Austin Film Festival Review: The 'Vous

Good barbecue is all about time. Legacy spots with decades spent perfecting their craft. Oftentimes long lines just to procure the goods. Certainly no meal filled with smoked meats was ever consumed in a hurry. Even the cooking method has a time-based mantra: “low and slow.”

In their documentary The ‘Vous, filmmakers Jack Porter Lofton and Jeffrey Dailey go deep into the life of famed Memphis BBQ joint the Rendezvous to examine what happens as time passes in a legendary institution.

The ‘Vous screened at this year’s Austin Film Festival and featured a Q&A hosted by none other than Austin BBQ legend Aaron Franklin. This was apropos because a newer establishment like Franklin Barbecue obviously aspires to the longevity of a place like the Rendezvous, and there is longevity in spades.

The film focuses on the people as much as the place and even the food. Unlike most Austin joints, the Rendezvous features waiters, a collection of men who have either spent decades on the job or plan to. Working 50 years at The Rendezvous is not an anomaly. These men are more than servers; they are pillars of the community, famed members of their city’s culinary culture.

Then there are the owners, the Vergos family. While the staff is almost universally African-American, this family is white and of Greek descent. Charlie Vergos started the restaurant more than 70 years ago, and his children and grandchildren carry on the tradition. Race is present, as it must be in a city like Memphis with its history. While this past has been contentious, the members of the Rendezvous family have been just that, family. Racists have never been welcome in the restaurant, a policy that came from Charlie Vergos himself. It’s a great example of standing up for justice in an unjust world.

One interesting thing about working at the Rendezvous is the journey from rookie to all-star. Young men are given a role and shown just how much work it takes to be successful. Not all make it. Most don’t, in fact. One young man, Billy, is profiled, and while he makes a very sympathetic character, a series of missteps cuts short his time.

The ‘Vous is a dangerous watch for anyone who views it in a state of hunger. Those ribs jump off the screen, tempting any and all meat eaters. More than that, the story of the Rendezvous, encompassing decades of time and dozens of people, not to mention thousands of customers, paints a picture of loyalty, legacy, and longevity.

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Austin Film Festival, Oct. 27-Nov. 3. Details and badges at austinfilmfestival.com.