Canadian writer-director Emma Higgins’ new thriller Sweetness (now in Canadian theatres) can be described as both a love letter to the darker side of her teenage years and a culmination of her current life’s work. A self-professed “emo kid” of sorts who has worked extensively as a sought after music video director (for the likes of Jessie Reyez, Tegan and Sara, and Ingrid Andress, just to name a handful), Higgins’ latest feature length effort tells the story of a obsessive teenager colliding in a battle of wits and wills with the pop star she idolizes, a drug addled train wreck who’s perilously close to falling from grace, or perhaps something even worse.
Women Talking standout Kate Hallett stars a Rylee Hill, the shy daughter of a widowed cop (Justin Chatwin) who doesn’t care very much for her new stepmother (Amanda Brugel). She finds solace in music, specifically the tunes created by Payton Adler (Herman Tømmeraas), frontman for the band Floorplan. When Payton and company come to town, Rylee and BFF Sidney (Aya Furukawa) wouldn’t miss the concert for the world. On the way home, after separating from Sidney, Rylee has a literal run-in with a drug addled and driving Payton. Not wanting to make the news (after constantly espousing his new “sober” lifestyle), Payton attempts to give the young fan a lift home. But the highly intoxicated Payton can barely drive and makes a desperate stop at Rylee’s house. Not wanting to see her idol die in her dad’s bathroom, Rylee and an extremely reluctant Sidney handcuff Payton to her bed after he’s rendered unconscious, hoping to get him to quit his addictions cold turkey. Naturally, Payton is terrified and not having any of this, but Rylee keeps doubling down on her obsession leading to not one, but several violent confrontations.
We caught up with Higgins and Hallett during a stop to promote the film in Toronto and discussed how Higgins’ career in the music industry helped to shape Sweetness, finding empathy for unlikable characters, coming up with the music for a fictional band, and what the film has to say about parasocial relationships with problematic celebrities.
Sweetness is now playing in Canadian cinemas.
