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.
The film made $100,429 in Dutch cinemas during its opening weekend. As of 26 November 2023[update], it grossed $702,446.[1]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.[20]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generaly favorable reviews".[21]
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?"[22]
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."[23]
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."[24]
Accolades
Sweet Dreams was shortlisted for the 36th European Film Awards, but didn't make it to the nominations announced on 7 November 2023.[25][26] The film was also selected as Dutch entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards.[27]
^ ab"Nominaties Gouden Kalveren 2023 bekend" [Nominations for Golden Calves 2023 announced]. Dutch Film Festival (in Dutch). September 24, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^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)