One of my most pleasant surprises at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin was definitely Two Step, a terrifically tense and finely acted crime thriller from first-time writer-director Alex R. Johnson. Balancing rich, natural dialogue and believable characters with shocking violence and an overpowering sense of impending doom, it had a powerful impact on audiences in Austin, which explains why SXSW is just the first stop on its tour of the festival circuit.
Two Step will next be heading to the Cannes Film Festival marketplace. It was picked up for international sales back in March by Films Boutique, though details on a U.S. release are still scarce. Seeing as the film’s Texas atmosphere is a huge part of its appeal, it shouldn’t be hard for it to find a stateside distributor to get the film on track for release this fall or next spring, but the slot at Cannes will be sure to raise the Two Step‘s reputation and make it more attractive to potential buyers.
While the film is gearing up for further stops on the festival circuit, the first post-SXSW trailer for Two Step has landed online, and you can check it out below. It showcases a number of quotes from impressed critics (including one from my four-star SXSW review), in addition to some extremely tense clips from the film. It’s impressive that the marketing department for Two Step was able to put together an intriguing trailer without revealing too much of the plot (trust me, it’s best to go into this movie not knowing anything), so sticklers for spoilers can check the trailer out without feeling as if they’ve had the film ruined for them.
Two Step stars James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Beth Broderick, Jason Douglas and Ashley Rae Spillers. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more about when it will hit theaters in the U.S., as this is certainly one thriller that you don’t want to miss.
