Coined more than half a century ago by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl to describe the then novel relationship between fans and the TV stars they followed and, in some cases, worshipped like minor deities, “parasocial interactions” (PSI) fell back into favour with the advent of the Internet, social media, and celebrities. Initially neutral as a descriptor, it’s come to suggest an emotionally and mentally unhealthy, one-sided, illusory relationship (fan to celebrity, but not back again).
It’s also a semi-perfect descriptor for writer-director Emma Higgins’ feature-length debut, Sweetness. A psychological thriller centred on a lost, directionless teen, Rylee Hill (Kate Hallett), positively obsessed with Payton Adler (Herman Tømmeraas), the generically handsome frontman for a pop-rock band, Floorplan, and all-too-predictable, if still engrossing, consequences when their paths unexpectedly cross one night after a concert at a local arena.
It’s no “meet-cute” between Rylee and the substance-abusing Payton, however. It’s more like Payton’s car meets Rylee’s body as she’s crossing a parking lot. Unharmed, if slightly perplexed, Rylee eagerly accepts Payton’s offer for a ride home. Before they reach their destination, though, Payton has a stop to make, and it’s not for beer and cigarettes. Disappointed in her idol’s continuing fall from grace and the false PR campaign around his supposed sobriety, Rylee naturally steps in to help, eager to prove the real depth of her love and devotion by saving Payton from himself.
It’s not a particularly well-thought-out plan, mostly because Rylee, is an instinctual, hormonal teen suffering from a mix of trauma (a recently deceased mother), a semi-absent, negligent father, Ron (Justin Chatwin), and his over-solicitous girlfriend, Marnie (Amanda Brugel). Coupled with typical teen angst, she can’t think beyond the next moment or the likely long-term consequences of keeping an unwilling Payton from leaving her home, effectively turning a rescue mission with Rylee as the hero into a kidnapping plot with Rylee as the villain.
What follows between Rylee, Payton, and the other characters drawn into their circle, including Rylee’s best friend, Sidney (Aya Furukawa), won’t be spoiled here. The general contours of Sweetness’ second and third acts, however, owe much to similar stories and films: from John Fowles’ 1963 novel, The Collector, and the scrupulously faithful 1965 adaptation directed by William Wyler co-starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar, through Stephen King’s 1987 novel, Misery, and the Rob Reiner-directed adaptation co-starring James Caan and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, and everything that’s followed in the intervening decades.
Antecedents aside, Sweetness turns on familiar plot gyrations (discovery, potential escape, re-discovery), a battle of wills between Rylee and Payton, a messy complication or three, and the performances of a cast giving their next-level best. As Rylee, Kate Hallett delivers a believable mix of naivete and ruthless cunning, while Herman Tømmeraas’s mix of egotism, selfishness, and self-pity (the vicissitudes of fame and celebrity lie heavily on his shoulders) makes their characters, if not outright root-worthy (neither is), then at least worth the investment in time, effort, and concentration to see their intertwined stories through the end credits.
A talented music video director turned feature-length filmmaker, the Canadian-born Higgins unsurprisingly proves herself strong visually. She conveys Rylee’s constantly shifting state-of-mind first through production design (Rylee’s room as a shrine to Payton) and later through an effective use of lighting, camera angles, and, of course, performance-driven close-ups. If anything, Sweetness’ final moments, plus several credulity-stretching plot turns, feel like a slight letdown, especially given the uniformly strong, engaging storytelling that preceded them.
Sweetness premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. It opens theatrically on Friday, March 6th, 2026.
