Sweetie, a Tribute to the 'Sick' Family; Critique of Therapy: SPOILERS

This film serves as a kind of testament to those who, like Kay, have endured the pain of growing up with a mentally ill family member, or an otherwise highly dysfunctional family. As someone who has grown up in a chaotic household environment, I could completely empathize with Kay's character. From the beginning we see that Kay is different. She is superstitious and obviously troubled. She is ostracized by co-workers and generally keeps to herself (or possibly ostracized because she keeps to herself a bit too much). When one grows up in a family home that is largely dysfunctional, coming OUT of the home proves to be nearly as difficult as having lived in it. Because now one is faced not only with the horrid memories of home life, but is additionally jeopardized by a society that expects one to just "buck up," act "normal," and carry on as though one had not just been through the pit-fires of hell. There is a moment in the film when the incestuous father meets with Sweetie's "producer," Bob, in a diner, during which Bob falls into a drugged stupor and comes crashing to the floor, coffee spilling on him from off the table. The father's response is to "cover up" the spilled mess on Bob by putting a menu atop his chest as we watch the fluid dripping down. Just as the father tries to fix the situation here through a ridiculous gesture--i.e. putting that menu atop Bob--so too will he try to downplay the severity of Sweetie's illness in an appallingly ridiculous fashion. Kay's anger towards her sister is a common one among family members dealing with a mentally fragile loved one. Her response also functions as a form of denial in that it overlooks the very REAL reasons as to why Sweetie behaves the way she does. Like Kay, I also believed (though not anymore) that my family member was possessed by a demon of sorts. This belief functions as a convenient blaming tactic that places the cause of the illness on the victim. "She's a bad spirit," Kay says of Sweetie at one point in the film. Sometimes family members will do almost anything to justify their anger towards the victim of the ill family member. The anger, in turn, just acts as a catalyst for further upset on the part of the already suffering member of the family. We see examples of this in the film, such as when Kay aggressively confronts Sweetie in the kitchen for having ruined her clothes. Kay is a victim just as much as Sweetie because she is likewise denied the ability to lead a happy life. Not until after Sweetie passes on and is relieved from a life-time of suffering do we see Kay's character begin to lighten up. The irony here is not just that Sweetie is sick; she is sick because the family unit is sick; she is part and parcel of a dysfunctional family unit that cannot come to terms with its own faults.

Just wanted to add that I thought campion's use of comic relief in this otherwise tragic story was just superb. I laughed out loud in many scenes. Campion's critique of the mental health system is spot-on. Refer to the scene in which Kay interrupts the meditation therapist during a group session. The humor is subtle, sure, but it's there and it holds truth. There's another scene with a therapist who awkwardly suggests the couple incorporate the Kama Sutra in their relationship.