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Sweet Dreams
Festival release poster
Directed by	Ena Sendijarević
Written by	Ena Sendijarević
Produced by	Leontine Petit Erik Glijnis
Starring	Renée Soutendijk Hayati Azis Lisa Zweerman Verdi Solaiman Hans Dagelet
Cinematography	Emo Weemhoff
Edited by	Lot Rossmark
Music by	Martial Foe
Production companies	Lemming Film Plattform Produktion VPRO Television Film i Väst Talamedia (ID)
Distributed by	Gusto Entertainment
Release dates	August 5, 2023 (2023-08-05) (Locarno) September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28) (Netherlands)
Running time	102 minutes
Countries	Netherlands Sweden
Language	Dutch
Box office	US$702,446

Sweet Dreams is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Ena Sendijarević, and starring Renée Soutendijk and Hayati Azis. An international co-production between the Netherlands and Sweden, the film is set on a plantation in the Dutch East Indies around the beginning of the 20th century and takes a critical look at the Dutch colonial past.

Sweet Dreams premiered at 76th Locarno Film Festival on August 5, 2023. In September 2023, it opened the 43rd Netherlands Film Festival, where it was nominated in eight categories and won six awards. The film was selected as Dutch entry in Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards on September 8, 2023 and appeared in the eligibility list on 7 December 2023, but didn't make it to the shortlist. It was released on 28 September 2023.

Synopsis

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Dutch sugar tycoon Jan dies suddenly on a remote island in Indonesia, leaving his wife Agathe in shock. Their son Cornelis and his pregnant spouse Josefien come from the Netherlands to inherit the family empire and are dismayed to find out that Jan's mistress Siti has a crucial role in his testament.

Cast

• Renée Soutendijk as Agathe
• Hayati Azis as Siti
• Florian Myjer [nl] as Cornelis
• Lisa Zweerman [nl; fr] as Josefien
• Verdi Solaiman [id] as Hong
• Hans Dagelet [nl] as Jan
• Muhammad Khan as Reza
• Bart Klever [nl] as Hendrik
• Chris Nietvelt [nl] as Agathe's Friend
• Rio Kaj Den Haas as Karel
• Peter Faber as Pastor

Release

Sweet Dreams had its premiere on 5 August 2023 in Main Competition section at the 76th Locarno Film Festival, where it won Pardo for Best Performance award. On 14 September 2023, the film was screened in Centrepiece section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected to open the Netherlands Film Festival on 22 September 2023 and won six Golden Calf awards. The film competed for Louve d'or in International Competition section at the 2023 Festival du nouveau cinéma and was screened on 5 October 2023, followed by a screening at Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2023, where it competed in New Directors Competition section for Hugo award and won Silver Hugo. It was screened at the 68th Valladolid International Film Festival in Punto de Encuentro section on 21 October 2023; its screening in Cinema International section at the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival took place in December 2023.

In May 2023, Heretic was reported to have acquired world sales rights to the film.

Sweet Dreams was released theatrically in the Netherlands on September 28, 2023.

Reception

Box office

The film made $100,429 in Dutch cinemas during its opening weekend. As of 26 November 2023, it grossed $702,446.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generaly favorable reviews".

Reviewing for Cineuropa, Savina Petkova wrote, "Sendijarević bridges past and present by fleshing out cruel, silenced histories through satire and formalism. If colonialism lives on through its reverberations in the way our world is structured, can we live through the Anthropocene?"

Jordan Mintzer wrote in a positive review for The Hollywood Reporter, "The film seems to be illustrating a point — about colonialism’s glaring evils and troubled heritage — more than telling a captivating story. It’s a worthy addition to a subgenre of period pieces that have been playing the festival circuit for some time now, as emerging filmmakers confront historic traumas with both horror and fascination."

Namrata Joshi for Cinema Express praised the film's cast and direction, "The ensemble is in fine fettle with Azis as Siti capping it with her droll dissent. Sendijarevic uses the power of the deadpan to make a larger political point, be it in the blunt, automated, staccato way in which the story progresses or the deliberately poker-faced performances of the key players."

Accolades

Sweet Dreams was shortlisted for the 36th European Film Awards, but didn't make it to the nominations announced on 7 November 2023. The film was also selected as Dutch entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards.

See also

• List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Dutch submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

References

1. ^ "Sweet Dreams". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
2. Sendijarević, Ena (August 5, 2023). "Sweet Dreams". Cineuropa. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
3. ^ "Sweet Dreams World Premiere at Locarno 2023". Eye Filmmuseum. July 5, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
4. ^ "Nominaties Gouden Kalveren 2023 bekend" [Nominations for Golden Calves 2023 announced]. Dutch Film Festival (in Dutch). September 24, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
5. ^ "Winnaars Gouden Kalveren 2023" [Winners of the Golden Calves 2023]. Netherlands Film Festival (in Dutch). September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
6. Georg Szalai (September 8, 2023). "Oscars 2024: The Netherlands Selects 'Sweet Dreams' for International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
7. Patrick Frater, Leo Barraclough, Ellise Shafer, Elsa Keslassy, John Hopewell, Naman Ramachandran, Nick Vivarelli, K.J. Yossman, Anna Marie de la Fuente (October 17, 2023). "International Oscar Race". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. "Netherlands Oscar Contender 'Sweet Dreams' Sets North American Release With Dekanalog". Variety. December 7, 2023.
9. Clayton Davis (December 7, 2023). "Academy Announces 288 Eligible Titles for Animated, Documentary and International Feature Oscar Races". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
10. "96th Oscars Shortlists Announced for 10 Categories". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
11. Lattanzio, Ryan (August 10, 2023). "TIFF 2023 Centrepiece Program Showcases Aki Kaurismäki, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
12. "TIFF: Sweet Dreams". Toronto International Film Festival. July 24, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
13. "Sweet Dreams is de openingsfilm van het Nederlands Film Festival 2023" [Sweet Dreams is the opening film of the Dutch Film Festival 2023]. Netherlands Film Festival (in Dutch). May 15, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
14. "International Competition: Sweet Dreams". Festival du nouveau cinéma. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
15. "New Directors Competition: Sweet Dreams". Chicago International Film Festival. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
16. "Chicago International Film Festival winners announced, 'Monster' takes LGBTQ+ competition". Windy City Times. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
17. "2023 – 68th Edition: Sweet Dreams". Valladolid International Film Festival. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
18. "Cinema International". Kolkata International Film Festival. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
19. Vourlias, Christopher (May 15, 2023). "Heretic Acquires World Sales Rights to Ena Sendijarević's Indonesia-Set, Colonial-Era Satire 'Sweet Dreams'". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
20. "Sweet Dreams (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
21. "Sweet Dreams Reviews". Metacritic.
22. Petkova, Savina (August 7, 2023). "Review: Sweet Dreams". Cineuropa. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
23. Jordan Mintzer (August 7, 2023). "'Sweet Dreams' Review: A Surreal Satire Exploring Dutch Colonialism in Indonesia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
24. Joshi, Namrata (September 23, 2023). "Cinema Without Borders: Sweet Dreams—Colonial crimes". Cinema Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
25. "The European Film Awards announce 21 further feature films to be added to the their selection". Cineuropa. September 27, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
26. Goodfellow, Melanie (November 7, 2023). "'Fallen Leaves' & 'The Zone Of Interest' Top European Film Award Nominations In Main Categories". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
27. "European titles submitted for the Oscars race". Cineuropa. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
28. "Sweet Dreams (2023 film)". Locarno Film Festival. August 5, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
29. Roxborough, Scott (July 5, 2023). "Locarno Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
30. Ntim, Zac (August 12, 2023). "Locarno Film Festival Winners: 'Critical Zone' By Persecuted Iranian Filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh Takes Top Prize". Deadline. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
31. "International Competition". Festival du nouveau cinéma. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
32. "59th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Award-Winners". RogerEbert.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.

External links

• Sweet Dreams at IMDb 
• Sweet Dreams at Rotten Tomatoes
• Sweet Dreams at Netherlands Film Festival
• Sweet Dreams at Contemporary Calgary

• 2023 films
• 2023 drama films
• Dutch drama films
• 2020s Dutch-language films
• Best Feature Film Golden Calf winners