The film focuses on Kay's relationships with her boyfriend Louis, her parents and her emotionally unhealthy sister, Sweetie. Kay is quiet and superstitious, loving Louis because of the words of a fortune teller and experiencing deep foreboding towards a tree he attempted to plant in their yard. Sweetie, from Kay's perspective, is selfish in her severe mental illness. Kay's father chooses to ignore most of the erratic, childish behavior because he loves her as a little girl. Throughout, there are flashbacks of Sweetie dancing, singing and performing small, circus-like tricks with his assistance; he wants the family to remain close and dislikes when Kay acts enraged with Sweetie. The mother admits he indulges her. Louis, however, has found some freedom from his increasingly disconnected relationship with Kay because Sweetie lives uninhibited, with vigor and emotion. Throughout, Sweetie's physically destructive nature reflects the inner disruption she has caused her family. After a series of circular fights, she finally overextends the limit, stripping off her clothes, painting her body black and bouncing in her childhood tree house. Though her family begs her to come down, she refuses, continuing teasing, tormenting and shaking the fort until it falls from the tree, injuring her mother and killing Sweetie. Lamentably, trees involve themselves with Sweetie even after death, as her private interment is briefly disrupted by tree roots discovered in her grave. The family appears resolved, no longer scattered. They no longer feel manipulated and agitated by her presence. However, the best of Sweetie's personality persists, as Kay and her parents maintain an image of her in her most accurate form, that of a little girl.
Campion wanted to make a low budget contemporary feature. She came up with the character and she and Gerard Lee started writing in February 1987 and finished in May. The film was shot in Sydney.
Release and reception
In Australian Film, 1978-1994, it is described as "a ghastly parody of the tyranny of family life". The DVD version, released by the Criterion Collection includes three of Campion's earlier short films. Film-maker Carol Morley cites Sweetie as her favourite film on Radio 4's The Film Programme. She views Campion as her greatest influence. Campion is a surprise guest on the programme and says that Phillip French of The Observer found the film "disgusting" and adds that "an Italian guy" interviewed and asked why she had had to make a film that was "so dirty".
Box office
Sweetie grossed $337,680 at the box office in Australia.
