A Queer Review of the Austin Film Festival (2023)
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.

ADGIN PRRX is an anagram of Grand Prix, the title of John Frankenheimer's monumental car racing film, which Norbert Pfaffenbichler has remounted here into a strictly metrical and deeply personal meditation on the nature of time, the thrill of speed, and the melancholy of creeping deceleration, standstill, and death.
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.
At 2:17 a.m., every child in a third-grade class wakes up, leaves their home, and disappears into the darkness—except one. The next day, teacher Justine Gandy discovers that Alex Lily is the only student left, while the rest have vanished without a trace. Did Justine have something to do with it, or is a far more sinister force stalking the town, targeting not just children, but anyone in its path?
The Slumber Party Massacre wonderfully combines the suspense of its horror with its commentary on gender, creating a memorable slasher classic that began a horror trilogy entirely written and directed by women.
The 'Hawkeye' season finale features all kinds of cool characters and resolves its loose plot threads efficiently, yet it's lacking when it comes to the vital development of its characters.
Ripley is a great character because she serves two distinct, but rewarding, purposes in the original film and the sequel.