OFF SEASON TURNS IT ON @ SXSW

The Midnighters programme at SXSW never fails to disappoint when it comes to genre films. Especially when it comes to the up-and-comers of the industry. This is where the festival raises awareness of who to keep an eye on. Specifically, Off Season is a film that will turn heads instantly for its originality and swag at SXSW.

Producers Eric Fleischman and Maurice Fadida of Defiant Studios are continually making an impression. Both of their films, Off Season and Witch Hunt are premiering at this year’s SXSW film festival. They are living up to their mission of supporting young Hollywood from a young Hollywood crew. Specifically, in genre film, Defiant Studios is living up to its name.

Directed by Mickey Keating, Off Season focuses on a woman named Marie Aldrich. Played by Jocelin Donahue, she receives a mysterious letter that is a call for action. It notes something wrong happened to her mother’s grave and that she must take a look at it. She travels to a remote island where her mother requested her burial. Along with her friend George, played by Joe Swanburg, the journey starts to become a little eerie. Once they cross the bridge to the island, things become uncomfortable and mysterious.

Both George and Marie receive a warning that the bridges are going up. This means they don’t have time in figuring what went wrong with her mother’s grave and who the culprit is. Consequently, they can be stuck on the island for the “Off Season” until the bridge comes down again in the spring.

While they try to figure out who the undertaker is, the anxiety starts to set into the audience. As Marie drives deeper into this rabbit hole of figuring out what is going on, the whole island becomes darker. Even when venturing to the local bar named Sand Traps, George and Marie can not find answers to their hurried questions. The locals just laugh and carry on with their creepy yet traditional ways.

Off Season does remind you of Silent Hill as you see Marie go into madness in this nightmare. Weird and creepy stuff happens to Marie in this journey to find answers. She revisits her past with her mother, played by Melora Walters, who was also an actress in her time. These sequences were when her mother was at the last stages in her life and while losing her mind. This in hopes to get a clearer picture of the status of this island where her mother’s burial was a big decision.

Off Season could have not come at a better time especially a year after the pandemic began. It reminds you of the creepiness of empty streets during the lockdown, having no one to turn to, the constant dig into madness and trying to find answers to hard questions. Audiences will be able to resonate with the character of Marie. Every person has a different story when it comes to dealing with the crisis of the pandemic. But the film Off Season is not entirely off. Especially, when it comes to the reality of dealing with a crisis situation. This is where the audience of SXSW will get turned on.