AUSTIN, Texas — It’s been an ongoing conversation of late as to what the role of politics should be at film festivals. The SXSW Film & TV Festival found its own unique answer to that dilemma by featuring director Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters” in its opening night slot.
Riley is unapologetically outspoken on a wide variety of topics, and his script for “Boosters” is rooted in a pro-labor, anti-corporate worldview that’s often pushed into radicalism. The movie is also surreal, absurd and crowd-pleasingly funny. It would never be mistaken for a dry lecture or a didactic pamphlet.
All the same, certain timely political issues — either the Middle East or immigration domestically, topics one might presume Riley or anyone else might be inclined to speak about — were never addressed from the stage of Austin’s Paramount Theatre on Thursday night. Neon will be releasing the film May 22.
In the movie Keke Palmer stars as Corvette, who, along with her friends Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige), run a shoplifting ring, reselling their stolen merchandise at cut-rate prices. Things only get more complicated from there, as they join forces with a Chinese factory worker (Poppy Liu) to bring down an imperious fashion mogul (Demi Moore).
The film also features a car chase depicted with miniatures and stop-motion animation to convey humanoid figures who have removed their skin. That is to say, “I Love Boosters” is, above all else, wild, rollicking and unpredictable.
Having given an introduction before the show, Riley and SXSW festival head Claudette Godfrey returned to the stage afterward, bringing out much of the film’s formidable cast: Palmer, Ackie, Paige, Liu, Moore, Eiza González and LaKeith Stanfield.
Asked where the idea for the movie came from, Riley responded, “I’ve definitely bought a lot of stuff from boosters in my life.”
Dressed in his trademark oversize hat and a black-and-white floral print suit, Riley said it was thinking about the fashion world in particular that sent him onto the specific spiral of ideas that led to the movie.
“How does it get made and what puts the value on it?” Riley asked. “Is it just the idea only or is it the labor that it takes to make it? And just talking about the idea that so many people want to be involved with the world and involved with art and feel like they’re in that conversation — and it costs too much.”
From left, Naomie Ackie, Taylour Paige and Keke Palmer in the movie “I Love Boosters.”
(Neon)
Palmer noted she has already watched the movie multiple times and that something specific struck her watching it this time. “This is a Boots Riley movie, you know what I mean?” she said “And so I love to watch it.
“The reward is I keep seeing all the different layers of things that he put in there,” she continued. “Whatever you are, we’re all dealing with some crazy struggles. And if we could all just figure out how to come together with it and stop fighting our own independent fights, then that’s it.”
Referring to a fantastical device that plays a crucial role in the story, Palmer added, “That’s the situational accelerator.”
“The first time when we watched it, I cried at the end when they were showing the global workers unionizing and uprising and stuff,” said Liu. “And what a moment right now to be seeing that on screen.”
Stanfield had also starred in Riley’s debut feature, “Sorry to Bother You.” He revealed that his onscreen partner during a particularly outrageous sex scene was actually his wife, Kasmere Trice Stanfield, who was in the audience.
On working with Riley again, Stanfield said, “It was beautiful to reunite. And I told him: On his next one, just call me.”
“Call me too,” said Paige.
“Me three,” added Palmer.
“You need a Chinese girl in every movie now,” said Liu.
“And a Mexican,” chimed in González.
That mix of seriousness and playfulness ran throughout the evening. At one point Riley pointed out that comedian and actor Eric Andre, who has a small role in the film, was in the audience. Andre, sitting near the front of the room, stood up to a round of applause and said that photographers had mistaken him for Riley on the red carpet and that’s how he got into the screening. Riley added he has gotten free stuff in liquor stores because people thought he was Andre.
“To be fair,” said Stanfield to Andre, “I also thought that you were him.”
“We all look the same to you, huh?” Andre retorted with mock indignation to a laugh from the audience.
As for her part playing a villainous fashion designer, Moore said, “At first I was saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that I would be thought of as cool enough to be part of a Boots Riley [project].’ And it was so out of the box and we had an amazing meeting and it was just a character that I wouldn’t have thought of myself for. And it gave me this incredible place to play and take a risk and do something different. I don’t think I’ve ever had a chance to do something like this.”
As the talk threatened to spin out of control, with multiple cast members all talking at once, Paige said of Riley, “You can tell he has sisters, because we all would be speaking over each other, over him. We’d be giggling. He’s like, ‘OK, we kind of have to start now.’”
As the Q&A was winding down, Riley got serious. “This movie, there’s silliness in it, but it’s also a very important movie to be out there right now,” he said, “because I think we all need to figure out ways that we can change what’s happening, ways that we can fight fascism, ways that change the structure of the world around us.
“So what I’m saying here is, tell people about this movie,” Riley continued. “I need it to be spread out there far and wide. You might think because it’s on Neon and they’re the s— and we got it covered. We don’t.”
As the audience began to get up from their seats and staff attempted to turn over the theater for the following show, Riley continued speaking, shouting out his wife and children and other family members in the crowd until he eventually made his way offstage as well.
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