Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Dakota FanningLilly Mitchell Abdal
- Wunmi MosakuAmina Mergessa
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIDr. Aziz Abdul Nasser
- Kunal NayyarDr. Robin Sathi
- Rafael GoncalvesAhmed Mergessa
- Chris McHallemImmigration Officer
- Denis ConwayOfficer Capps
- Molly McCannYoung Lilly
- Gavin DreaPhilip Mitchell
- Sophie Kennedy ClarkAlice Mitchell
Recommendations
- 75
The Playlist
For its few flaws, Sweetness in the Belly hits plenty of the right notes, featuring a breadth of insight possible only when a filmmaker truly knows the place the story is set. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
This is a well-crafted, Bechdel-passing film that prioritizes an intersectional female friendship, yet Lilly remains nothing but our Trojan horse into the 1980s Ethiopian refugee crisis. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Fanning acquits herself, but Amina’s story as a single mother of two and a survivor of brutal sexual violence is the far more necessary story to tell. A main romantic subplot is slighter still. - 50
Variety
There’s a floridly sentimental heart fluttering beneath its tastefully solemn surface, but at times, you can’t help wishing the film would give in to its more expressive impulses. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
It ticks nearly every box in the checklist of films you wish you could like more than you actually do.
