Another year of Chattanooga Film Festival is officially wrapped, and in terms of surprises it was one for the books. So far I’ve leaned more toward focusing on the festival’s darker offerings, but it just wouldn’t be right to end on such a heavy note, so to the horror comedy realm we go! This year’s films have felt intricately tied to everything we’re facing right now, from the dominance of influencers as media shapers and sellers to the effects of all-consuming isolation. Two of my personal favorites of the year so far, SOUR PARTY and AMERICAN MELTODOWN, are no different—though they do add one vital ingredient.
Both films cover the ever-increasing millennial struggle to survive, financially and emotionally, as you peek through the window at those who have managed by sheer fortunate circumstance to squeak through the world relatively unscathed by the specter of poverty. But they also both stress one incredibly vital point: we cannot survive without connection. More specifically, both films present the need for a ride-or-die, judgement-free bestie who’s still willing to call you on your shit. They’re a breath of fresh air in a time where the concept of chosen family seems to be one of our strongest survival mechanisms.
SOUR PARTY, written by Amanda Drexton, Michael A. Drexton, and Samantha Westervelt and directed by the Drextons, is the story of Gwen (Samantha Westervelt) and James (Amanda Drexton) two thirty-something roommates in desperate need of money when Gwen decides to get her sister (Ceciley Jenkins) a baby shower gift from the registry in an effort to prove that she has her life together. Gwen and James trek through their list of burned out acquaintances on a mission to raise the money for the gift by collecting on debts each believes themselves to be owed. The strength of every performance breathes a quirky, mildly disturbing air to the cast of characters the girls run into, but the core connection Gwen and James share keeps the true heart of the story beating. Even at its weirdest, SOUR PARTY never lets up on the importance and strength of their friendship. They flail together, support each other in even the most outlandish ideas, and James in particular makes an effort to both call Gwen out when she can’t see past her own suffering and remind her that people who truly value you will see beyond financial strife. It’s a hilarious, heartfelt, all-too-real tale that also isn’t afraid to let the women at its center be messy, complicated, sometimes disgusting people. It also happens to have one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.
The last film to have a premiere time on the Chatt Fest platform was perhaps the best ending note they could have gone out on. Described as a “millennial coming-of-rage” story, AMERICAN MELTDOWN is a beautifully shot tale of one bad day being the first step on a path to freedom, with just enough chaos mixed in to make it fun. Written and directed by Andrew Adams, the Best Feature Film Winner stars Jacki Von Preysing and Nicolette Sweeney as Olivia (Preysing), a woman who, after she is put on an insurance-dodging hiatus at her job and her house is broken into, becomes increasingly frustrated with the lack of help she receives from the societally mandated channels, and Mari (Sweeney), a woman on the run living the freest possible version of the life she imagines for herself.
It’s a hilariously weird, lovingly crafted fuck-you to societal standards and the careless attitude those in positions of power hold for the rest of us who are just trying to make it through another day in the suburbian dystopia being erected brick by brick around us. Mari is the perfect pressure release valve for Olivia, carving a space in all her chaos to ensure that Olivia finds the vitality and strength that can only come from standing up for yourself in the face of people and institutions that decide they can make you feel small.
SOUR PARTY and AMERICAN MELTDOWN feel like the perfect movies-of-the-moment. They put our ever-more disillusioning conditions at the center, but find ways to survive them through the lens of people who need and complete each other. They allow space for rage and frustration and sadness and all the other complex emotions that come with facing all the obstacles it takes to survive in a world that seems determined to tear us all to pieces but make a point to maintain a tone of hope even when things appear hopeless. They’re also having a pretty fun conversation with each other, and being able to see them back to back has been its own little escape.
Both films are still on the journey to distribution, but for now keep an eye out for them at future fests, and we’ll be sure to let you know when they find a home.
Tags: Amanda Drexton, American Meltdown, Andrew Adams, Ceciley Jenkins, Chattanooga Film Festival, Film Festivals, Horror Comedy, Jacki Von Preysing, Michael A. Drexton, Millennial burnout, Nicolette Sweeney, Road Trip Movirs, Samantha Westervelt, Sour Party
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