SXSW '25: Now! More! Yes!

A blind Milwaukee car salesman deciding to buy an ambulance in the hopes of fixing it up and selling it down the road, or using it for his prop film car business, sounds like a really promising and fun premise–but to what extent? Now! More! Yes! is the story of TW Hansen, a blind car salesman who buys an ambulance drunkenly one night. That’s kind of all you need to know about the documentary, which had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025. 

Miles Fox records Hi8 footage of TW Hansen preparing for a shoot.

TW Hansen is an interesting figure, a kind of wanton character floating through life and business endeavors. The documentary opens with him entertaining a group of all of his friends and associates, and it gives you a good idea of the type of entertainer he is. He’s a showman and a businessman and takes a lot of pride in both of these things. The issue with the film is that as a figure, his charm only goes so far. Now! More! Yes! delves deep into his life, his eventual depression, and from there, his comeback. But he tries so hard to be this entertaining figure that it becomes a bit grating to the audience. He goes on these long monologues, which are charming at first, then quickly begin to seem like a guy who likes his own voice and thinks every thought he has needs to be shared with the world. By the end of the film Hansen’s journey isn’t completed, but he finds a new meaning in life. He finds love and proposes to his girlfriend. But after spending so much time with the guy, you start to wonder if you actually care that much about him. 

The direction from Max Hey is focused and dialed in from the moment the documentary begins. He clearly has a large amount of affection for his subject, and is willing to follow him into the depths to explore who he is. The unfortunate part about this is that no matter how hard he tries to cut around the content that’s given, it becomes increasingly difficult to paint Hansen in a light that works for his documentary. The film meanders around as the subject does and ultimately, we just follow a man at a low that he’s seemingly put himself in. It becomes increasingly difficult to really feel for Hansen as he continues to work himself into these positions, and the film still has to document its subject. 

The most interesting part about this film is its portrayal of the Midwest. It is one of the most Midwest movies I’ve ever seen, for better or for worse. There isn’t a lot to do and Hansen’s depression feels really authentic to the Midwest experience. Being from Indiana a lot of these people and things reminded me of home, but also reminded me of why I left home. When an environment is so inescapable, it becomes really easy to fall prey to it. The streets of Milwaukee are lined with cars flooding the traffic, and the motif of middle America shines throughout because in a way it plays as a character. These people exist everywhere, but there is something so uniquely Midwest about the cast of characters in this film that reigns true to this day. The musician trying to work alongside Hansen to direct a video, but Hansen keeps taking his time working on it and trying to perfect it. The owner of the dealership who gives Hansen so much grace because at his core he understands that this guy is just trying to make it and has a true knack for selling cars. The man who gives Hansen a second chance after he’s fired from his previous dealership. Through these moments, the Midwest becomes a character that really lends itself to being a periscope into a slower way of living. 

The film is so uniquely Midwest that it makes so much sense it plays out like this. A region filled with well-meaning people with a lot of heart honestly maybe doesn’t make for the best subject. Everyone in the world likes to think that they’re important, but it becomes difficult to prove when the camera is on them and they have to fill an hour and a half of content. I wish the film had delved more into the sides of Hansen that it hints at. He is a multifaceted person, but instead, we do a deep dive into his wackier and zany side at the expense of the documentary’s structure. At a certain point, I expect a documentary to help me learn more about my subject as a human, and not just as a character going through the motions. 

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