Sweet As tells the story of an Indigenous Australian teenager as she participates in a week long photography youth trip. Some hidden sights in Western Australia are shown, too.

Sweet As stars Shantae Barnes-Cowan as Murra. She shoplifts food. She lives with her mom (Ngaire Pigram) who sleeps all day and parties all night. Murra pushes furniture against her bedroom door to keep out the drunk men her mother lets into the house.

One night Murra has had enough. She runs to a pay phone and calls her Uncle Ian (Mark Coles Smith), a local police officer. He lets her stay at his place, but he also finds her a spot on a week long bus trip for troubled teens to learn about photography.

There are four teens on the bus, each with their own unique troubles and issues. The other teens are Elvis (Pedrea Jackson), Kylie (Mikayla Levy), and Sean (Andrew Wallace). The adults in charge are Mitch (Tasma Walton) and Fernando (Carlos Sanson Jr.).

When the trip begins, the kids are given cameras with film. Their phones are taken away. They learn how to think of a photograph as a story and about the slow thoughtfulness of using actual film cameras. Murra takes to it. She’s a natural at finding interesting things/stories through her lens.

The first night they stay in a motel, a new experience for the teens. They get in all sorts of trouble there. After that, they head for remote locations in Western Australia where they will camp near great spots for photography.

Even in remote camp sites, the kids’ issues manage to come out. There are problems, misunderstandings, and eventually growth and bonding among the teens. The Indigenous characters lead the way by honoring their ancestors and using their knowledge of the bush and the environment to work together.

They return home changed. Murra’s mom even seems changed after her absence. You get the feeling that these young people are going to be okay in spite of everything.

I thought Sweet As was a beautiful and touching movie. Jub Clerc directed.

I watched the film free on Tubi, but it’s available to rent from places like YouTube, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Google Play.