First Look: SXSW Thriller Sweetness Sets February 2026 Release from Saban Films

Kate Hallett watches her rockstar obsession in the first image from Emma Higgins’ Sweetness.

FIRST LOOK: Saban Films Sets February Release for Emma Higgins’ SXSW Thriller Sweetness

As we start lining up coverage for SXSW 2026, it’s worth revisiting one of the quieter discoveries from last year’s festival circuit. Emma Higgins made her directorial debut with Sweetness in 2025, and now Saban Films is bringing the feature to audiences on February 13, 2026. One of our early 2026 thrillers to keep on the radar.

A first-look image released today shows Kate Hallett peering through a set of curtains, possibly watching the rock star at the center of her fixation. The shot immediately calls back the uneasy, voyeuristic tone of Lurker—an underrated and strangely underpromoted film from last year that felt ahead of its time. Sweetness seems poised to explore that same space where fandom, access, and obsession collapse into something dangerous.

We’re in an era where aspiring influencers and newly minted celebrities live under the same fluorescent glow. People worship those who go viral, and they want to be worshipped in return. The line between fantasy and entitlement is thinner than ever, and Higgins’ film looks like a natural evolution of the culture we’re living in. Sweetness digs directly into that parasocial spiral—a teenager deciding she can “save” a rock star who doesn’t want to be saved, only for her devotion to turn into something far more violent.

The film follows a 16-year-old superfan who discovers her idol’s drug addiction and becomes determined to fix him. When her plan unravels, she kidnaps him, convinced that love and confinement are the same thing. What starts as sympathy turns into captivity, and Higgins uses that collapse to examine how obsession thrives in a world that rewards unhealthy access.

The cast includes Kate Hallett, Herman Tømmeraas, Aya Furukawa, Justin Chatwin, Steven Ogg, and Amanda Brugel. Higgins writes and directs, with Taj Critchlow and Daniel Quinn producing.

Expect Sweetness on digital and on demand February 13, 2026. HMU will have a full review ahead of release.

Written/Directed by: Emma Higgins

Produced by: Taj Critchlow, Daniel Quinn

Cast: Kate Hallett, Herman Tømmeraas, Aya Furukawa, Justin Chatwin, Steven Ogg, Amanda Brugel