SXSW 2025 Review: The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick Is a Bold, Genre-Bending Triumph from Pete Ohs
A delightfully obscure exploration of fear and acceptance, Pete Ohs’ latest festival entry stars Zoë Chao as Yvonne, a grieving woman who visits her old friend Camille (Callie Hernandez) in the countryside… and is bitten by a tick. This film is certainly the most original and unprecedented of the festival lineup. It is singular in its concept, but also in its message to audiences—and to the world.
The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick is grounded by four performances that are perfectly in line with the film’s tone. Beside Chao are James Cusati-Moyer and Jeremy O. Harris who play Isaac and A.J., a couple staying at Camille’s cabin unbeknownst to Yvonne. She isn’t particularly thrilled to find others staying at the cabin, especially since she arrived thinking she would be spending a quiet weekend with her old friend. But these crashers are soon revealed to be a lot more imposing than we initially suspect.
These are four actors who understand what this film is a vehicle for, which isn’t surprising, as each of them are credited as writers. When we sat down with Zoë and Callie for an interview before their premiere at SXSW, they told us that their process during production was rather informal. Together, the group wrote their scenes each morning, and performed them as the day went on. This allowed the actors to never feel over or underprepared. Instead, they found the story as it came to them. Which might be why the dialogue feels so natural and fluid. Without a script to cage them, these actors were able to create something explorative and experimental, which is reason alone to watch how this movie unfolds. Yet the mystery it crafts is what makes the film feel particularly magnetic, luring audiences in with its subtleties before shocking you with its ghastly third act.
The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick knows how to unnerve you, how to surprise you and how to keep you questioning what will happen next. There’s a particular nuance to this film that feels colloquial yet poetic. Something we can all understand and yet it simultaneously invites us to think a little deeper. The dialogue and atmosphere expertly crafts an uneasiness that crawls under your skin and leaves its message etched deep within you—just as a tick would. It doesn’t ever shy away from its concept or its themes, despite how uncomfortable the voyage to them might be, and fearlessly commits to its story in a way that leaves us pondering long after the credits have rolled. The ending of this film will surely have your jaw on the floor. This is festival excellence and every bit as shockingly moving as its title might suggest. Director Pete Ohs is a genius and a marvel and deserves multitudes of praise for his latest festival darling.
As of yet, there are no plans of distribution for The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick, however we were positively enchanted while screening this and are hopeful it finds a home. Although, if there’s anything we’ve learned from this indie, it’s that not every home is what it seems.
Watch the trailer for The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick below
[Review by guest blogger Jurgen Sosa]