Gracie Otto has again charmed audiences at SXSW, receiving praise for her musical comedy Seriously Red following the film’s premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition.
A year after debuting her documentary on George Martin’s AIR Studios Montserrat, Under the Volcano, at the festival, the young director has returned to the line-up with another project rooted in music, albeit of a different era.
In the Dollhouse Pictures film, writer Krew Boylan also stars Red, a vivacious but occasionally misguided redhead who trades her job in real estate for a new career as a Dolly Parton impersonator.
The cast also includes Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Daniel Webber, while there is music from Parton, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, and David Bowie.
Jessica Carrera produces for Dollhouse, alongside Robyn Kershaw for Robyn Kershaw Productions, Sonia Borella, and Timothy White.
In his review for Deadline, Damon Wise described the film as “raucous but hugely enjoyable” before noting how the story took a similar line to that of P.J. Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding, with Boylan’s “anarchic stage presence” recalling “Grease-era Stockard Channing and a younger Catherine O’Hara”.
“Like Muriel’s Wedding it’s both an Ugly Duckling story and a cautionary tale about getting what you wish for, and once you’ve got a handle on that, it’s easy to see what’s coming next as Red starts to feel more comfortable in her skin and the story enters into familiar rom-com territory,” he wrote.
“Thankfully, Otto’s film has more than that to offer, and it’s the incidental details that will likely make this a cult favorite: on her journey, Red visits The Copy Club, an underground speakeasy with Fight Club-style secrecy rules where Abba lookalikes rub shoulders with a Freddie Mercury wannabe, an uncanny Elton John doppelganger and an impressively energetic plus-size Barbra Streisand.”
Writing for The Wrap, Dan Callahan discussed how certain moments served to showcase the film’s thematic depth, citing a moment towards the end when Boylan’s Red is talking about why she impersonates Dolly, and utters the line, “I just wanted that feeling that everyone else looks like they’re having… you know, that they’re respected.”
“Her voice trails off, and then Red crosses her eyes slightly, as if she feels the need to be a clown for a moment because she has just been about as vulnerable and truthful as a person can be, and that goes double for Boylan herself, who has clearly put thought into what she wants this movie to say,” he wrote.
“The result is touching precisely because Boylan does not aggressively ask for sympathy for her character. She earns it by being fair, sensitive, and honest as a performer but especially as a writer, dealing with what major artists like Dolly can mean to individuals who are looking for the courage to be their best possible self.”
Perhaps the most satisfying assessment of the film for Otto and co., however, comes from the country legend herself, who tweeted out to her 5.3 million followers that the film was a “wonderful tribute to being the best version of yourself”.
Seriously Red is one of seven Australian projects to feature in SXSW this year, joining Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes’ Sissy (Midnighters strand), Back to Back Theatre’s Shadow (Visions), Lachlan McLeod’s Clean (Documentary Feature Competition), Ryan Griffin’s Lustration VR (XR Experience Competition), Danny Cohen’s Anonymous Club and VR documentary Gondwana.
Seriously Red will be distributed locally by Roadshow Films, with a release date TBC.