SXSW Film Festival: ‘Recovery Review’

Recovery: Directed by Mallory Everton and Stephen Meek

SYNOPSIS: Two directionless sisters brave a cross-country road trip to rescue their grandmother from a COVID outbreak at her nursing home.

This film is an absolute blast. We have had so many films that revolve around the pandemic, but this one just absolutely takes the cake. Not only is this sub genre very hard to tackle and make authentic, but making a comedy of it is ten times harder. I can safely say that they nailed it in every way, shape and form.

We have to talk about Mallory Everton and Whitney Call. They have the chemistry of best friends who have known each other since elementary school. Because they have. The audience gets a treat during the credits of old home video footage of the duo. It is evident that they are meant to do a film and meant to do it together. But not only is it the chemistry, it’s the actual performances. You connect with the characters and believe that they are your best friends. They bring the emotion necessary while also being extremely funny.

The writing is spot on. Written by the duo of Everton and Call, they tackled the pandemic in the most relatable way that I have seen so far. There have been lots of attempts to try and make movies with the pandemic as a backdrop, but no one has done it quite as good as them. The film is relatable, hilarious and packed full of the funniest pandemic jokes I’ve ever heard. Instead of trying to make funny jokes about crappy Zoom connections and making sourdough bread, they hit all of the right topics, whether it’s over Lysoling everything or the most intense trip to the gas station I’ve ever witnessed. It is clear that they get it, and that makes the film fun. 

The technical aspects of this film are as good as can be. The direction is snappy, quick and fun. The soundtrack is playful and inviting and the editing really truly shines. The other major positive is the cinematography. The film is shot very beautifully and compliments the other aspects of the film nicely.

FINAL:

This is one of the most fun films I’ve seen in quite some time. It takes the difficult issues of the pandemic and while not forgetting how serious they are, takes the comedy approach and does it right. The performances are infections and the writing is absolutely airtight. In terms of the sub genre of pandemic movies, this is by far the best one I’ve seen and I would go as far to say of the best comedies I have seen in general.

Point Breakdown:

25 for Entertainment 23

20 for Performances 20

10 for Direction 10

10 for Writing 10

10 for Emotions 10

10 for Cinematography 9

5 for Pacing 4

5 for Rewatchability 5

5 for Automatic 5

Recovery: 96/100