By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.8 cats
Director: Alexandre Rockwell
Starring: Jabari Watkins | Karyn Parsons | Lana Rockwell | M.L. Josepher | Nico Rockwell | Steven Randazzo | Will Patton
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 91
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11685322/reference
Bob says: “Billie and her little brother Nico (played by director Alexandre Rockwell’s kids) live with their father in a not too impressive bit of the Boston area. Dad means well, but he’s drunk all the time. Their mother (the Rockwell kids’ actual mother) isn’t around. She’s taken up with some muscle-bound guy with a muscle car, and on the rare occasion they see her, he’s there too, and that’s not good.
“So Billie, who’s probably only about 15, takes care of things. She’s named for Billie Holiday, and imagines Lady Day watching over her as a sort of guardian angel or fairy godmother, often from a rock in the water, like a little mermaid in an iris shot. Billie also spends her spare time making artwork based on pictures of Holiday.
“When their father gets sent to rehab, Billie and Nico go to live with their mom and her beau, Beau, at his beach house, and so begins an adventure of sorts.
“The film, which was in fact shot on good old fashioned film, makes beautiful use of black and white photography, with color only used occasionally and apparently just to juxtapose one shot against another. There are the aforementioned iris shots, and lots of hand-held closeups that can feel a little disorienting. Sometimes the film feels a bit like Italian Neo-Realism, sometimes it’s like a Little Rascals short, and at other times I felt like I was watching an early Jim Jarmusch film. (There’s a picture of John Lurie, Eszter Balint, and Richard Edson above my fireplace, so they were watching approvingly, although you’d never know it from their faces.)
“And there’s great use of music. Billie likes to sing the Van Morrison song the film is named for, and it has a wonderful, calming effect on anyone who hears it. There’s also a very sweet montage sequence of Billie, Nico, and their friend and traveling companion Malik playing in a mansion (someone’s summer house, apparently) to the tune of Miriam Makeba’s ‘Pata Pata.’
“There’s a subtext of race and place in society here too, with hair as a signifier of both identity and comfort with it. Billie and Nico’s mother uses a straight wig in an effort to pass. Billie’s hair is practically a character itself, and when it gets cut, Nico cuts his own in solidarity. And Malik… Malik is unapologetically Malik.
“The kids on the run story has been done to death, but it’s done so well here. I’m glad Alexandre Rockwell wasn’t afraid to give it a shot. 4 cats”
Michael says: “A 14-year-old girl goes on the run with her younger brother and a new friend in this nicely balanced fantasy and hard-hitting slice of reality from Alexandre Rockwell, SWEET THING. Billie, named after the famous singer, takes care of her younger brother Nico, and her alcoholic father, who is caring a fairly functional sometimes, and horribly out of control at other times. Mom has taken off to spend time with a boorish boyfriend. Despite this, Billie is filled with caring, and she is the glue that keeps this family going, but it’s a burden to hard for anyone, much less a 14-year-old girl to bear, and when her dad is arrested and sent to rehab, and Billie and Nico must spend time with Mom and boyfriend at his beach house, that’s when things really take a turn for the even worse (and it was already bad enough to begin with). The resulting road trip with their friend Malik, is part childish adventure, where there’s dress-up, and play, but also a destination and kindly folks to help them along the way. Although sometimes that help backfires and tragedy strikes sending the kids crashing back into an all-too hard reality.
“Shot in gorgeous, grainy black & white, with the exception of some fluttery color scenes that don’t seem to share anything in common, the streets of New Bedford, MA never looked grimmer. Rockwell uses his family for the leads, with his two kids playing Billie and Nico, and their mother playing their movie Mom. Lana Rockwell is a star in the making if she wants to pursue acting as a career. She is captivating on screen, with presence, warmth, and a gorgeous look. The chemistry between her and brother Nico is palpable, which seems to be half the secret when using untrained actors. Jabari Watkins is also striking as Malik, also a first-timer on screen, but able to command attention just as well. Character actor Will Patton is strong as Adam, they kids’ alcoholic father, able to maintain a shred of sympathy even when he is brutally and drunkenly cruel to his kids. And Karyn Parson’s Eve is a nightmare of a mother, but convincingly so. Much has also already been stated in reviews about the use of hair in this film, but it’s worth noting again. Lana’s hair is gorgeous, and key to a pivotal scene, which dovetails into another important moment with Nico’s lovely locks. Eve keeps her natural hair hidden by a straightened blonde wig until the final scene where we hope and pray she might be coming around to the light at least a little. This is a straight-forward film that we’ve seen the likes of before, but in Alexandre Rockwell and his family’s hands, it’s a road trip well worth taking. 4 cats”
Chris says: “Wearier and a touch more precious than IN THE SOUP, but director Alexandre Rockwell’s daughter Lana is a genuine talent; the ease with which he guides her and the rest of the cast reaffirms his talent as well. 3.5 cats“