The Sweet East | |
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Directed by | Sean Price Williams |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Sean Price Williams |
Edited by | Stephen Gurewitz |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Utopia |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $107,311[2] |
The Sweet East is a 2023 American drama 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.
It had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023, in the Directors' Fortnight section. It was released on December 1, 2023, by Utopia.
Plot
A high school senior is separated from her class trip and is taken through the cities and woods of the United States.[3]
Cast
- 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
- Andy Milonakis as Jeff
- Nichole Byron as Crafty Lady
- Jordan Nessinger as Amir
- Peter Vack
- Betsey Brown
- Jamie Granato as Tour Guide
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]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section on May 18, 2023.[5] In July 2023, Utopia acquired distribution rights to the film.[6] It also screened at the New York Film Festival on October 10, 2023.[7][8] It was released on December 1, 2023.[9]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 33 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10. 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."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
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."[12]
References
- ↑ "The Sweet East". Directors' Fortnight. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sweet East". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ↑ Ford, Rebecca (May 16, 2023). "Cannes First Look: The Sweet East Wanders Around America". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Goldstein, Gregg (May 18, 2023). "'The Sweet East' Director Sean Price Williams on Politics, Unions and the Film Establishment". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (April 18, 2023). "Cannes' Directors Fortnight Unveils 2023 Lineup, Including Films by Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondr". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "The Sweet East". New York Film Festival. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Sean Price Williams, Talia Ryder, Simon Rex & More on The Sweet East, Problematic Characters, and Trust". New York Film Festival. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sweet East". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sweet East". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sweet East (Sean Price Williams). SEMINCI 2023". Caiman Ediciones (in Spanish). 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.