RUN SWEETHEART RUN ** USA 2020 Dir: Shana Feste. 104 mins
Cherie (Ella Balinska) does her boss a favour and takes their client, Ethan (Pilou Asbæk) to dinner. Afterwards, she finds herself on the run, trying to evade him and his horrifying ways.
Run Sweetheart Run is more a film about sending a message on society’s issues than it is a horror film. Shana Feste aims for an overtly feminist approach, taking the suspense with it. Had this remained the simplistic cat and mouse chase I thought it was going to be, I would have enjoyed it far more than I did. Again, another example of why I dislike films with multiple writers when they aren’t required. It just seemed disjointed.
As she focuses on the above, Feste fails to provide the tension to make this thriller / horror work. It simply crawls to it’s mark, rather than runs to a point where you can make your own interpretation.
Thankfully, the film is well acted and Balinska and Asbæk carry the film. Asbæk manages to be charming at first, then downright creepy as we learn what he really is. It is a shame they weren’t given more to work with as given their talent, they could have put on a spectacular performance together.
The production quality seems good, making the film visually enjoyable, apart from the large “RUN” that often flashed on screen when Ella was about to do just that. It just served as another distraction.
It is such a shame that I didn’t enjoy this one as I really did want to, especially given who produced this. Maybe I just had my hopes up for something great.
Review by Poppy Blundell
RUN SWEETHEART RUN is available on Prime Video