One of my favourite films of the past year has been Christian Sparkes’ The King Tide, a striking thriller depicting how even the most tightly-knit communities can unravel when the tiniest thread is pulled. I saw a similar theme described in the logline for Melanie Oates’ sophomore feature Sweet Angel Baby while I was deciding what to review for TIFF this year. It turns out I was only partially correct in my assessment.
In a remote Newfoundland fishing town, the unassuming Eliza (Michaela Kurimsky) is a proud member of the community. She works at the local cafe, helps her neighbours gather firewood, and spearheads an effort to save the beloved local church from being sold to developers.
But lest things become too Capra-esque, Eliza also leads a double-life as “lil_wildling”, an online influencer with a rabid following consuming the sensual photos she takes deep in the nearby woods. She also maintains an off-the-books romantic relationship with town outsider Toni (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) while also succumbing to the advances of lecherous family man Shawn (Peter Mooney).
It’s that last move that causes her idyllic existence to shatter as Shawn has discovered her secret identity and doesn’t hesitate to tell his bar buddies about it. You can put together what happens next even without the benefit of the standard “did you hear?” montage. Suddenly, Eliza is the town pariah with even her own parents looking at her side-eyed and Toni providing only tepid support. Should she stay or should she go now?
I honestly wished I came out liking this film better as it contains all the necessary elements for a satisfying small town drama. Well-rounded performances from the entire cast are complemented by lucious cinematography which captures the stunning Newfoundland coast better than your typical tourist ad. Eliza’s covert woodland romps are captured with taste and sensitivity with enough edge to keep the most forgiving viewer in a state of mild discomfort.
In the end, Melanie Oakes proves she is more than capable of setting up narrative and character pins like its nobody’s business, but she throws almost endless gutterballs when it comes time to knock them down. For all the build-up, there’s only one really good scene of explosive confrontation between Eliza and the town with most of the remaining time spent on Eliza and Toni’s nebulous relationship, which despite awards-worthy performances from Kurimsky and Tailfeathers, still manages to be the least-interesting plotline in the film. There’s a wealth of storyline potential and rich characters that remain frustratingly unexplored to make room for what feels like nearly 10 minutes of emotionally-charged foreplay.
Sweet Angel Baby exhibits much promise and signs of capable craftsmanship, but joins an ever-expanding Canadian feature-film landscape littered with angsty screen stories that ultimately arrive nowhere. Audiences deserve something better than “life sucks, doesn’t it?” downers that leave us checking our watches until the end credits finally release us. Best to just watch the trailer instead.
5.5/10
Sweet Angel Baby premieres as part of TIFF at TIFF Lightbox on September 9 @1pm