Photos by Deonte Lee

Photo Courtesy of Beast Race (2026)

Spotlight Films: A Magical Fox, and a Beast Race 

Kicking off the week, the first movie on the list was The Fox directed by Dario Russo, an Australian native. The Fox was brilliant from start to finish with a clever, talking fox controlling the landscape around them through deception and trickery. When a hunter has problems at home with his wife and relationship, he goes to any length to make his life better. He makes a decision and has no idea what the consequences will be.  

Leading actors Emily Browning and Jai Courtney set an amazing tone, fully capturing every intense, funny, and heartbreaking moment they left the audience on the edge of their seats.  

What really set this film apart was how in the AI, CGI and everything computer-generated world of today, this movie kept everything down to a minimum with handmade animals that were puppeteered by sticks and strings.  The Fox strayed from giving the viewers a feeling of unease, rather there was a sense of wholesomeness and peace.

The question the movie presents to us as an audience is: How far would you go to keep life as perfect as possible?  How far would you go to protect the life you currently have and pretend that life should be normal? The Fox is heavily based on folklore, where magic sets the stage. The idea that life isn't what it seems to be at first glance and is exactly what this movie preaches. What you see isn't always what you get, or what it could be, but for some reason no one wants to change what it could be.  

From start to finish, this film made you wonder what would happen next, who will make the right choices, and how this will all end.  

Beast Race: Love, Death, Dystopia 

Let's set the stage: You’re born in a dystopian world destroyed by war and greed, and the only way for your personal survival is to bet on yourself with the lives of your family. You must run through a 10-12k obstacle course, risking not only your life but your family’s in the process as you must list them as collateral if you lose. Welcome to the future world of Brazil presented to us by directors Rodrigo Pesavento, Ernesto Solis and Fernando Meirelles in the beautiful film, Beast Race.  

The main protagonist, actor Matheus Abreu comes into the world as Mano, the son of a former Beast Race athlete who became paralyzed from the waist down from the event. To take his family out of poverty, save his sister from becoming a slave who will be sold into marriage, and avenge the loss of his mother, Mano takes his talents into the race. Every athlete is connected via earpiece to someone controlling the game and directing the game through the traffic and the violent competitors out for blood and glory. Over time he and his instructor begin to bond, and Mano finds not only a friend in this world, but potentially a future lover. 

This movie shows its intensity through the acting of the characters. It appears everyone has everything to lose, and unworldly amounts to gain. Money, fame and success for a person who once fought for food is peak success, but the inverse is losing your family and going home hurt and lonely. With so much at stake this film brings energy, anticipation, and grittiness to the big screen. Quick cuts, fast tracking, and wide pans from the camera during the action scenes are unmatched, leaving viewers amazed at the visuals. To add on to the energy each athlete is extremely skilled at parkour.   

Directors make sure to also add intricate back stories, adding to each character's development. With love, loss, grief, pain, both tears of joy and tears of utter sorrow were common among viewers. 

Beast Race will be available on Amazon streaming services for all to watch. For those who look for action, love, and an emotional whirlwind, take time to see this film. This is absolutely a must-see film. 

A Thank You to SXSW 

***With so many options available, SXSW makes it easy and achievable to go out and achieve my goals. From the staff to the attendees of every event, people were nice, areas were peaceful, and the conversations were unmatched. Through my first SXSW I gained so much experience and insight in the film and TV world. The initial goal was to take photos of events around me but came out with many friends and stories to tell by sitting in the theatre. Next year I am looking forward to attending the film festival once again and applying my experience from this year to next.  ***