July 7th: SWEETIE (Jane Campion, 1989)

A superstitious young woman struggles with her boyfriend and her dysfunctional family, particularly her unstable, attention-hungry sister.

Writer-director Jane Campion comes from a family of artists, her parents both from the theater world. After studying anthropology in her native New Zealand, she moved to Australia and earned a degree in painting. Within a year was working with film and entered the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School. Her short film Peel won the top award in its category at the Cannes Film Festival in 1986, leading her to begin developing a feature film.

Campion created the main characters for a new story, then wrote the screenplay with her ex-partner and novelist Gerard Lee. The two drew on their past relationship experiences and acted out scenes with each other before transcribing them.

The cast is made up mostly of unknowns, with the two lead actresses appearing in their first feature. Genevieve Lemon, playing the title role, was brought to Campion's attention while appearing on stage in a local play. On set, Campion encouraged a playful, open atmosphere, and a sisterly bond was formed by Lemon and co-star Karen Colston.

Campion brought some of her film school friends and former collaborators along on the production, including cinematographer Sally Bongers and editor Veronika Haussler. To balance out the skepticism and chauvinism of veteran crew members, Campion populated her staff with a significant number of other women in the camera, sound, directing, and art department.

Working closely with Bongers, Campion created a distinct visual style marked by claustrophobic, unconventional frame compositions and camera angles, with a prominent color and prop design. The odd brand of suburban magical realism often blurs the line between fantasy and the mundane setting.

Sweetie debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with passionate responses both positive and negative. It received impressive reviews from critics, and went on to win the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film and an Australian Film Institute award for its screenplay.

Running time is approx. 100 minutes.