SWEET DREAMS
THE NETHERLANDS
Director: Ena Sendijarević
Cast: Renée Soutendijk, Hayati Azis, Lisa Zweerman, Florian Myjer
Muhammad Khan, Hans Dagelet
Genre: Drama, Satire
102 minutes: Dutch with English subtitles – 2023
Rating: 16 P S V
On a remote Indonesian island, during the waning days of the colonial era, Dutch sugar plantation owner Jan and his wife Agathe are at the top of the food chain. That is, until Jan suddenly drops dead in front of his wife. Desperate to keep the privileges of her status quo, Agathe forces her estranged son Cornelis and his heavily pregnant wife Josefien, to travel from Europe and take over the family business. In the midst of a worker’s uprising, Cornelis displays his plans for progressive change. But ideals prove to be idle, and blood thicker than water.
Rich satire meets lavish aesthetics in Ena Sendijarević’s audacious tale of the tragic and delicious demise of Colonialism. Sweet Dreams opened the Netherlands Film Festival where it won a remarkable six awards including Best Film, Best Directing and Best Performance. It then went on to be The Netherland’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Gorgeously shot, masterfully composed, the stylised storytelling of Sweet Dreams never ceases to captivate.
Marina Ashioti, Little White Lies
One of the highlights of this year, Ena Sendijarević’s writing is full of deadpan humour and unapologetically funny menace towards her characters.
Asian Movie Pulse
A postmodern mix of satire, surrealism and cinematic lyricism.
The Hollywood Reporter
Delightful and snappy, Sendijarević bridges past and present by fleshing out cruel, silenced histories through satire and formalism.
Cineuropa
Bold, imaginative and sensitive tackling of themes still emphatically in vogue
Screen
