SXSW: Southern Storytelling Is Alive And Well In ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’

Directed by Andrew Patterson, The Rivals of Amziah King is written by Patterson and James Montague, The Rivals of Amziah King was one of two films to earn a standing ovation during its screening at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. It is a genre-blending film that drops its audience into a life and community.

Set in the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) is a pillar of his community. Charismatic, hardworking, and musically gifted, Amziah owns King Honey, the premiere honey-making company, and plays in a bluegrass band. When Amziah runs into his estranged foster daughter, Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass), at a restaurant a town over, he brings her back home. He teaches her the ropes of caring for the bees and turning King Honey into a family business.

But honey is a dangerous business. As people’s colonies and honey barrels begin getting stolen and are found by the police, Amziah tries to help solve the case. But when the thief hits the King’s farm, it’s up to Kateri to get everything back and, more importantly, make sure the people who took their livelihood feel like they have no peace.

The Rivals of Amziah King begins with a song, and that bluegrass song captures the tone for the rest of the runtime. There is always something to sing about, even when times are tough. Original songs that always expertly capture the story make for one of the most stunning soundtracks you can listen to. Whether it’s Amziah with his band or the band by itself, each song matters to the film.

The Rivals of Amziah King is effortlessly engrossing.

The Rivals of Amziah King tells its story the same way that Southerners do. Captured effortlessly by Matthew McConaughey as the titular character walking through a potluck explaining side dishes to his former foster daughter Kateri, storytelling in the South isn’t just stating events. As he walks Kateri down the table, he explains which food is good and which isn’t by explaining the circumstances and idiosyncrasies of the people who brought them to the event. Kateri says they’re lies, and Amziah responds that they’re rooted in truths. And that’s The Rivals of Amziah King. 

The characters do increasingly unbelievable things as Andrew Patterson progresses his story across each act. While the film itself may not be fantastical like Big Fish or as wholesome as the Beasts of the Southern Wild, it all begins to feel like a series of tall tales. That’s why it works. Because simply stealing back stolen beehives isn’t driving and picking them up. It’s planning, sneaking around, maybe making a whole barge to transport them down an uncrossable river. Everything starts as a singular, small moment, only to become one part of a grand adventure.

Still, this inventive and beloved way of telling events is only as good as the people bringing the tall tale to life, and that’s how The Rivals of Amziah King becomes something incredibly special. While I have turned into a Texas Football fan who is tired of seeing Matthew McConaughey‘s face on the sidelines every single Saturday, I was tired of him. To the point that I almost didn’t attend the SXSW world premiere of this film. However, that Southern charm and dialectical twang brings Amziah to life. A kind man, a hard-working man, Amziah’s kindness is as important as his successes.

For her part, Kateri is one of my favorite protagonists on screen. Angelina LookingGlass moves through the world with confidence, understanding how the world sees her as a native girl who lived in and out of foster care and a girl who can’t hurt anyone. She uses that to her advantage as The Rivals of Amziah King shifts gears from a found-family drama, a crime drama, to a revenge story, all with a heist taking the front of the second act.

There isn’t a single member of the cast who doesn’t add more to the story.

The rest of the cast, including Rob Morgan, Bruce Davis, Tony Revolori, Owen Teague, Jake Horowitz, Cole Sprouse,  and Kurt Russell, add effortless chemistry to the ensemble moments. The Rivals of Amziah King aims to send a message about community and to build something larger than an individual. Bees may be the metaphor for this film, but it is shown throughout Kateri’s journey to seek justice for Amziah King and King Honey.

Montague and Patterson’s script is filled with meaty dialogue that captures life in this rural area with thoughtful intent. These are characters who love and make a life in their small town, and that’s enough. Every monologue feels intimate and personal. Sure, they add exposition, but they never feel shoehorned in just to do so. Even the exploration of the bees and the honey industry is matched with interesting visuals that show you as much as they tell you. Much of The Rivals of Amziah King feels like a conversation you get to look in on, and in that way, it feels familiar in a nostalgic way.

The Rivals of Amziah King is a phenomenal sophomore film for The Vast of Night director Andrew Patterson. The film tells a rich story about a honey farmer, bees, found family, what it’s like to have people who move the world to help you, and what you do to repay that kindness. It is a masterclass in storytelling and one of the best representations of the mythmaking Southern storytelling does as tales spin wide, and the events become more and more “see it to believe it.”

The Rivals of Amziah King screened as a part of the 2025 SXSW Film Festival.