Two comedies that embrace the aesthetics of the pandemic era premiered — and succeeded — at this year’s SXSW.

When a group of Dorset bus drivers made the very unconventional decision to abandon their holiday season pantomime in favor of a homegrown theatrical adaptation of Alien, Ridley Scott’s revered science fiction horror film, the response from local audiences was predictably muted. Luckily, the show found a life beyond their town and has been committed to film in this delightful documentary.

When he received a surprise ALS diagnosis in in his early thirties, advocacy lawyer Ady Barkan pledged to spend the limited time he had left to live with his young family in Santa Barbara. A weekend in DC lobbying to save the Affordable Care Act, a chance meeting with a young activist in the airport, and a viral conversation with Arizona senator Jeff Flake aboard a cross-country flight changed all of that.

The Seattle film community got to show up “in Austin” in a big way for this year’s virtual SXSW, in the form of Wes Hurley’s autobiographical comedic feature.

David Wexler’s music doc about William Basinski is either too short or too long to find its voice, but it subject matter is interesting nonetheless.

Swan Song (2021 | USA | 105 minutes | Todd Stephens) The third film in writer-director Todd Stephens’ self-titled “Ohio Trilogy,” Swan …

Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil (2021 | USA | 98 minutes | Michael D. Ratner) In 2018 Demi Lovato, who had …