The Sweet East (2023) User Reviews

loses me at a point

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 2 March 2024]

High school student Lillian (Talia Ryder) and her classmates from South Carolina are on a field trip to Washington, D. C. She sets off on her own to have a series of rambling adventures.

Lillian is the bohemian pixie dream girl, a cousin of the manic pixie dream girl. She's more chilled. She goes on a meandering 70's style journey into outsider America. I'm intrigued by her trip for the first half. She's cute and is that girl. After about an hour, the movie goes off the rails. It does something completely ridiculous. The quirky rambling series of new friends becomes a rather silly random event. At that point, the movie loses me and it never gets me back.

A schoolgirls fever dream.

[stevelivesey-37183 · 5/10 · 29 February 2024]

This happened and then this happened and after that this happened.

In 1973, a British movie called O Lucky Man was released with a similar story structure. Namely, a protagonist falls from one improbable situation to another whilst passing commentary on the world around us.

In this movie, all sorts of 'thrilling' adventures befall Taila Ryder as she is led from one implausible situation to the next. An activist, ingenue, actress, thief, prisoner, etc. Until its disappointing climax.

Ryder is good as the nonplussed main character, the script seems largely improvised, the plot doesn't exist and the poor quality film stock and directing style made me want to shower after watching it.

It quite good with some reservations.

Well... it's weird lol.

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 7/10 · 2 April 2024]

I have never been to the east coast of North America but watching a film like The Sweet East informs me in surreal and unconventional fashion what a culturally specific and striking region it is. This is a film that won't be for everybody; it's terminally odd, episodic to the point of being untethered, fiercely dialogue driven in some areas and visually shocking in others, a challenging arthouse road picture shot on grainy film stock, wrestling through restless themes in unorthodox fashion with a protagonist who is just south of likeable and just north of antihero. Lillian (Talia Ryder) is a runaway teen who finds herself energetically propelled from one strange encounter to the next along the USA's eclectic eastern seaboard, meeting one bizarre character after another in a free flowing, stream of consciousness vernacular that feels like a twilight zone Americana heroes journey gone slightly awry. Going into this it felt very barebones indie but there are some jarringly recognizable faces peppered in amongst the ensemble including Ayo Edibiri (FX's The Bear), Jacob Elordi (Sofia Coppola's Priscilla) and a standout Simon Rex, an actor I know only for his goofy presence in Scary Movie 3 and whose verbose, eccentric middle aged scholar here was an utterly surprising addition. Many films like this strive to illustrate a sort of dark side to the American dream but this one starts Lillian at a place where that dream isn't even a feasible undertaking, and even when she achieves some semblance of it by accidentally stumbling into the film industry, it's quickly snatched away in almost cartoonishly violent, satirically grotesque form. Like it or hate it, a lot of beautiful creativity and thought (both conscious and unconscious) went into this film and I appreciate it for being such a singular piece of artistic expression. Plus who doesn't love weird s**t? It's like a poet hipster's answer to Midnite Movie grindhouse sensibility and that's something you don't see every day.

One of a kind - 10/10!

[vthsfggyd · 10/10 · 11 September 2023]

The whole movie feels like a magical fever dream, but in a positive way. There is so much happening during the whole movie that you probably need to watch it a few times in order to identify all the metaphors that were used to create this gem. Alice in Wonderland meets American Girl from the 90s meets kafkaesk Sarcasm and Randomness. I loved it, for me it's a one of a kind movie. Talia Ryder is the absolut perfect choice for Lillian, I don't think anyone else could have pulled off that role as much as she did.

If you are open to something special - give it a try :) You get to know a lot of interesting characters and aspects about what they stand for. 10/10 for me!

Basically an A24 movie that isn't made by A24

[chenp-54708 · 10/10 · 27 February 2024]

This movie is VERY weird...and I love it.

This entire movie is basically a fever dream blended with Alice in Wonderland and surrealist concepts all around. Yet, it worked a lot. Sean Price Williams debut feature is an outstanding with gorgeous direction approaches on the tone, style and writing, weird yet interesting characters and dialogue, and great performances from the entire cast members especially from Talia Ryder. The writing explores some weird themes and ideas that work really well with the absurdity, metaphors and surrealist nature which included some amazing camerawork, strange vibes and structure approaches.

Many of the characters are strange but I found myself being invested with the journey of the characters and who they were. As mention all the performances are great especially Talia Ryder, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri, Earl Cave and Jacob Elordi. The dialogue is weird but good, the soundtrack and editing style is crazy but fitting, and the pacing is quite all over the place but in a very good way.

It's definitely one of a kind of a movie because I can't think of any other movie that exist that can be compared to this one. 100 percent this isn't going to be liked from general audiences but as someone who loves art-house stuff, this worked for me.

Waste of time

[pieterds1 · 2/10 · 20 October 2023]

Since the director was cameraman on the film Good Time, I had high expectations. But the film was a disappointment. Poorly acted, implausible situations, tedious drawn-out conversations (blah blah blah about Edgar Allan Poe etc).

Magic movie? All in wonderland? Punk fairy tale? None of that. The makers are still all adolescents and it shows, there is no fondness in it. Just Fried Air. I imagine Young people who haven't seen many films yet could probably find it special or so

I'm open to a lot ( I read references to John waters in a review ) but after three quarters of an hour it becomes too much for me, so I quit, life is too short to spend on bad movies like this one.

Loved it. Relived my teenage years!

[xmfvbmwkc · 10/10 · 4 March 2024]

Just here to say I loved the film. The dialogue is well written, made me laugh and snigger throughout. Simon Rex and Talia Ryder got me glued to the screen. Now I'll have to follow whatever these two are starring in next..

The story of the Sweet East starts with a song, sung by a continuously sullen Lillian.. I loved the song and thought this was such a good way to introduce the audience to the character, because everything you need to know about Lillian is in the delivery of the song.

Then begins a 'coming of age' story, following this smart yet clueless, single-minded yet insecure girl.

It really reminded me of my own teenage self and the way I imitated people, took over habits, was intimidated by peers, had power without realising it, got lost, screwed up, was approached by men, used my looks to my advantage and experimented with it with zero care about the impact it had on others.. I thought this was the most realistic depiction of female teenage-hood I've seen on film in a long time.

Really hope to see more from the director Sean Price Williams and the main actors. Talia Ryder Simon Rex and Ayo Edibiri particularly are very fun to watch.

Obnoxious and tedious

[redgenerall · 2/10 · 29 March 2024]

Aight. So we're following Lillian who ran away (just for fun) and now she's getting mixed up with all sorts of people. We have some radical artists/activists, some alt right crowd, some actors, some radical religions types. So, I guess, this whole movie supposed to be like a portrait of the country. Or political satire maybe. In reality though, it's very tedious and obnoxious experience.

The main reason - Lillian. She's shallow, superficial, uninteresting human being. She's annoying and frustrating. She got nothing original to say. She's boring and she bored. And not really a compelling or sympathetic character.

Side characters are fine though, but it feels like their potential is wasted on Lillian.

Cinematography is also nice, but not strong enough to carry the whole thing.

Masterpiece

[JimmyWhimmyNutrinSon · 10/10 · 8 May 2024]

Some of the reviews here are highly entertaining, I will admit. IMDB users never fail to amaze with their continual inability to engage with unique film.

I was simply gleeful watching the whole thing with a big smile across my face. In a world of action comedies, pretentious horror films, the borderline parody level "A24 'Genre'" type films, its so refreshing to have something as creative as this. This is a highly literate film, reminding me of Pynchon, Bolaño, Easton Ellis, Kerouac and much more. I so hope Pinkerton writes even bigger films, because this has one of the best screenplays in a long time, crafting a very unique and yet believable world, full of exaggerated yet realistic caricatures. There's an early De Palma like quality to this, very Hi Mom in parts.

Of course it was also directed by a cinematographer, so the film is probably the best looking film released in the last decade. Sean Price Williams does a fantastic job directing this gorgeous film. Dean Hurley's sound design also deserves a nod. The entire soundtrack is excellent, once again providing relief against radio hit needledrop soundtracks everybody loves now. Talia Ryder is a star in the making right here, she's excellent! Really everyone is, Simon Rex being especially hilarious.

Stupid film has no meaning at all

[almamoun-97712 · 1/10 · 27 April 2024]

We've all been there. You settle in for a movie night, popcorn in hand, eager to be transported to another world. But as the credits roll, you're left with a sinking feeling. The plot holes seem like craters, the characters like caricatures, and the overall message? As elusive as a wisp of smoke. This, my friends, is the territory of the "stupid film."

These films are more than just forgettable popcorn flicks. They actively assault our intelligence, offering visuals and sound instead of substance. They rely on tired tropes, predictable plotlines, and characters who make decisions that would baffle a toddler.