There will not be a more extraordinary film than “Sweetie” in a long long time!
The buttoned-down, superstitious Kay is attempting to lead a normal existence with her new boyfriend Louis. That’s until Sweetie, her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, returns home after an absence, exposing the rotten roots of their family and placing a strain on Kay and Louis’ relationship.
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Character
Spare, contemporary, prestige and intimate.
- sparerichly built
- contemporarynostalgic
- unpretentiousprestige
- intimateepic
- character-ledplot-driven
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“Is Kay the real protagonist?”
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“Does the smallness hold it back?”
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“Is it funnier than it is smart?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CRCulveron TMDB · Sep 20186/10
When it starts off with the eccentric and shy Kay (Karen Colston) falling in love with the handsome Louis (Tom Lycos), Jane Campion's 1988 film SWEETIE promises a romantic comedy. When Kay's mentally ill sister Dawn (Genevieve Lemon) drops in, the film develops in a very different direction. Some element of comedy, very black humour, remains but overall the film is a family tragedy. The tragedy is that this disturbed young woman nicknamed "Sweetie" is simultaneously a victim of her own illness and an unwilling aggressor against her family, who feign love and acceptance but clearly would like to do without her. The strongest aspect of the film is Lemon's performance, one of the best screen portrayals of mental illness since Bergman's IN A GLASS DARKLY. Something I appreciate more on repeat viewing is that the background to this family drama is left ambiguous. That said, I would not list "Sweetie" among my favourite films: it is overall well-made and memorable but not quite at the level of effusive praise.
Read the whole review on TMDB - missmiseryson TMDB · Mar 20201/10
I dislike this film so much. Mental illness is portrayed absolutely horribly in it. None of the characters are likeable whatsoever. A waste of time that I would recommend to no one unless you want to be very annoyed.
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Cast
- Geneviève LemonDawn 'Sweetie'
- Karen ColstonKay
- Tom LycosLouis
- Jon DarlingGordon
- Dorothy BarryFlo
- Andre PataczekClayton
- Michael LakeBob
- Jean HadgraftMrs. Schneller
- Paul LivingstonTeddy Schneller
- Louise FoxCheryl
Crew
- Jane CampionDirector
- Jane CampionScreenplay
- Gerard LeeScreenplay
- Sally BongersDirector of Photography
- Martin ArmigerOriginal Music Composer
- Veronika JenetEditor
- John MaynardProducer
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Pairings
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Often watched with
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