It is set on a sugar plantation in the Dutch East Indies around He has an illegitimate son whose mother Siti played by model Hayati Azis is a local Indonesian woman. His relatives are running out of money. The white European characters in the film sometimes behave monstrously. Nonetheless, at times, audiences are likely to feel sympathy for them.
It also comes laced with dark humour. Through that, I wanted to make a mirror to our times here and nowโฆa slightly absurdist mirror. In spite of the difficult subject, I also wanted the film to be in certain ways entertaining. The filmmakers were therefore able to pay for goods and services using euros. The film has a very striking performance from newcomer Hayati Azis as the beautiful and mysterious maid who has a child with the colonial overlord. It was a group that was so well connectedโฆat the same time, this was the biggest project I have ever done.
The heaviness of it sometimes would weigh on my shoulders. The film is sold internationally by Greek outfit, Heretic. Gusto is handling distribution of Sweet Dreams in the Netherlands. Tekst smal. Director: Ena Sendijarevic. Film: Sweet Dreams. Festival: Locarno.
