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= The Sweet East =
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Introduction
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'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.
'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
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High school senior Lillian Wade is on a class trip to Washington,
D.C., until 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 McNair and producer Matthew
Sutter, 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 Reynolds, 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 Mohammed (also known as "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
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* Talia Ryder as Lillian
* Earl Cave as Caleb
* Simon Rex as Lawrence
* Ayo Edebiri as Molly
* Jeremy O. Harris as Matthew
* Jacob Elordi as Ian
* Rish Shah as Mohammed
* Gibby Haynes as Abbot
* Jack Irv as Troy
* Ella Rubin as Annabel
* Tess McMillan as Tessa
* Jamie Granato as tour guide
* Peter Vack as George Washington boy
* Betsey Brown as Betsy Ross girl
* Andy Milonakis as Jeff
* Mazin Akar as Ahmad
* MiMi Ryder as Cousin Claire
* Jonathan Daniel Brown as Mr. Franks
Production
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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. 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.
'The Sweet East' was shot on 16 mm film by Williams, who was the
film's cinematographer in addition to director. 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.
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.
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.
Release
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'The Sweet East' had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight
section of the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023. It was also
screened at the New York Film Festival on October 10, 2023. Utopia
acquired North American distribution rights to the film in July 2023.
It premiered at the IFC Center in New York City on December 1, 2023,
followed by a national rollout. The film was released on Hulu on May
17, 2024.
Reception
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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."
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweet_East
