The tagline “Everything will happen” is a promise that rings true in The Sweet East. This satirical epic follows a high school trip gone rogue. All innocence is lost as a cynical Lillian, played by Talia Ryder, takes the audience on a journey exploring American political fringes and fanaticism. Not only is it an 84-minute fever dream, but the film is also the directorial debut of Sean Price Williams, the cinematographer for Good Time (2017), Her Smell (2018), and the music video for Sabrina Carpenter’s  Please Please Please (2024). William’s debut showcases his evocative styling and is supported by a stellar cast with relevant social commentary penned by Nick Pinkerton.

Paced out in an episodic fashion, each of the five episodes in the film covers a subculture of American archetypes. During the ever-melancholy Lillian’s travels up the coast, she is met with quirky, rambling characters, unsavory circumstances, and bizarre provocations – beginning with a sting operation that mirrors Pizzagate. There, Lillian meets Lawrence, a white supremacist academic with a Lolita complex (brilliantly played by Simon Rex). In between his long-winded monologues, the pair give the illusion of a nuclear domestic relationship, and their chemistry is paralyzing. Their encounter sets off a chain reaction of Lillian swapping names, imitating his habits, and experimenting with reckless abandon to get ahead. Some may say Lillian is shallow, superficial, and manipulative – others will say she is simply a teenage girl yearning for emancipation.  

There are no backstories in The Sweet East, and it begs to be compared with Forrest Gump (1994) in its implausibleness and revealing of the dark side of the American dream. With references to falsehoods and deities, this provocative art-house film is more suitably comparable to Beau is Afraid (2023) in its hecticness or Palo Alto (2013) in showing how far insecurity can take a teenager.  

But the true genius of The Sweet East lies in its hyperbole, edginess, and thoughtful casting. Ryder is a chameleon in her deadpan yet charming technique in the film. Jacob Elordi plays a delightful caricature of himself and is magnetic as Ian, a goofy movie star in a role opposite of Lillian. Ian’s charisma teaches Lillian how fortune favors the bold and how naivety can be played to her advantage. Elordi and Ryder’s performances rely on subtlety and gaining the trust of others, and they reveal how the characters are all ambivalent and opportunistic. 

Pinkerton’s script toes the line of overwhelming the audience with its culture war commentary in each new city. But it redeems itself and comes to full fruition with the casting choices of Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy O. Harris. Edebiri and Harris are scene stealers with their comedic relief, playing pretentious cinephiles obsessed with “coastal elitism” discourse. Their grandiose facade allows Lillian to continue denying the gravity of certain situations, as people keep rescuing her from the spiderweb she spins herself. Similarly to a Diablo Cody screenplay, every character the protagonist interacts with in The Sweet East either falls in love with or resents the protagonist.

Unsurprisingly, given Williams’ signature grainy aesthetic, The Sweet East was shot entirely on 16mm film. Cartoonishly violent, the frequent camera glares act as the cinematographer’s muse.  What makes this coming-of-age story so surreal is not that it combines typical “road movie” tropes, like the Southern gothic and the lawlessness of the West –  it’s that Williams uses mixed media to show us how Lillian loses her youthful ignorance in backseats and conversations on nihilism. As reflected in the film’s eerie score and dingy locations, stillness and life at home are not enough for the young drifter. Lillian spends the entire film trying to convince us that she is more comfortable in chaos, but the audience knows better than to believe her. 

By referencing iconic symbols and talking points, there is a clear discussion on the American landscape, but the film falls short in delivering a response to losing power in “a world made and unmade by man.” Equally overlooked and enticing, The Sweet East’s ludicrousness is what makes it a must-watch in this conspiracy-filled world.  Although sometimes difficult to grasp exactly what Williams is trying to articulate, The Sweet East is certainly unique in its portrayal of clashing views in a society in disarray. 

Review Courtesy of Valerie Buvat de Virginy

Feature Image Credit Courtesy of IMDb