Box office The film made $100,429 in Dutch cinemas during its opening weekend. , it grossed $702,446.
Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Reviewing for
Cineuropa, Savina Petkova wrote, "Sendijarević bridges past and present by fleshing out cruel, silenced histories through satire and formalism. If
colonialism lives on through its reverberations in the way our world is structured, can we live through the
Anthropocene?" Jordan Mintzer wrote in a positive review for
The Hollywood Reporter, "The film seems to be illustrating a point — about colonialism’s glaring evils and troubled heritage — more than telling a captivating story. It’s a worthy addition to a subgenre of period pieces that have been playing the festival circuit for some time now, as emerging filmmakers confront historic traumas with both horror and fascination." Namrata Joshi for
Cinema Express praised the film's cast and direction, "The ensemble is in fine fettle with Azis as Siti capping it with her droll dissent. Sendijarevic uses the power of the deadpan to make a larger political point, be it in the blunt, automated, staccato way in which the story progresses or the deliberately poker-faced performances of the key players."
Accolades Sweet Dreams was shortlisted for the
36th European Film Awards, but didn't make it to the nominations announced on 7 November 2023. The film was also selected as Dutch entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the
96th Academy Awards. == See also ==