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.

A batch of monsters are shrunken to pocket size by a freak accident. A horror author's daughter finds the good monsters, and together, they battle the puny bad monsters, who have learned to grow temporarily when they hear a movie monster actress's scream.
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.
'Hollywood Stargirl' (2022) is a teen romantic drama film that centers around the title character's experiences in Los Angeles. This film serves as the sequel to the 2020 film 'Stargirl', but unlike the previous film, the events in this movie are shown from the title character's perspective instead of Leo Borlock's.
Even with its straightforward premise, “Richard Jewell” is ramped up by exceptional drama. In all honesty, the performances are out of this world. As Jewell, Paul Walter Hauser becomes a walking representation of gullibility. His bumbling antics create the perfect hero, and very quickly, we feel the societal heat that surrounds our protagonists.
The film exhibits a respect for the craft and an empathy for human tribulations that have historically been ignored.
Bong Joon Ho’s masterpiece, Parasite (2019) became one of the few international films to break into the American mainstream.
Paul Thomas Anderson blends tragedy, comedy in 2025 epic, "One Battle After Another."