Drag is exactly the kind of movie that makes SXSW feel electric. It is laugh-out-loud funny, deeply uncomfortable, and so physically brutal that you start wincing in anticipation rather than reacting in the moment. You know that feeling when you see someone get hit in the nuts, and your whole body reacts in sympathy? Drag is that sensation for an hour and a half straight. Full body empathy pain. Every wince earned.
The setup could not be simpler. Two estranged sisters attempt a routine robbery at a rural upstate New York home. One bad move throws everything off, literally, when Lizzy Caplan’s character injures her back and becomes immobilized upstairs. What begins as a low-stakes crime thriller slowly mutates into an increasingly deranged fight for survival inside a house of horrors. The film understands the power of a clean premise and executes it with relentless precision.
Despite how funny Drag is, and it is genuinely hilarious, the tension never dissolves. The comedy and anxiety coexist in a way that keeps you constantly on edge. Directors Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer deploy expectation subversion for laughs, repeatedly zigging when you expect a zag. The dialogue is sharp and economical, letting the actors do the heavy lifting rather than over-explaining the madness.
Lucy DeVito is the secret weapon here. Her timing is immaculate, and she carries far more of the film than it might initially seem, pun fully intended. DeVito has an uncanny ability to say everything with just her face. Fear, panic, resentment, resolve, and gallows humor flicker effortlessly across her expressions. Her chemistry with Caplan is rock solid, and they genuinely feel like real sisters, which makes the escalating punishment all the more painful to watch.
Caplan, meanwhile, does a lot with very little. Immobilized for large stretches, she communicates agony, terror, and stubborn determination with remarkable restraint. Watching what her character endures is almost punishing for the audience. Many moments are not for the squeamish, and kudos are absolutely deserved for the gnarly practical effects and makeup work. The film’s brutality feels especially effective in what can only be described as a post-Terrifier horror landscape, where audiences can smell fake blood a mile away. This stuff lands.
Then there’s John Stamos. Drag delivers something I genuinely never expected. Stamos is fully unleashed, channeling shades of Jack Torrance, Jeffrey Dahmer, and American Psycho while still feeling like his own uniquely unhinged creation. He is fearless here and completely willing to go the extra mile into surprisingly nasty territory. There is also something deeply surreal and inexplicably hilarious about seeing Uncle Jesse energy filtered through this kind of psychological menace, especially when paired with prolonged underwear exposure. Somehow, he also looks an awful lot like George Hamilton, which only adds to the weirdness.
The film is littered with bona fide “what the hell am I watching” moments, balanced by a relentlessly cheerful soundtrack full of happy, joyful songs that play against the carnage. That tonal contrast only heightens the insanity. While the central twist is fairly obvious, it never detracts from the fun. The filmmakers know exactly what they are doing, and the predictability becomes part of the ride rather than a flaw.
Not everything sticks the landing. The ending goes for a shock factor last gag that feels a bit cheap compared to the very grounded, painful journey that precedes it. When the credits rolled, it slightly undercut the emotional residue the film had built so carefully. It is not disastrous, just mildly deflating.
Still, Drag more than earns its place as one of the festival standouts. It is an unpredictable, batshit thrill ride that turns a simple concept into something genuinely unhinged. It is brutal, hysterical, squirm-inducing, and constantly diverting. It never overstays its welcome and had me on my toes the entire time.
Beyond expectations, beyond the synopsis, and far beyond what anyone might expect from an actor like John Stamos, Drag is exactly what SXSW is all about.
Jessie Hobson