Film
aGLIFF presents Sweetheart
aGLIFF announces the Queer Spectrum screening for April 2022 will feature Sweetheart, the debut feature from director Marley Morrison, on April 27 at the Galaxy Theatre at 7 PM.
aGLIFF announces the Queer Spectrum screening for April 2022 will feature Sweetheart, the debut feature from director Marley Morrison, on April 27 at the Galaxy Theatre.
Marley Morrison’s debut feature Sweetheart charts the relationship between two young women during a summer holiday. Chosen as the 2021 Audience Award winner at the Glasgow Film Festival, “Sweetheart” is a sharply observed coming-of-age story.
17-year-old AJ is not one of life’s shiny, happy people. A family holiday at a caravan park in Dorset is her idea of hell. A moody misfit, she dresses for concealment and lets everyone know that she would rather be anywhere else. Then she spies flirty, free-spirited lifeguard Isla who might just be the girl of her dreams. Can AJ dare to take a first step on the road to happiness?
Presented in partnership with Sandra Hucker Consulting and Life Grows Green Hemp-Derived Products.
aGLIFF presents Sweetheart on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022 at the Galaxy Theatre at 6700 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, Texas 78752, starting at 7 PM. Open to aGLIFF members and guests for free; individual tickets are $12 each (plus applicable service fees) and are available for purchase now at agliff.org/queer-spectrum.
Sweetheart
94 minutes | UK | 2021 | English
Director: Marley Morrison
Cast: Nell Barlow, Jo Hartley, Ella-Rae Smith, Sophia Di Martino, Samuel Anderson, Tabitha Byron
A socially awkward, environmentally conscious, lesbian misfit teenager named AJ becomes unexpectedly captivated by a chlorine smelling, sun-loving lifeguard named Isla whilst on a depressing holiday with her family. For AJ, the only thing worse than spending an entire week with her uniquely ‘un-woke’ family is being in a seaside cabin with no Wi-Fi…. until carefree lifeguard Isla sees through AJ’s uniquely adopted persona.
The Guardian said “if you thought Ammonite was going to be this year’s only gay love story set in Dorset, think again”:
“The resulting spark is the kind of miracle that maybe really only happens in the movies, but it doesn’t stop this being a good-natured love story, doomed to flower and fade in the space of a single holiday, leaving behind the traditional coming-of-age realisation that friends and family are what’s important right now.
The Irish Times called it “One of the year’s best feature debuts.”:
“Morrison makes use of the bland coastal vistas to create a convincingly enclosed container against which AJ can bash her brains. … There is not a bad performance.”
LeftLion says “this coming of age story is well worth your time”:
“So, while the coming of age subgenre is perhaps overly saturated, Sweetheart manages to bring a new, niche approach to the game. With a sharp and intelligent script excellently delivered by a fantastic cast, this marks an outstanding success story for Morrison – and with his debut feature, no less. Sweeeet.”