SXSW 23 review: It’s my party and I’ll die if I want to, ‘My Drywall Cocoon’ is a twisted tale of society, secrets, and sadness.

MY DRYWALL COCOON

Writer-director Caroline Fioratti’s SXSW 2023 film MY DRYWALL COCOON launches headlong with time hopping in this 24-hour dig into the death of the birthday girl. A story tackling class, privilege, power, and secrets, this cloak-and-dagger film never lets up.

Maria Luisa Mendonca plays Patricia with gut-wrenching honesty, owning her grief and guilt. Michel Joelsas is Nicolas. His aggression covers his insecurities and sexuality. Joelsas slips into this role like a pro. You equally loathe and feel for him. Mari Oliveira is Virginia’s best friend Luana. She is manipulative and hides a dark coping mechanism. As she flaunts her sexuality for power, her guilt is on par with her disassociation. Daniel Botelho plays Gabriel with a morbid attitude. A bit of a conspiracy theorist, Gabriel’s teenage pushback comes with an underlying sentimentality. Bella Piero plays Virginia with genuine sweetness and surprising fearlessness. Quietly crying for help, but no one is listening. Piero navigates her emotional abandonment with masterful ease.

The score elicits classic thriller vibes. The lighting is magnificent. As we jump in time, neon-saturated party scenes get starkly contrasted by harsh natural light the morning after. Foiratti skillfully drops clues to keep your mind swirling, making everyone a suspect. One particularly disturbing visual remains a mystery until the very end of the film. It is one hell of a metaphor. A carefully crafted thriller, MY DRYWALL COCOON will have SXSW 23 audiences on the edge of their seats, second-guessing the entire way.


 
Caroline Fioratti

Film Screenings

Mar 11, 2023
3:30pm5:25pm
 
Mar 11, 2023
4:00pm5:55pm
 
Mar 13, 2023
12:45pm2:40pm
 
Mar 13, 2023
1:15pm3:10pm
 
Mar 17, 2023
5:30pm7:25pm
 

Credits

Director:

Caroline Fioratti

Producer:

Rui Pires, André Montenegro

Screenwriter:

Caroline Fioratti

Cinematographer:

Helcio Alemão Nagamine

Editor:

Leopoldo Joe Nakata

Production Designer:

Monica Palazzo

Sound Designer:

Ricardo Reis and Miriam Biderman

Music:

Flavia Tygel

Principal Cast:

Maria Luisa Mendonça, Bella Piero, Michel Joelsas, Mari Oliveira, Daniel Botelho, Caco Ciocler

About Liz Whittemore

Liz grew up in northern Connecticut and was memorizing movie dialogue from Shirley Temple to A Nightmare on Elm Street at a very early age. She will watch just about any film all the way through (no matter how bad) just to prove a point. A loyal New Englander, a lover of Hollywood, and true inhabitant of The Big Apple.

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