon as possible, keeping in mind the area's current environmental situation.