Sweet Thing

Rockwell is at the peak of his filmmaking prowess with SWEET THING. Beautiful, moving story that's obviously very personal, and in so doing, becomes all the more universal. Particularly for our era of anxiety and social distancing, the film takes us on a journey that most people won't be able to go on any time soon. Whether you're a fan of Rockwell's prior work, or new to him through this film, you'll be impressed.

A film that feels almost a physical object in its beautiful, rough-edged handmade craftsmanship, splicing together colour and black and white footage, complete with wipes, veering from blurry hand-held closeups to wide shots with an almost relentless dynamism that miraculously never loses narrative clarity.

There's not much else like it, except possibly some artist's film, but maybe it sits somewhere between the minimalism of early Jarmusch (who is thanked in the credits) and the inventive lushness of Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The latter, being Schnabel, is just a little overcooked. Rockwell, like the third bear in Goldilocks, gets it pretty much just right.

The story is equally perfect - a sort of neo-Dickensian odyssey of waifish strays in desperate search of a safe berth in the ever-unpredictable homes of adults who can be everything from monstrous abusers to fonts of loving kindness.

Absolutely everyone in it plays their parts superbly and the soundtrack is the best mix tape ever.

How is it that a great and touching work of art like this has zero chance of getting Oscar recognition while deeply flawed efforts by better known directors make the roster? It ain't right, damnit.

Another top shelf picture by Alexandre Rockwell, the director of In The Soup and Little Feet. As with the latter, Rockwell is able to capture a world from a child's perspective that is both entertaining and original.

In these uncertain times, Sweet Thing is a bittersweet ode to childhood, and the difficult learning of growing up. In its vagabond and surrealist poetry, Sweet Thing reminded me of Forbidden Games, of that secret language children have and that we, adults, have forgotten. Alex has not forgotten it, and it is a wonder to watch.

From American indie stalwart Alexander Rockwell (In The Soup), comes this beautifully crafted personal gem. Not only is it's story, which is told from child protagonists' POV, deeply poetic but the film also feels hand crafted partially due to it being shot on film. Cinematically it feels genuine as its time and textures sucks you into a world of kids and their problems at hand. It is surprisingly engaging and gripping with performances so natural that you end up almost feeling part of its world. Which is what you want a movie to do.