The Sweet East18

Directed by Sean Price Williams | USA | 2023 | 1h 44m | Starring Talia Ryder, Earl Cave, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri, Jacob Elordi

A high school senior from South Carolina, gets her first glimpse of the wider world on a class trip to Washington, D.C. Separated from her schoolmates, she embarks on a fractured fairy tale travelogue into America, where she encounters smug pseudo-intellectuals, insufferable wannabe auteurs, and a gang of Neo-Nazis. Cinematographer Sean Price Williams’s (Good Time, Funny Pages) directorial debut is a scuzzy exploration of the dark side of American culture starring Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Priscilla), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, Bottoms), and Simon Rex (Red Rocket).

Reviews

‘By juxtaposing moments of frenetic comedy with a sun-dappled, soft-focus, quasi-nostalgic Americana, the promise of the kindness of strangers walks a tightrope with the threat of their violence.’
★★★★
Carmen Paddock, The Skinny

‘Packed with salty goodness. Yet, the thing that really sticks with you is how bittersweet all this silliness is.’
★★★★
David Jenkins, Little White Lies

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Sweet East between May 3, 2024 and May 7, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 9th June)

18:00

Ackroyd & Harvey Art of Activism 12A
£6 for Members + Intro
1h 17m
Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey’s internationally acclaimed collaborative art responds to the climate crisis through striking ecological works. Fiona Cunningham-Reid’s documentary explores their practice at the intersection of art, activism and biology. Screening plus introduction.

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20:15

The Christophers 15
£6 for Members
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 10th June)

14:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

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17:30

Orphan 15
2h 13m | Hungarian w/ English subtitles
In Budapest, 1957, a Jewish boy awaiting his father’s return from the camps is confronted by a mysterious man claiming to be his real parent. Oscar-winner László Nemes (Son of Saul) directs this powerful drama about identity, trauma and postwar Hungary.

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20:30

Reflection in a Dead Diamond 15
1h 27m | French & Italian w/ English subtitles
When a mysterious woman vanishes from the room next door, an ageing former spy living on the Côte d’Azur is drawn back into a world of fractured memories and buried secrets. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s stylised thriller blends espionage, psychological intrigue and grindhouse homage.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!