The dynamic duo of Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon made a big splash at SXSW this week. With regard to their Texas-based film (world premiere screening at the Zach Theatre), it was a big splash of blood.
For anyone who has seen Sedgwick in her 7-season series The Closer, her role in this family-made film will be a shocker. In the TV show, she played an LAPD chief of major crimes, locking away murderers in nearly every episode. In Family Movie, the tables are turned: she is the serial killer!
What better film to invite your whole family to join in on? Kevin Bacon is the co-star of the film, with the two children (Travis and Sosie) of this famous Hollywood couple also appearing in major supporting roles.
Bacon told the SXSW audience that it was just a year ago that they decided to shoot the film in Round Top (population 87), about 70 miles east of Austin.
Kyra explained the origins of Family Movie. “During the pandemic when no one was working and two workaholics were driving each other crazy at home. We made a short film, the two of us, that Kevin and Travis did the music for.
“We co-directed it and we both were in it. We’re the only people in it and we did all the jobs. And then we started to think, well, maybe this is going to last forever. And what could we do that would make us not go insane?
“So we had this idea that we would be a family, and the only prompt was that we were a family that lived on a farm and made horror movies together. It was our idea, but then we had an incredible writer, and then of course it came in the moment to actually ask Travis and Sosie if they had any interest at all in doing such a thing. And they did, and we were excited.”
“They didn’t have to be tried so hard to convince us, we were pretty into it,” enthused Sosie. “Yeah, we were bored during the pandemic.”
Even though this is technically a horror, it is a combo horror/comedy film.
“I think that all of us love horror, said Kevin, who reminded the audience “I was in the original Friday the 13th. That’s the biggest Friday the 13th, and just always liked it as a genre.”
“Travis started watching dark shit long before we showed up. (audience laughing) As a little boy. – As you can tell. – Yeah, in case you can’t tell!” Travis is a tall, brooding hunk covered with tattoos.
“Kyra’s also been in horror films, so, we love it. We love the genre and we love independent filmmaking. We didn’t feel, like right from the jump, that we should make a horror movie that was super serious. We kind of felt like we were gonna do it as a family. Although we do a lot of serious work, and obviously this takes a lot of serious work, I think we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Most of the film’s cast were on hand after the screening, which the audience got to vote for. I expect it will be one of the highest-rated films of SXSW this year. As a horror/comedy, I think it is the best I’ve ever seen. As a film-within-a-film (Family Movie is about a family that makes horror movies), it has achieved just the right precarious balance to make it an excellent film about a family making a bad film!
It’s not too late to visit SXSW, which ends March 18. Go to their website: www.sxsw.com
photos by C Cunningham. To the right of Sedgwick are her children Travis and Sosie.