Part coming-of-age indie, part sweeping fantasy, The Sweet East is a dizzyingly fantastical trip down a very modern rabbit hole into the curiouser and curiouser world of contemporary America. Weird and wonderful, artful and ugly, this debut feature from cinematographer Sean Price Williams offers a damning verdict on a splintered America, as seen through the eyes of a girl who never really seems to know quite what she’s looking at.

The Sweet East, which stars Talia Ryder (Do Revenge), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, Bottoms) and Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Priscilla) is a deft play on the classic literary trope known as the Hero’s Journey. The film adheres to the recognisable structure: a daring protagonist (usually a knight of some description) embarks on a quest, leaving behind all that is familiar in favour of lands unknown, meeting an array of larger-than-life characters who help or hinder them along the way. It’s a framework that has been updated, tweaked and feminised before: Alice In Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, even David Bowie’s cult classic Labyrinth.

The Sweet East: a fantastical spin on the coming of age tale for a modern world