Country
Netherlands, Indonesia, Sweden, France
Production Year
2023
Running Time
98
Genre
Drama
Age
17+
family, colonialism, history | Suicide
On a remote Indonesian island, nearing the end of the colonial era, Dutch sugar plantation owner Jan and his wife, Agathe, are at the top of the food chain.
That is, until Jan, upon returning from his nightly visit to his native concubine Siti, suddenly drops dead in front of his wife.
Desperate to keep the privileges of her status quo, Agathe forces her estranged son, Cornelis, and his pregnant wife, Josefien, to travel from Europe and take over the family business.
In the midst of a worker’s uprising, Cornelis displays his plans for progressive change. But when Jan’s will puts Siti at the forefront of the family estate, ideals prove to be idle and blood thicker than water.
Director
Ena Sendijarević
Bosnian-Dutch filmmaker Ena Sendijarević drew attention with her feature debut Take Me Somewhere Nice, an idiosyncratic and absurdist European road movie that was selected for the Acid competition at the Cannes Film Festival and won the special jury prize at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam. Earlier, she attracted international attention with her short film, Import, world premiering in Cannes’ Quinzaine selection. SWEET DREAMS, written, directed, and exec-produced by her, is her second feature.
