Teen Thriller Sweetness from Emma Higgins Casts Kate Hallett and Herman Tømmeraas

Emma Higgins’ debut feature Sweetness announced the casting of breakout talent Kate Hallett and Norwegian actor Herman Tømmeraas, and will be produced by Fela and When We Were Kids Entertainment. Taj Critchlow and Daniel Quinn will serve as producers. Shooting is set to begin in North Bay, Ontario, Canada in April of 2024, with distribution from Canadian indie powerhouse Elevation Pictures. 

Kate, who was introduced to audiences in Sarah Polley's Oscar-winning film Women Talking, will play Rylee Hill, a 16-year-old who has a chance encounter with her idol, pop star Payton Adler. Netflix’s Ragnarok star Tømmeraas plays Payton Adler, the famous lead singer of the band Floorplan. Additional confirmed cast members include Aya Furukawa (The Midnight Club), Justin Chatwin (Shameless), Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead).

Rylee is a typical teenage girl - insecure, angry at her parents, and misunderstood by her peers. She finds comfort and escape in the music of her favourite band Floorplan and obsesses over the group’s lead singer, Payton. After a chance encounter with Payton leads Rylee to discover he’s a dysfunctional drug addict, she takes it upon herself to help him. What at first seems like an innocent, misguided plan soon turns dark as Rylee becomes hellbent on forcing her teenage fantasies into reality. It's Eighth Grade meets Misery in this modern-day twist on a coming-of-age story for the digital age.

Sweetness asks the question: What is the line between innocent fandom and twisted obsession, and how far would someone go to make their idol love them back?

The film was created, written, and will be helmed by award-winning music video and commercial director Emma. Interested in telling stories she hasn’t seen before through a genre lens, Emma is dedicated to the humanity in every story she approaches, authentically representing her point of view and the unique people who have shaped it along the way. 

"I am a big fan of the thrillers of the '90s and early '00s. They were fun, dark and exciting, but centred around characters that were relatable and complex - you always liked some part of them, because the lines between good and bad were blurred,” said Emma. "Horror is my favourite genre, and when I first started writing this film ten years ago, I knew that this coming-of-age story with its sinister twists and turns could do what those movies did for me growing up, and leave audiences thoroughly entertained and a little bit disturbed. I’m grateful to be working with this incredible cast, and I am so excited to bring this film to the world."

Production company Fela was founded by director X and Taj Critchlow and impacts culture through cutting-edge content in the realm of music videos, commercials, documentaries, and films. Proudly Black-owned and women-owned, with home bases in Toronto and Los Angeles, Fela works with a diverse roster of creatives across North America. Fela’s team of directors have made an indelible mark on culture with ground-breaking music videos for Drake, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Jay-Z, SZA, Coldplay, Future, Eminem, and many more. They’ve produced commercials and branded content for Nike, Samsung, Disney, Spotify, Pyer Moss, Under Armour, Rémy Martin, Bud Light, Mercedes, and Puma. 

Sweetness marks the eagerly anticipated move into feature films for Fela. It also acts as the debut vehicle for Daniel’s newly formed shingle, When We Were Kids Entertainment, who developed the project with Higgins before bringing it to Fela.

Elevation Pictures is handling Canadian distribution while Altitude Film Sales has come on board to handle international sales.