‘Basic’ SXSW Review: Ashley Park and Leighton Meester Bond Over Toxic Relationship Anxieties in a Charming Rom-Com

Sex

“Basic” is a zany, heartrending short-turned-feature centered on two women carrying deep seated relationship insecurities that’s far more complex than its pithy title suggests. Writer-director Chelsea Devantez ’s witty, wisdom-filled musings tap into relatable angst dealing with toxic social media practices and women’s self-sabotaging tendencies, exploring the method behind the madness and ruminating on how to grow from our unhealthy behaviors. Cute but never cloying, the romantic comedy’s good-