Overview
A gripping tale of survival and justice in the harsh Australian outback.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- austere
- foreboding
- harrowing
- serious movie night
- arthouse western viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a hard-hitting, visually powerful revisionist western and sociopolitical character study, with particular acclaim for its outback cinematography and direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam and Lizzie's flight unfolds within a racist settler system, challenging conventional Australian frontier narratives.
The Northern Territory outback dominates the pursuit, courtroom aftermath, and moments of isolation.
Sam's self-defense is judged within a legal order that treats Aboriginal lives and testimony as subordinate.
The film builds its pursuit and moral pressure through measured pacing, sparse dialogue, and sudden eruptions of violence.
Films like Sweet Country, and why
The Proposition
shared revisionist western form, colonial violence, and morally complex pursuit narrative
Rabbit-Proof Fence
shared australian landscape, indigenous-settler tensions, and austere historical drama
The Nightingale
shared slow-burn western tension, institutional injustice, and stark naturalism
Meek's Cutoff
shared sociopolitical western critique, racial oppression, and hard-edged character study
Movie Details
- Director
- Warwick Thornton
- Release Date
- 2018-01-25
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (222)
Cast
- Hamilton Morris
- Bryan Brown
- Sam Neill
- Thomas M. Wright
- Ewen Leslie
- Matt Day
- Gibson John
- Natassia Gorey Furber
- Anni Finsterer
- Tremayne Doolan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, ViX Premium Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, 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 Country about?
- An Aboriginal stockman and his pregnant wife flee across 1929 Northern Territory after a self-defense killing exposes the brutality of colonial law.
- What is Sweet Country like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sweet Country as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Sweet Country violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sweet Country as brutal.
- What did critics think of Sweet Country?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a hard-hitting, visually powerful revisionist western and sociopolitical character study, with particular acclaim for its outback cinematography and direction.
- Which films are like Sweet Country?
- Films with a similar feel include The Proposition, Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Nightingale, and Meek's Cutoff.
- How long is Sweet Country?
- Sweet Country runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sweet Country?
- In United States, Sweet Country streams on Amazon Prime Video, ViX Premium Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
