Run Sweetheart Run

"A first date from hell."

2020 1h 44m EN

😐

5.5

MID

★5.5TMDB · 240

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A woman runs for her life though the streets of Los Angeles after her blind date suddenly turns violent.

“A first date from hell.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ella Balinska
Cherie
Pilou Asbæk
Ethan
Clark Gregg
James R. Fuller
Shohreh Aghdashloo
First Lady
Dayo Okeniyi
Trey
Sagan Rose
Secretary #1
Briana Lane
Secretary #2
Kaitlyn Raymond
Secretary #3

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shana Feste
Writers: Shana Feste
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shana Feste, shot by Bartosz Nalazek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robin Coudert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dominic LaPerriere shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ella Balinska and Pilou Asbæk and Clark Gregg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A first date from hell.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8656686 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shana Feste directs. Bartosz Nalazek behind the camera. Robin Coudert scores. Dominic LaPerriere cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2Directed by Shana Feste, shot by Bartosz Nalazek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Robin Coudert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Dominic LaPerriere shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ella Balinska and Pilou Asbæk and Clark Gregg carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A first date from hell.".
7IMDB entry: tt8656686 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bartosz Nalazek
Original score: Robin Coudert
Editing: Dominic LaPerriere
Production design: Page Buckner
Makeup / hair: Gage Hubbard
VFX supervisor: Jean-Michel Boublil
Sound: Matt Yocum
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Run Sweetheart Run (2020)

Also by

Shana Feste

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2020-03-27
★ 7/10
Thanks to a recent surge in female-driven horror, the concept of women in genre films no longer feels like a novelty. So when a director chooses to make a scary film that’s centered around the female experience, it better be daring and disruptive. Such is the case with “Run Sweetheart Run,” a wild, twisted tale of female empowerment that is as political as it is terrifying. After a bad breakup, hardworking single mother Cherie (Ella Balinska) is set up on a blind date with the handsome Ethan (Pilou Asbæk). He’s sophisticated, magnetic, and ever the charmer. When Cherie agrees to return to his house for an after-dinner nightcap, Ethan brutally attacks her. She manages to escape the grasp of this lethal predator, but only temporarily. Alone on the streets of Los Angeles with a torn dress covered in blood and without a cell phone or shoes, bystanders refuse to help because they assume she’s a junkie. But once the police finally arrive, it becomes clear that Ethan is very connected and everyone is against her. Turns out her date is a hunter, and he delights in spending the rest of the evening stalking his female prey. Writer – director Shana Feste has created a literal date from hell scenario. Cherie is already creeped out by an unsettling Uber ride on the way to her date, and things get worse from there. It’s a story that will resonate with many women, as Feste accurately captures what many single ladies would deem their worst nightmare. It raises the “what would I do in this situation?” question as the leading lady calls on all of her will, ingenuity, and intellect to survive. This story confronts toxic masculinity head-on like an atomic bomb full of social and political horror. There is a not-so-subtle, chilling commentary about people of color, particularly when it comes to minority women who are assaulted. It’s repeated that “nobody cares” about women like Cherie because people like her don’t matter when they go missing — and their police cases are shuffled to the bottom of the pile. The commentary on rape culture and gender politics is strong too, especially because Ethan is a dominant male who thinks he’s in control. He snarls how he must “keep girls like you in their place,” even blaming Cherie for his predatory behavior because she dressed too sexily for a first date. The end result is violent and bloody, but Feste’s choice not to show the worst of the violence onscreen may disappoint hardcore fans of the genre. But it’s scarier because of what you don’t see than it being necessary to show a man brutally attacking a woman. The sounds alone are chilling, and it’s just as horrifying (if not more so) to hear the attacks rather than witness them. The film takes a sobering walk along patriarchy and gender lines, but it evolves into an empowering tale of a strong, badass heroine who refuses to be a victim and fights back. The story is simple and not particularly memorable, but the themes are where this film shines. Everything, down to the smallest details, are steeped in a deeply critical and political view of modern society. In a moment of blink-or-you’ll-miss-it cleverness, the gritty landscape of L.A. is dotted with inappropriate, sexist billboards that convey the hurdles (and minor horrors) females face in everyday life. “Run Sweetheart Run” is a liberating, spirited, and inspiring thriller that will resonate with women everywhere. Power to the people, but especially the ladies.
Sierbahnn2026-09-27
★ 6/10
This movie is very well made and looks good enough, certainly, but there are elements to its plot and presentation that drags the score down somewhat for me. I think that it wants to be both a social commentary on the predatory nature of powerful men against young women, but then strays into supernatural qualities and finally biblical ones, and I'm not sure that that journey is warranted. If it had settled into one of the three, it might have pulled off a better presentation overall, but now I was left feeling as though the movie wasn't internally quite as consistent as it could have been. It is well casted and well acted. The director does a very solid job, but the writing leaves something to be desired when it comes to consistency. It's still a fun movie, and I do recommend that you watch it.