SXSW Review: Otis Under Sky
As I sat in the Paramount Theatre watching the beautiful Otis Under Sky, as its story slowly unspooled, I thought of ... Roger Ebert. When Mr. Ebert reviewed the Austin-shot Harmony and Me in 2009, he said that "Austin has never looked more unlovely" and that the title character "never visits a part of town that doesn't look like an anonymous suburb." He would love the Austin portrayed in Otis Under Sky, though: lush parks, glittering downtown lights and lots of lakes and streams, contrasted with city bus rides and shabby housing that reveal parts of Austin tourists and many locals rarely see, but that still catch the eye.
Otis Under Sky is very much an Austin-y movie, without the desperate "everyone wear a Longhorn t-shirt and drink Shiner Bock" measures laughably adopted in Whip It. No one goes to Alamo Drafthouse; you wonder if the characters could afford such an outing. Instead, they head to Mayfield Park to stare at the peacocks ... but not for too long if they don't want to miss the bus back. Only one character in this movie drives a car.
The movie is not terribly plot-heavy; understandable when you learn that filmmaker Anlo Sepulveda shot this movie over several years without a script. Otis (Anis Mojgani) is an introvert and often reclusive; his limited contact with the world is through his video blog and through his "projects" -- various types of guerilla art. I loved the scenes where he talks about obsolete technology in a voiceover while pasting VHS tapes on walls and buildings, and ropes off a little VCR and TV on a downtown corner. He lives with his older brother Brian, who encourages him to mix more with the outside world.
It's the outside world that chooses to mix with him: Ursula (Roberta Colindrez), a barista who lives in an East Austin residential hotel and talks to her cat for company. Ursula sees Otis distributing flyers as part of one of his projects, and follows him home, peeking in his unlocked apartment while he's away. She eventually introduces herself and they become friends; she's lonely since her girlfriend Lucia has left town. Ursula and Otis develop a fast friendship, taking the bus to parks and lakes, recording video, and so forth. Eventually Lucia returns ... how will this affect Otis?
Three characters in this movie interact beautifully and are the heart of Otis Under Sky: Ursula, Otis and the city of Austin. In that way, I was reminded of two other movies where a couple spend the day in a location that affects them as much as they affect one another: Medicine for Melancholy (in San Francisco) and Quiet City (in Brooklyn). Otis doesn't quite measure up to those films -- I suspect the lack of a structured, pre-planned screenplay may be the culprit -- but it still captures a fascinating relationship.
Mojgani and Colindrez may not give polished performances, but their characters are compelling. Lucia is more of a symbol than a character, but Jacqueline Leal adds a layer of passion that provides some depth. I wished we saw a bit more of Tony Jackson as brother Brian, with a grin in one scene that spoke volumes.
Otis Under Sky is primarily a visual experience, which made me happy I'd seen it at The Paramount and not on a screener, although I bet it would be fun to watch outdoors. The lines of dialogue itself, and Otis's voiceovers, are rarely memorable and often I let the sounds wash over me rather than paying attention to specifics. Viet Nguyen did an excellent editing job (apparently I've also been watching his work on Party Down). I loved this view of Austin and hope we'll have a chance to see it again, and soon.
Austin connections: Otis Under Sky was shot in Austin with a primarily local cast and crew. Recognizable locations include Barton Springs, Mayfield Park, Lady Bird Lake, the Long Center and Auditorium Shores, Antone's, South Congress and the interior of several Capitol Metro buses.