Director: J.D. Dillard
Writer: J.D. Dillard, Alex Hyner, Alex Theurer (Screenplay)
Starring: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Andrew Crawford, Benedict Samuel
Plot: Jenn has washed ashore a small tropical island and it doesn’t take her long to realize she’s completely alone. She must spend her days not only surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night.
Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Sweetheart starts when Jenn (Clemons) washes up ashore on a tropical island, her friend injured, it isn’t long before she finds herself alone, working out how to survive on the island. The resource will make this achievable, but at night Jenn learns of a creature that comes ashore.
Jenn finds herself being able to avoid the creature most nights, but the visits will see the creature start hunting for her, in what will become a nightly battle to survive.
Thoughts on Sweetheart
Thoughts – Sweetheart is a horror thriller that will mix the isolation of being standard on a tropical island with needing to fight back against an unknown creature. This is a story that will avoid showing the incident which will lead to Jenn being trapped on the island, which wouldn’t be needed, while showing her basic survival skills coming out strong. The introduction of the creature is one of the best shots of the movie, showing the potential relief of being rescued, with the sudden panic of learning she isn’t alone. Kiersey Clemons is brilliant in this leading role, a role which doesn’t involve too much dialogue, letting her actions take center stage. The location becomes a character itself, showing the history of what has happened there. This film could easily be seen as the remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon, while giving us a Predator style combat idea.
Final Thoughts – Sweetheart is an intense survival thriller that becomes a relentless ride.
