Alexandre Rockwell’s “Sweet Thing”

Sweet Thing (2020)

Enchanting, gloriously cinematic view of the underbelly of America through the eyes of children told in contrasts

The texture that this film imparts through its use of multiple film stocks is so gloriously grounded; I’ve not seen anything like it since Mark Jenkin’s masterful “Bait”. Telling the story of Billie and Nico(played by Rockwell’s own children Lana and Nico), we see a world of poverty in the run up to Christmas with their father Adam(a career high performance from Will Patton). The film sways gracefully between love and hate, joy and fear, hope and despair with a lyrical rhythm that chimes with the transitions between film stock. The performances are so utterly convincing, none more than Lana Rockwell’s portrayal of Billie who needs to be mature beyond her years to protect her brother and her parents(often from themselves).

Quentin Tarantino cited the film as one of the best he’s seen in years and he’s not wrong in heaping praise here. That said, this is nothing like a Tarantino film. If it reminds me of anything, it’s Jarmusch’s “Down By Law” but even so, it’s its own thing. Rockwell is quoted as saying about his work that his films are "as much the Three Stooges as it is Tarkovsky" and more than ever, that is on show here.