The Sweet East

Last updated

The Sweet East
The Sweet East poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sean Price Williams
Written byNick Pinkerton
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySean Price Williams
Edited by Stephen Gurewitz
Production
companies
  • Marathon Street
  • Base 12
Distributed by Utopia
Release dates
  • May 18, 2023 (2023-05-18)(Cannes)
  • December 1, 2023 (2023-12-01)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$564,192 [2] [3]

The Sweet East is a 2023 American satirical surrealist road film directed by Sean Price Williams in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Nick Pinkerton. It stars Talia Ryder, Earl Cave, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy O. Harris, Jacob Elordi and Rish Shah. The film follows a teenager from South Carolina who experiences the wider world on a picaresque adventure through the East Coast of the United States.

Contents

The Sweet East had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023. The film was released in the United States on December 1, 2023, by Utopia.

Plot

High school senior Lillian is on a class trip to Washington, D.C., when a local restaurant is attacked by an armed man who believes the establishment houses a secret pedophilia ring. She is led to safety by anarchist political activist Caleb, who brings her to a home where he lives with other dissidents. Caleb and his friends bring Lillian along to a protest, only to discover that they traveled to the wrong location. While there, she meets Lawrence, a far-right university professor and Nazi sympathizer, who offers to let her stay with him at his home.

Lillian sends word to a friend that she is safe but does not plan to return home. She sees news reports that there is a police manhunt for her, with fears that she has been kidnapped. While at Lawrence's house, Lillian witnesses him meeting with a skinhead, who gives him a large duffel bag. She convinces Lawrence to take her with him on a trip to New York City, bringing the bag with them. Lillian convinces him to rent a Manhattan hotel room and undresses in front of him.

The following day, Lillian sends Lawrence to buy her nail polish. While he is gone, she searches the bag and finds it full of cash; she takes the bag and leaves. As Lillian is fleeing from the hotel, she is stopped on the street by director Molly and producer Matthew, who want to cast her in a film they are making. She gets the part and begins shooting, striking up a flirtation with her co-star Ian, a famous actor.

Lillian is photographed by paparazzi walking with Ian, with the pictures published on the cover of a tabloid magazine. During the shoot one night, the skinhead arrives at the set searching for her and the money; he and other skinheads open fire and kill many members of the cast and crew, including Ian.

Lillian is rescued by crew member Mo, who drives her to Vermont and hides her in a secluded barn on a property his brother Ahmad runs as an Islamic community. While she initially stays there for fear that the skinheads are still searching for her, she finds a newspaper that they have been captured by police, along with an assault rifle. Lillian plans to leave, but is seen by Ahmad, Mo, and others. She pretends to be a neighbor looking for a lost dog that escaped. She collapses from exhaustion while walking away by the roadside.

She awakens at a monastery, where she is told by a priest that she was rescued from freezing to death and that the police have been notified of her whereabouts. Upon returning home, Lillian finds that her classmates are now living very different lives than when she last saw them. As her family is distracted by TV news reports about a terrorist attack at a football stadium that has left tens of thousands dead, she leaves the house and smiles into the camera.

Cast

Talia Ryder Never Rarely Sometimes Always-0502 (cropped).jpg
Jacob Elordi, 2020 (cropped).jpg
Simon Rex during an interview, March 2022.jpg
Ayo Edebiri (2018) (cropped).jpg
Clockwise: actors Talia Ryder, Jacob Elordi, Ayo Edebiri and Simon Rex

Production

Sean Price Williams thought no one would give him money to make his directorial debut, until Alex Ross Perry used his agency connections to secure the cast in order to gain financing. [4] After reading the screenplay, the film's executive producer, Jimmy Kaltreider, also provided some financing for the film via a small fund from Peter Thiel. [5]

The Sweet East was shot on 16 mm film by Williams, who was the film's cinematographer in addition to director. [6] The film was shot seasonally over the course of several months. Half of the film was shot in October 2021, and the other half was shot in May 2022. [7]

The character of Jeff was originally going to be played by Eddie Deezen, but he was not available as he was in jail. Pete Davidson then agreed to perform the role, but had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict. The role ultimately went to Andy Milonakis. [8]

The film makes use of several different film techniques and special effects. The Schüfftan process in particular is used in a shot later in the film. [9]

Release

The Sweet East had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023. [10] It was also screened at the New York Film Festival on October 10, 2023. [11] [12] Utopia acquired North American distribution rights to the film in July 2023. [13] It premiered at the IFC Center in New York City on December 1, 2023, followed by a national rollout. [14] The film was released on Hulu on May 17, 2024. [15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 81% of 69 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.The website's consensus reads: "A consistently amusing satire of modern American life, The Sweet East is so engaging from moment to moment that it's easy to forgive its somewhat hazy thesis." [16] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [17]

Carlos Losilla of Caimán Cuadernos de Cine wrote, "The Sweet East mixes Lewis Carroll with the Rivette of Céline and Julie vont en bateau , to jump to the other side of the mirror and contemplate, despite everything, what remains of the American dream." [18]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Sweet East". Directors' Fortnight . Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Sweet East (2023)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Sweet East (2023)". The Numbers . Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ Goldstein, Gregg (May 18, 2023). "'The Sweet East' Director Sean Price Williams on Politics, Unions and the Film Establishment". Variety . Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ Gil, Jai; Hane, Charlie (August 3, 2024). "The Sweet East's Online Odyssey: In Conversation with Palme d'Or-Winning Producer Alex Coco". Bright Lights Film Journal . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ Burns, Sean (February 15, 2024). "'The Sweet East' is a road trip comedy through a lost America". WBUR . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ The Sweet East. Audio commentary by Director Sean Williams, writer Nick Pinkerton, and editor Stephen Gurewitz. Utopia Distribution, 2024. 00:48:45
  8. ↑ The Sweet East. Audio commentary by Director Sean Williams, writer Nick Pinkerton, and editor Stephen Gurewitz. Utopia Distribution, 2024. 00:09:05
  9. ↑ The Sweet East. Audio commentary by Director Sean Williams, writer Nick Pinkerton, and editor Stephen Gurewitz. Utopia Distribution, 2024. 01:19:30
  10. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (April 18, 2023). "Cannes' Directors Fortnight Unveils 2023 Lineup, Including Films by Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondr". Variety . Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ "The Sweet East". Film at Lincoln Center . Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ Hayes, Dade (August 17, 2023). "Saoirse Ronan-Paul Mescal Sci-Fi Drama 'Foe' And Nathan Fielder-Benny Safdie Series 'The Curse' Set World Premieres At New York Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ Lang, Brent (July 27, 2023). "Utopia Buys 'The Sweet East,' Road Movie With Talia Ryder, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri and Jacob Elordi (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ Bergeson, Samantha (November 2, 2023). "'The Sweet East' Trailer: Talia Ryder Encounters Jacob Elordi, Simon Rex, and More in Unhinged Coming-of-Age Road Trip". IndieWire . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  15. ↑ DeSalvo, Robert (May 2, 2024). "11 movies to check out on Hulu this May". The A.V. Club . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ "The Sweet East". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 21, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  17. ↑ "The Sweet East". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  18. ↑ "The Sweet East (Sean Price Williams). SEMINCI 2023". Caiman Ediciones (in Spanish). October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
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