The SXSW Film and TV Festival is a wonderful opportunity for debutant directors to showcase their talents, and while Graham Parkes is not entirely new to the filmmaking game, with several notable shorts already under his belt, Wishful Thinking marks his first venture into feature length filmmaking. If this is anything to go by, SXSW may have uncovered another gem because simply put, Wishful Thinking is totally brilliant and the funniest film of the year so far.

Also written by Parkes, Wishful Thinking is a thoroughly relatable look at dysfunctional relationships with a science fiction twist. The film follows Julia (Maya Hawke), a game designer with lofty dreams of developing her own mobile game, and Charlie (Lewis Pullman), a sound engineer and drummer with a passion for history, as they discover their relationship and synchronicity impacts the world around them. Both their good and bad manifestations come to life as their relationship moves through the peaks and troughs of everyday life.

What begins as a fun experiment in practising pure love and adoration for one another, hoping to reap the rewards of a strange Earth that appears to reward their affection with dreams coming true, soon becomes too powerful. The results are insanely entertaining ripple effects that threaten to derail not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them and demands to be seen to be believed.

Parkes’ screenplay for Wishful Thinking is terrific. He wonderfully captures what it is like to be in a relationship that can often feel more like a battle than a partnership. His writing allows audiences to build a connection with Julia and Charlie without painting either of them as the villain, despite their at times polar opposite natures, and encourages viewers to become fully emotionally invested in their romance.

He also expertly captures the feeling of their relationship drifting apart, almost like two ships sailing away from one another, which can often be difficult to get right. At its core there is also some poignant messaging that resonates throughout the film. No matter how much you want something, you cannot lose the magic of what makes you who you are simply for the sake of making something work.

Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman are tremendous. From the opening montage that offers an insight into their relationship dynamics through to the very end, their chemistry is immediately apparent and so believable that you can feel their emotions through the screen. They both demonstrate they are more than capable of leading a film, delivering what are arguably the best performances of their careers so far.

The supporting cast are also fantastic, particularly Jake Shane as Jeff, Julia’s best friend and superfan, who proves memorable in every scene thanks to his impeccable comedic timing that lands every single time. Randall Park and Eric Rahill also deserve acclaim for making the most of every moment they have on screen, while Jon Hamm has a very brief but highly memorable cameo that is guaranteed to have audiences in fits of laughter.

Cinematographer Christopher Ripley has done some really fantastic work with Wishful Thinking. The use of split screens and contrasting skylines and clouds is subtle yet a thoughtful visual detail when capturing the differences in personality, almost as if one side represents the optimist while the other reflects the pessimist. There is also an abundance of beautiful shots of Oregon thanks to the practical locations used for filming, with the fireworks sequence featured on the film’s poster proving to be a particularly vibrant joy.

There is a brief moment in the middle where Wishful Thinking wavers slightly, and it would have been very easy for the film to veer off course. However, the final act regains its momentum, masterfully avoiding the easy route of clichés and instead delivering a climax that is impactful and likely to stay with viewers long after the credits begin to roll.

It may only be day one of the SXSW Film and TV Festival, but it will be difficult to find a film as brilliantly made, profound, and simply such a fantastic time at the cinema. When people talk about supporting original independent filmmaking, Wishful Thinking feels like the perfect embodiment of that idea. It is an absolute must watch when it inevitably receives the distribution it deserves.