SWEET RELIEF – available on premium VOD as of yesterday – is an 89-minute, slow-burn whacky horror thriller about an online murder challenge (by Gen Z types) in a small suburban community. It’s director, Nick Verdi, has a rep in indie film circles as a filmmaker whose credentials include directing, acting, cinematographing, editing and stunt man derring-do. His feature film credits include ANGEL OF THE NIGHT (director and writer) and COCKAZOID (director and co-writer).
As a stunt man professional, he’s worked steadily in Los Angeles since2012, with credits on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., True Blood, Bone Tomahawk, and other projects.
Those aficionados who say they’re familiar with his work – check the Internet – describe him as a driven, well rounded creative force who brings passion as well as battlefield tested stunt skills to his gigs – and last but not least indie sensibility to his projects. In niche filmmaking and action stunt communities, he’s recognized as a serious talent with a “make film or die trying” ethos.
Thus, this film reviewer believes the misfires of SWEET RELIEF can be shrugged off as a learn-from-your-mistakes filmmaking experience. This 89-minute feature, this reviewer believes, could be transmorgified into a much better movie if it was 50 to 60 minutes shorter. The last 30 minutes of the 89-minute film is chunked with far out scenes and true grist and action and unpredictable moments. Also, SWEET RELIEF most definitely could use a new film score.
More About the Film
Some parents, teachers and adults in a small New England town become panicky because of youths playing Sweet Relief, an online murder challenge in which players must nominate someone they would like to see die. Somewhere between ingenues and budding sorceresses, three local gals engage the game as a joke and eventually begin to seethe with revenge for righteous justice that they irrationally believe they are entitled to inflict on people who allegedly insulted them. The three loose their minds as they get wrapped up in their revenge for things like their birthdays were overlooked or a significant other allegedly flirting with someone else.
Jess and Nathan are a bored millennial couple struggling to get by. Nathan is annoyed with his mother, and Jess is annoyed with Nathan. Jess’ curiosity and boredom lead to a lethal situation of her own, when she meets Gerald, a bumbling confidential police informant whom might be a sadistic child killer.
The story starts out as a slow burn gains momentum as seemingly unrelated characters and story lines begin to interweave until the shocking, explosive climax in this art house thriller. Unfortunately, the slow burn burns so anguishing slowly that it’s possible there will be audiences who could lose interest in the film. Director Nick Verdi could easily fix this but not by coming up with plot fixes. All he has to do is just slice and dice the first 50 or 60 minutes!
SWEET RELIEF was written and directed by up and coming filmmaker Nick Verdi. The film stars Alisa Leigh, B.R. Yeager, Adam Michael Kozack, Lucie Rosenfeld, Jocelyn Lopez, Catie DuPont and Paul Lazar. It was executive produced by Elliot Gipson. The film had a successful festival run, according to publicity and marketing information, and has screened at Chattanooga Film Festival, Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (PUFF), Another Hole in the Head, and Sale Horror Fest. There are others.
SWEET RELIEF is distributed as the first feature film from the new label, Art Brut Films. Tribeca Award-Winning producer Elliot Gipson (CHARLIEBIRD) launched Art Brut Films in 2023 to develop, produce, distribute and sell truly independent cinema.
SWEET RELIEF, to reiterate, is to have a one week theatrical one at Laemmle Encino Town Center (L.A.) and is to be available on premium VOD exclusively on Eventive, before a wider VOD release later in the year.