Here's what we can tell you after a SXSW peek at Robert Rodriguez's new Ben Affleck movie

South by Southwest attendees on March 12 came for a work-in-progress screening of Austinite Robert Rodriguez’s next movie, “Hypnotic.”

They left with movie posters, sage filmmaking advice and Willy Wonka-style invites to visit the writer/director/everything-behind-the-camera filmmaker’s local Troublemaker Studios.

In a talk after the movie that Rodriguez promised would be “the best Q&A of all (expletive) time,” he asked the audience which of his past films have touched or inspired them. Then, he proceeded to give out movie posters for the films named and showed off props from those films, such as “Machete” and “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn,” that he’d also tucked backstage at the Paramount Theater. He also offered to anyone who took a picture with him before the movie a personal invite to come check out the studios. And on top of that, he offered to some of those who posed questions private screenings of his films such as “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D" or visits to his next film shoots.

Some filmmakers just show up with a film and members of the cast. Rodriguez was there to grant wishes.

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So, how was the movie?

Rodriguez asked attendees to please not share spoilers for the unfinished film, which stars Ben Affleck as a grieving dad who gets spun into a very twisty noir story. Except for some small special effects touches and what looked like unfinished closing credits, the movie appeared nearly complete. It takes place largely in Austin, shot on recognizable local streets and around parking garages downtown. The film also features the great character actor William Fichter in a villainous turn and Alice Braga as a woman helping Affleck’s character figure out why he’s being stalked after the kidnapping of his daughter.

The story, which the director conceived about 20 years ago while shooting “Spy Kids 2,” was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock down to its one-word title. But in execution, especially in its reality-bending twists and some of its visuals, it feels a lot like a Christopher Nolan joint with some early Stephen King elements that come into play later in the film.

Chunks of the movie feel like a leaden sad-Affleck crime drama, but the parts of the film that begin to feel unintentionally funny (the audience tittered in places that seemed to be serious and laughed out loud at some on-the-nose dialogue) can be explained away by what happens later in several major plot reversals.

By the end, the audience gave it an unsurprisingly rapturous SXSW reaction, with Q&A participants telling Rodriguez they loved the film. The filmmaker, who was given a celebratory cake to mark 30 years since his film “El Mariachi,” gave that enthusiasm back tenfold with the lengthy post-film talk.

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Maybe the pandemic made Rodriguez thirsty for crowdwork, but he seemed genuinely thrilled to be among Austin and Austin-visiting film fans and wanted to reward them for their loyalty and patronage. “Gratitude is the reason I’m here tonight after 30 years,” he said.

As for advice for other filmmakers who were at the screening, Rodriguez advised them to “just start” instead of waiting and to build communities and experience by practicing their craft. “Practice,” he advised, and “live a creative life and apply creativity to everything.”

"Hypnotic" comes out May 12.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Robert Rodriguez shares peek at Ben Affleck film 'Hypnotic' at SXSW