SXSW 2021 Reviews: Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free; Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil; Introducing, Selma Blair; The Oxy Kingpins

Documentaries abound this year at SXSW 2021! Many of which give light to beloved celebrities and their plights – like Demi Lovato and Selma Blair – while others seek to inform you (The Oxy Kingpins) and the most fun are just there to make you smile (Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free). Below are four separate documentaries with short reviews and the official Hollywood Outsider score to accompany. What will you look at next?

Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free

Tom Petty is arguably one of the best musicians to ever grace the Earth and his passing left a gaping hole in many of our hearts. Back in the 90s when he was making his Wildflowers album, Martyn Atkins was capturing behind-the-scenes footage of Petty, along with Rick Rubin, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, Steve Ferrone, and George Drakoulias. This archival footage was later found by Tom’s daughter, Adria, who felt it deserved a documentary and believed Mary Wharton to be the director to see its vision through.

Unlike many documentaries, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free is a very free-flowing, relaxed film that puts you in the room with these creative art-makers. It’s intentionally unpolished yet manages to hold its own in capturing your attention – that is, if you’re a fan. There are many documentaries that “expose” or explore dark aspects of a musician or artist’s past, but this is not one of those. It is truly meant as a connecting life-line to those long-time Petty fans who miss him, giving them insight into the nature of his process and thinking. Somewhere You Feel Free also shares some background on Tom’s life through the eyes of Adria and how what was going on at that time impacted his music. At the same time, you gain insight into what others thought of him, why some mates left and others came in to play, and so much vibrant personality from Tom.

I’ll admit, it’s a cheap and easy win. Most of the work comes down to editing the content into structure and ensuring a smooth edit, since no “new footage” has been captured to incorporate. However, if you belong among the wildflowers, you will find Somewhere You Feel Free.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 6/10

Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil

Here’s a recap on Demi if you’re not “hip” (I guess) or follow celebrity news. Demi began with the Disney folks from a very young age, continued to progress through the ranks in Disney movies and TV, and eventually branched out as a singer. Think: Miley Cyrus meets Christina Aguilera (who makes an appearance, actually). With a bipolar diagnosis at 19 years old, adolescent sexual trauma, and surmounting pressure, Demi engaged with a “fun” lifestyle of partying. Her struggle with sobriety was made very public of her own accord, same with mental illness, and she become an advocate. She was also kind of MADE an advocate by fans – no pressure there, either. As the depths of addiction take their toll, Demi found herself struggling for survival following a horrible drug overdose that shocked everyone, including her friends and family.

“Why do I care about a rich celebrity’s dabble into drugs?” Well, hopefully because you care about everyone and understand how awful the disease of addiction is, but otherwise, maybe because you likely know someone who looks up to her and struggles with their own addiction/mental illnesses. Yes, Demi is the focal point here, and yes she bares all with zero F’s given, but Dancing with the Devil is much more about giving insight into the ramifications of addiction, hard drugs and mental illness. It’s also a huge story on what leads someone to this type of lifestyle. Generally, something is very wrong. And when someone overdoses to the point they have three strokes, a heart attack, permanent brain damage, and short-term blindness (all revealed in this documentary), you have to really think about why. Why are you in so much pain? And that’s really what this documentary brings out.

What’s more, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a celebrity put themselves on display like this before. Not only is Demi giving every piece of honesty and transparency here, her friends and family are speaking to it – but even they are shocked to be discussing it on camera. One of the most destructive repercussions of addiction is the chaos that burns in everyone’s life who is close to you. The betrayal they feel, the guilt that is pushed on to them, and for a celebrity’s “group”, the damage it can cause to others’ lives and careers. What I presumed would just be a reveal into the events of that night turned out to be much deeper. The truth will set you free and Demi Lovato is releasing all of her chains.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 8/10

Introducing, Selma Blair

Oh, Selma. We love Selma. Or at least, I love Selma. Her versatility in being a naïve young girl in Cruel Intentions to the companion in Hellboy. The woman has really gotten some great gigs (notably: Legally Blonde, Clueless), always as a supporting actress, which she knows and loves. And then she disclosed on her Instagram her painful diagnosis that has begun plaguing her life: multiple sclerosis (MS).

Introducing, Selma Blair is a raw and emotional exploration into how she deals with her MS and the potential options to mitigate the symptoms. Selma Blair is open, authentic, brave and vulnerable in the most beautiful of ways. Her personality shines through and those unfamiliar with MS gain a deeper understanding from Selma’s perspective.

Among her diagnosis, Selma also recalls rather traumatic incidents from her mom and how that trauma affected her long-term. Yet, she maintains a close relationship with her, which begs the question: how much forgiveness do you possess for loved ones that hurt you?

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 6.5/10

The Oxy Kingpins

What? You’re telling me drug dealers aren’t the biggest culprit of the opioid epidemic? That people with licenses and corporate conglomerates abuse their power to continue raking in millions of dollars? I’m SHOCKED!

The Oxy Kingpins is exposing these corporations (like McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen) for what they are through key interview sessions as they battle big-time lawyer Mike Papantonio in the courtroom. These interviews are with Papantonio but also with the underground side of the oxy crisis – the dealers. The individuals who have served and could serve time for the millions they made on gathering individuals to abuse their prescriptions.

Unfortunately, it’s not hard to believe corporations would choose money over the safety of America, but they come stacked with evidence, including emails where the executive leadership laughs about the abuse of the drugs. I mean, if a town only has 400 people, it’s probably pretty unlikely they need millions of refills over a 2 year period, but maybe I’m just awfully bad at math.

Why should these executives live lavish lifestyles after (allegedly) knowingly and intentionally creating a national addiction, all while the dealers serve time? If you’re on the market to learn more about this epidemic, you’ll want to give The Oxy Kingpins a go of it.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 6.50/10

Follow our further discussion on over 30 film and episodic premieres screened at SXSW 2021 via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: