It Comes at Night: "Sweetheart" a modestly made survival tale with a commanding Kiersey Clemons

Sweetheart (2019)

82 min.

Release Date: October 22, 2019 (VOD)

Stripped-down survival tale “Sweetheart” is quite the opposite of “The Shape of Water,” pitting a woman against a humanoid fish monster, and a terrific showcase for the commanding Kiersey Clemons (2018’s “Hearts Beat Loud”). In the simplest terms, the film is like a cross between “Cast Away” and “Predator,” and director J.D. Dillard (2016’s “Sleight”), who co-wrote the script with Alex Hyner, brings more craft to his second directorial effort than one might expect with that kind of creature-feature pitch.

Built around Jenn, empathetically played by Kiersey Clemons, “Sweetheart” is uncomplicated in terms of actual plot, but it remains lean and engaging. Jenn has washed up on the shore of a deserted Fijian island after some sort of shipwreck. One of the other survivors has a piece of coral sticking out of his chest and lives long enough to utter his final words in the form of a question, “Did you see it?” Jenn doesn’t know what “it” could be, but soon enough, she will discover that she is not alone on the island. Jenn is a heroine worth following from the way Clemons plays her: she is completely competent, learning how to spear hunt and gut a fish for food, and she keeps her cool as well as a person could in such lonely circumstances. 

What the resourcefully directed "Sweetheart" achieves with such modest means is pretty impressive. The flare-lit, silhouetted reveal of the sea monster is quite startling, and each confrontation between Jenn and her foe is tense and rousing. While the inclusion of a couple other survivors (played by Emory Cohen and Hanna Mangan Lawrence) in the third act changes the dynamic of this one-hander, it brings context to the title of the film, saying something about micro-aggressions and toxic relationships that have turned Jenn into more than just a passive sweetheart. Limited resources do, however, mean the practical effects of the amphibian monster (performed by Andrew Crawford) are occasionally replaced by distractingly herky-jerky CGI. “Sweetheart” might not have too much meat on its bones, but it is certainly progressive in approach and agile in pace.

Grade: B -