Sweet Thing

2020 1h 31m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 30🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●72Metacritic★7IMDB · 1,432

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For Billie and Nico, life with their father is a roller-coaster ride of playfulness and unease. When he is in the grip of alcohol, tears flow and their apparently idyllic family life collapses. Their mostly absent and irresponsible mother is not much help either. But their friendship with Malik, a boy of Billie’s age, frees them from their shackles. Together they embark on a journey full of intense moments of freedom. The colourful, emotional world of the three young people is depicted in kaleidoscopic black and white imagery, which opens space for their own notions of childhood. Alexandre Rockwell's tale portrays a profound sense of solidarity and deep love: for cinema and Billie Holiday, and also for risk and adventure.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lana Rockwell
Billie
Nico Rockwell
Nico
Will Patton
Adam
Karyn Parsons
Eve
ML Josepher
Beaux
Jabari Watkins
Malik
Steven Randazzo
Owen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexandre Rockwell
Writers: Alexandre Rockwell
Languages: English, Portuguese
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 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexandre Rockwell, shot by Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lana Rockwell and Nico Rockwell and Will Patton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11685322 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexandre Rockwell directs. Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll behind the camera. Alan Wu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 6 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Alexandre Rockwell, shot by Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Alan Wu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lana Rockwell and Nico Rockwell and Will Patton carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt11685322 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll
Editing: Alan Wu
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $150,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Sweet Thing (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 72/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 1,432 votes

Awards

5 wins & 5 nominations

Crystal Bear

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alexandre Rockwell

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-07-10
★ 9/10
So depressing to think that there are people who live like this, in the United States and in this day. But the film is wonderful. Might have been better on the big screen - the close-up shots were a little much for home viewing. And yeah, extra credit cause I'm a Van Morrison fan (title song).

Production companies