After its premiere and raves at SXSW ’25, we’ve been waiting for North Bay-filmed SWEETNESS. Music Video Director Emma Higgins makes her feature directorial debut here with this story she also wrote about a teenage girl Rylee (Kate Hallett), and her obsession with Floor Plan frontman Payton (Herman Tømmeraas). By chance, she gets a lift home from him one night, when she realizes he isn’t who he seems and she goes to extremes to save him.
We were delighted to chat with Higgins and Hallett, whom you might recognize from Oscar-winning WOMEN TALKING. We find out about how the two connected for Hallett to play a character who was in ways inspired by Higgins‘ teenage self, their own parasocial relationships with their idols, and also Hallett‘s demanding transformation into lead character, Rylee who does some crazy sh*t! And yes, we’re all disappointed Tom Holland and Zendaya eloped… without our permission!
Elevation Pictures release SWEETNESS, now in theatres.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures/Mr. Will Wong)
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