Sweetness is a 2025 Canadian thriller film written and directed by Emma Higgins. The film stars Kate Hallett as Rylee Hill, a teenager who meets rock star Payton Adler (Herman Tømmeraas), and becomes obsessed with saving him from his demons when she realizes that he's a dysfunctional drug addict rather than a role model.
The cast also includes Justin Chatwin, Steven Ogg, Amanda Brugel, Erika Swayze, Aya Furukawa, Julius Cho, Kelly Reich, Kelsey Ruhl, Maureen Cassidy, Jude Zappala, Andrea Senior, Carter Belanger, Matt Lishman, Joan Bartley and Josh Reich in sipporting roles.
It premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 7.
Production.
In March 2024, it was announced that Canadian–American production company Fela stepped in to finance the project written and directed by Emma Higgins in her feature directorial debut. The film also received an additional $500,000 funding from the Ontario government through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.
The film was shot on location in North Bay, Ontario, from April 15 to May 8, 2024.