Fantasia Film Festival 2025 – Most of us have had crushes and fixations when we were teenagers. Sweetness, written and directed by Emma Higgins, takes that to the next level. Higgins’ feature debut is a dark coming-of-age tale about a 16-year-old’s loneliness that manifests into an unhealthy obsession with a Swedish pop star.
The film opens with teen Rylee (Kate Hallet) kneeling on her bed, staring up at her wall plastered with posters and pictures of Swedish heartthrob Payton (Herman Tømmeraas). She basically prays to his pictures and counts down the days until she sees him in concert. From the get-go, Higgins establishes Rylee’s utter fascination with Payton. Rylee lost her mom, after a drunk driver hit and killed her, and her father, Ron (Justin Chatwin), is emotionally distant from his daughter, consumed by his own grief. She’s also frequently bullied at school and seen as the weird girl. Payton’s music is all Rylee has.
Rylee attends the concert with her bestie, Sidney (Aya Furukawa). After the show, Rylee plans to somehow meet Payton and make her dreams a reality. However, Sidney ditches her to make out with a boy. While speeding away after the show to score some drugs, Payton accidently hits Rylee with a car. This leads to the chance encounter Rylee always dreamed of. Yet, she soon realizes that Payton is an addict. She eventually kidnaps him, handcuffs him to her bed and then in a basement, leading to a shift in tone that has total Misery vibes. Rylee is convinced that she can help Payton overcome his addictions and save him. After all, she needs him and his music. Her belief underscores the fantasy world she lives in.
There’s plenty that works really well with Higgins’ film. Her background as a music video director adds style and visual flair, especially during the first act, with all the artsy concert footage of Payton performing on stage. Rylee’s immense loneliness also comes through. This is conveyed especially well during one of the early concert scenes. Rylee squeezes up front and sings every word to Payton’s songs, as if they were written specifically for her. Yet, there’s such a clash of reality. For instance, when Payton drives Rylee home after hitting her, he barely listens to anything Rylee says, as she rambles on about how his music saved her. She’s also naive in thinking she can save him.
The movie also contains some fairly shocking sequences in the second half, veering into straight horror territory. Rylee will do whatever she can to ensure Payton doesn’t leave and no one discovers him. Hallet gives one heck of a performance throughout the film, transforming into a pretty frightening character by the time all is said and done. Keep an eye on her. She’s likely to have quite the career in front of her. Tømmeraas’s performance is another highlight, playing a tortured pop star battling his demons, along with a crazy fan. Furukawa is good, too, adding comedic relief as Sidney, which is needed, especially since the film tackles some pretty heavy themes.
I did, however, question some of the plot. Rylee’s dad is a cop, so the fact he didn’t catch on earlier to what his daughter did surprised me. I also questioned why no one in the suburbs realized what Rylee had done. There’s even a scene where Payton breaks loose and runs through the streets for help. Yet, no one hears or sees him. Still, those are minor gripes of an otherwise gripping feature debut.
Overall, Sweetness is a visually stylish film and a harrowing look at fandom. It’s a grim coming-of-age tale that should resonate with horror and music fans alike. Both Higgins and the film’s young star, Hallett, are talents to watch.
