Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- paranoid
- bleak
- late night viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a tense, atmospheric crime thriller elevated by Jon Bernthal's leading performance and its controlled small-town mood.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The robbery and killings implicate patrons, loved ones, and business relationships throughout the town rather than isolating guilt in one outsider.
Elwood's rapport with Sam develops while his responsibility for the town's violence remains a central source of dramatic tension.
Sam is a former rodeo star living a small-time existence and must confront past and present relationships during the crisis.
The small town, motel, and everyday patron relationships provide an austere setting for the film's slow-burning violence.
Films like Sweet Virginia, and why
Blue Ruin
shared small-town crime, brooding atmosphere, moral unraveling, and unpredictable violence
Cold in July
shared neo-noir tension, damaged characters, rural isolation, and revenge-driven crime
A Simple Plan
shared crime thriller structure, bleak community dynamics, and pressure on ordinary people
The Motel Life
shared slow-burn suspense, morally compromised characters, and desolate Americana
Movie Details
- Director
- Jamie M. Dagg
- Release Date
- 2017-11-17
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (344)
Cast
- Jon Bernthal
- Christopher Abbott
- Imogen Poots
- Rosemarie DeWitt
- Odessa Young
- Joseph Lyle Taylor
- Jonathan Tucker
- Garry Chalk
- Jared Abrahamson
- Gabrielle Rose
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sweet Virginia about?
- A diminished former rodeo star is drawn into a small-town crime spiral when an apparently sympathetic young man brings hidden violence into his orbit.
- What is Sweet Virginia like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sweet Virginia as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Sweet Virginia violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sweet Virginia as brutal.
- What did critics think of Sweet Virginia?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a tense, atmospheric crime thriller elevated by Jon Bernthal's leading performance and its controlled small-town mood.
- Which films are like Sweet Virginia?
- Films with a similar feel include Blue Ruin, Cold in July, A Simple Plan, and The Motel Life.
- How long is Sweet Virginia?
- Sweet Virginia runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sweet Virginia?
- In United States, Sweet Virginia streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel.
