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Sweetness in the Belly

Sweetness in the Belly

Drama · 2019

Orphaned in Africa as a child, Lilly escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war in Ethiopia. Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families. But as her friend Amina discovers, Lilly's mission isn't purely selfless: a passionate lost love affair is revealed.

Movie details

Sweetness in the Belly

2019 Drama 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

Orphaned in Africa as a child, Lilly escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war in Ethiopia. Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families. But as her friend Amina discovers, Lilly's mission isn't purely selfless: a passionate lost love affair is revealed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sweetness in the Belly?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Zeresenay Mehari

Written by

Laura Phillips

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning

Lilly Mitchell Abdal

Wunmi Mosaku

Wunmi Mosaku

Amina Mergessa

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Dr. Aziz Abdul Nasser

Kunal Nayyar

Kunal Nayyar

Dr. Robin Sathi

R

Rafael Goncalves

Ahmed Mergessa

Chris McHallem

Chris McHallem

Immigration Officer

Denis Conway

Denis Conway

Officer Capps

Court is in session

Put Sweetness in the Belly on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.