Sweetness

Rylee (Kate Hallet, Women Talking), a lonely and bullied teen grieving her mother’s death, finds solace in the music of Swedish pop star Payton (Herman Tømmeraas, Ragnarok), the charismatic frontman of the band Floorplan. Hoping for one night of escape, Rylee and her best friend Sid (Aya Furukawa, The Fall of the House of Usher) attend his concert, determined to forget her dad Ron (Justin Chatwin, Another Life), a police officer already distracted by a new girlfriend.

After the show, a tragic twist shatters Rylee’s fantasy. When Payton—who’s publicly declared sobriety—drives under the influence and hits her in the parking lot, panic drives his every move. In a bizarre act of misguided devotion, Rylee takes him home, determined to “help” him get clean by chaining him up with her father’s spare handcuffs. What follows is a darkly funny and unsettling story of obsession, grief, and control that spirals far beyond teenage heartbreak.

With standout performances from Hallet and Tømmeraas and strong supporting turns from Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Steven Ogg (Dark Match), director Emma Higgins’ debut feature (World Premiere – SXSW) offers a razor-sharp, genre-bending take on celebrity worship and the dangerous side of devotion.