Short Film Review: The Sweetening
‘The Sweetening’ Adds a Little Spice to a Mundane Life By Monica Sztybel Imagine finding the one, the person who gets you, who knows and loves everything about you. What if you could meet that person, only they aren’t a person at all? Instead it is a virtual encounter. A computer-generated companion that only you can see and hear, and in some ways even touch. The Sweetening explores what can happen when the unreal feels real. Like most of us, Sadie (Grace Rowe) has regrets. She wishes her life was different. She is lonely, but refuses to admit it to anyone. Perhaps she doesn’t realize it until she meets Jack (Matt Houston)? He’s everything she wants, handsome, charming and attentive. He also seems to know everything and love everything about her. How can she not fall for someone like him? The film starts with Sadie sitting on a park bench, holding an ice cream cone. She is alone with her thoughts, her narration touching upon her feelings, dealing with her regret and her wish