They Will Kill You Review: Zazie Beetz Saves Sister From Satanic Cult The world premiere of They Will Kill You at SXSW 2026 marked the festival’s closing night with a visceral blend of action, horror, and dark humor, centered on the fraught relationship between two sisters entangled in a satanic cult. Directed by Kirill Sokolov and co-written with Alex Litvak, the film follows Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), a maid working at The Virgil, a centuries-old New York City apartment building occupied by the city’s elite. Her seemingly mundane job masks a deeper mission: to locate her estranged younger sister, Maria (Myha’la), whom she abandoned a decade earlier after their abusive father’s violence drove them apart. The plot thickens when Asia discovers the building’s grim history of missing domestic staff, leading her to uncover a sinister cult plot to sacrifice her to Satan in exchange for immortality. Armed with a arsenal of weapons and unyielding resolve, Asia confronts the cult’s members, a group of wealthy tenants including Kevin (Tom Felton) and Sharon (Heather Graham), whose unhinged performances add to the film’s chaotic energy. The story intertwines physical combat with emotional stakes, as the sisters’ bond becomes the driving force behind Asia’s quest to save Maria. Sokolov’s direction leans into genre tropes, blending samurai-inspired sword fights, shoot-em-up sequences, and over-the-top gore, with blood splattering dramatically across the screen and creative use of visceral effects. The film’s tone balances brutality with dark humor, reflecting its satirical take on wealth and power. Zazie Beetz delivers a standout performance, embodying both the physicality of a warrior and the emotional vulnerability of a sister seeking redemption.#sxsw_2026 #zazie_beetz #kirill_sokolov #myha_la #alex_litvak
Cinematographer Ksusha Genenfeld on Shooting Intimacy and Natural Light in Perfect Cinematographer Ksusha Genenfeld discussed her work on Perfect, a film that premiered at SXSW 2026, in an interview ahead of the festival. Directed by self-taught filmmaker Millicent Hailes, the film follows Kai, a woman living out of her car after a breakup in a world struggling with water scarcity. She discovers a hidden lake and forms a bond with Mallory, a wealthy pregnant woman with her own secrets. Genenfeld, who shot the film with a small crew, shared insights into her approach to visual storytelling, intimacy, and adapting to unexpected challenges on set. Genenfeld emphasized the importance of naturalistic lighting and dynamic compositions to reflect the film’s themes. She explained that the film’s world, marked by heat and drought, required a visual style that highlighted the harshness of the environment. “We wanted to use natural light as much as possible because that’s what the world deserved,” she said. The team relied on techniques like bounce cards and diffusion to shape light, ensuring characters with diverse skin tones were portrayed authentically. For Julia Fox’s character, a pregnant woman navigating complex emotions, softer diffusion was used to avoid overexposure to the sun. The film’s exploration of intimacy, particularly between two women—one of whom is pregnant—was a key focus. Genenfeld highlighted the collaboration with intimacy coordinator Darci Fulcher, stressing the need for trust and comfort on set. “We had extensive prep to ensure everyone felt safe,” she said. The team worked closely with actors to build trust, allowing them to focus on their performances rather than camera mechanics.#perfect #ksusha_genenfeld #millicent_hailes #sxsw_2026 #julia_fox
