Sweetheart - Don't Miss This Gem Now Streaming!
Sweetheart was directed by J.D. Dillard, and is one of those Blumhouse Netflix originals that, at least for me, slipped way under the radar. It stars Kiersey Clemons as Jenn, a young woman who washes up on a deserted tropical island, but very soon begins to notice that she may not be as alone as she first thought…with danger lurking just off-shore. So, not only does Jenn need to contend with the elements, the absolute loneliness and isolation, but there’s something evil lurking? I’m so in.
So, I went into this feeling like it was going to be like Castaway, I thought it would maybe be a young woman losing her mind or something, but instead the movie took a left turn that had me almost cheering. It’s a very simple concept, with a very easy to digest plot and script, and was (I’m sounding like a broken record) simple in every single way. But that is where this little horror film that could succeeds. It does have a supporting cast that features Emory Cohen (Lords of Chaos) and Hanna Mangan Lawrence (TV series Spartacus), but they are FAR from the focus of this film. Let’s dig in…
The movie is filmed exclusively on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. We have a young woman dealing with the elements, being alone, and there’s very little spoken word. We see her using some survival techniques that...okay it doesn’t make sense. How does she know all these survival techniques? I guess when you’re alone on an island after a shipwreck, the primal part of your brain kicks into high gear? I don’t know how to explain it, but let’s go with it. Jenn uses her wits and intelligence brilliantly here, plot be damned! The film is beautifully shot, even at night. There are some great underwater shots, some awesome sequences of action, and this character of Jenn is a very well written character. She has all these personal issues that her boyfriend (Emory Cohen) just throws at her, but as the film progresses, you realize she puts all that aside in favor of survival, and that’s just how this film propels its plot at a breakneck pace. The film goes from zero to a hundred at the drop of a hat, and if you stare at your phone instead of paying attention, you’ll miss out on what’s really the problem on this island.
Despite the awesomeness of this film, there were a few things I didn’t like. The fact they tried to shoe-horn in other characters for exposition felt cheap. I wanted to see this strong character fight off the evil of this island and come out victorious without the need of exposition. It kind of killed the mystery of Jenn for me. Instead of having her boyfriend and friend show up to tell us about the character’s backstory, they maybe could’ve done it in flashbacks? I don’t know. This wasn’t a major deal-breaker for me, so I wasn’t turned off by it. I did like the conventional effects and music. I did like the feeling of isolation and terror portrayed by Kiersey Clemons.
One last thing I did enjoy was the female empowerment portrayed in the film. Jenn is this young woman who is, through exposition, not exactly what you’d call ‘strong’ but through struggle she becomes this epic hero that you root for. She survives, she plans, and she overcomes everything in her way. The lead is awesome, the monster is awesome, the setting is awesome…I really can’t find any flaws in this movie. It was a fun watch and a tiny movie that shouldn’t be missed. Check it out now on Netflix!
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