The Rivals of Amziah King | SXSW 2025 Film Review

“A good movie will make you feel one thing. A great movie will make you feel multiple things.” – Andrew Patterson, director, at the SXSW premiere of The Rivals of Amziah King

Have you ever caught a glimpse of magic? A very original piece of cinema – or art of any variety really – that has a chance to crack through the corporate excess we are all quite accustomed to and showcase how transformative a uniquely specific vision can be? If you understand my meaning, then I would like to briefly introduce you to The Rivals of Amziah King.

As writer and director Andrew Patterson begins his bluegrass-infused journey, Matthew McConaughey returns to film after a 6-year absence as the titular Amziah King. Channeling his own effortlessly charismatic spirit, McConaughey’s Amziah King is a bee lover and honey massagist who embraces life, music, and love as if they are all the same. He adores his friends, crafting honey, and has little interest in material things nor anything other than embracing the vibrancy of life itself. When a local competitor threatens his livelihood, he takes his foster daughter (captivating newcomer Angela LookingGlass) under his wing, reconnects amidst the ways of the honeybee and soon, revenge is afoot.

Far too many reviews give it all away these days, and I refuse to even come close with this one. This is a film that blew me away – mind, body, and soul – and I hope you can embrace a similar experience. Though they are supremely opposite films, it is very similar to the way Everything, Everywhere, All at Once broadened my sensibilities only a few years ago. Simply told, this is a beautiful film that is equal parts simplistic and fascinatingly complicated.

Writer and director Andrew Patterson has a singular vision, even if it is of 5 different genres, and somehow seamlessly merges them into a fascinating odyssey of a fully realized world. Patterson drops us into his world and then uses his lens and his cavalcade of talented actors as metaphorical hands bringing us closer. It is a community seeped in warmth, humor, grace, and toe-tapping harmonizing. While I will not elaborate on his story, I do believe it is important that you understand how inviting and moving it is. Twists, turns, and side tangents are in abundance, but it is succumbing to his evolving fable that utterly sucks you into Patterson’s narrative.

Matthew McConaughey proves why he has been missed in film – he is easily the most effortlessly personable actor working today – and the touches of bluegrass music set pieces accentuate Amziah as a flourishingly upbeat character. As his protégé, Angela LookingGlass portrays Kateri, and she is not an experienced craftsman. In fact, this is her first acting credit. Yet, Patterson trusts in her, and we the audience do as well as the story comes to rely on her to support Amziah’s quest. Initially naïve and as quiet as a church mouse, Kateri emerges as an edgier version of Amziah King, putting her own spin on the family business.

A nearly flawless combination of heart, talent, music, and story equal one of the most original and exciting films of the year. Do not miss the opportunity to catch The Rivals of Amziah King as soon as possible. This one is special.