Sweetheart Deal

The brand-new Sweetheart Deal, by Elisa Levine, tells the story of four women — Kristine, Krista, Tammy, and Sara — who navigate life on Seattle’s infamous Aurora Avenue, a street packed with traffic, motels, and liquor stores, and known for being one of the city’s main hubs for street-based sex work.

The film explores the women’s complex relationships with each other, their families, and a man named Elliott, a self-proclaimed healer who offers the women food, shelter, and a place to detox in his RV.

At first, Elliott seems like a savior, but as time goes on, the lines between helper and exploiter begin to blur.

Sweetheart Deal was shot over several years in vérité style and captures the women’s humanity and resilience as they search for hope amidst the hardships of their daily lives. It is in theaters now, and you can listen to Levine in contact with Eric Steuer for the Actual Facts podcast, presented by MovieMaker, here.