Sweat

I liked the trailer. I have pretty good experience of being able to determine from the trailer whether a film is worth seeing. It didn't dissappoint. It's not usual to see Warsaw in a contemporary film - I've never been there, now I can imagine what it's like. The trailer portrays a beautiful young 'influencer' who is really lonely and sad and you go out of curiosity to see what this film has to say about social media and 'popularity' plus it is a colourful film filled with energetic music.

This is a European film as opposed to British or American. It has a clear narrative but allows time to show intimacy or lack of it in human relationships before grabbing you by the neck and hurtling you though a tonne of plot like Amazon or Netflix.

Apart from making me think about the world of social media and 'oversharing', I was intrigued by the relationhip between Sylwia and her family. The tough, critical catholic mother who provides no comfort in her time of need, who would have grown up in a totally differnt world to the one Sylwia is living in and therefore has no sympathy for her troubles. It is not just about not having a partner, there is no intimacy from her family and oddly, going against the grain of what you might think this film is going to be about, she gets that connection from her audience.

Good movie, but at the end I had a perception of a good idea a little badly developed. Some points of this world of web celebrities could be better explored. However, the director was sutil and soft in certains points of views, as in the triviality of relationships, in the loneliness and in the corrosive relation with the protagonist's mother.

I think I have a problem with art movies, when I watch French movies, cannes choices or other festival films, I don't know what I say after finishing. For example in this movie, what was the main thing? I cannot decide, life of influencer? Beautiful girl with mother problems? Too much social media? I think after movie, yo have to watch online conversation with director and casting. It is really more enlightening than movie.

Sweat shines on so many levels and is a breath of fresh air in so many ways. The combination of intense close up facial camera work and hyper realistic acting give this movie a modern, uncomfortable, interrogational edge in keeping with the forensic scrutiny of anyone living in the modern media influencer bubble. The excellent, nuanced lead performance of Magdalena Kolesnik as Sylwia has plenty of other great performances to bounce off of, particularly her mother, played by Aleksandra Kolieczna. The intimate, unflinching, naturalistic directional style of Magnus Von Horn is showed off to maximum effect in the conversational scenes between Sylwia and an old school acquaintance in a shopping mall and later with a large family group around a dinner table. In both cases all performers seem totally natural and oblivious to the camera giving the film a wonderfully voyeuristic overtone... loved it.

A movie that delves into the life of a successful fitness influencer. The trappings of fame... The loneliness of online popularity... The dangers of opening yourself up to public obsession... All of those are interesting subjects that could make for a riveting story. "Sweat" doesn't quite hold the attention well enough to recommend. It all feels shallow and underdeveloped. A decent try -- well acted -- but hollow.