SWEETIE, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT

Needing a weekend away from his pregnant and very high-strung wife, Dastan and his buddies plan a fishing trip as his last fling before settling into family life. However, their quest for relaxation is cut short when the trio is smacked in the face by the most absurd application of Murphy’s Law you’re likely to see this year. At the beginning of this complex and violent comedic misadventure, the friends accidentally witness a mob hit, and what’s worse, the mob witness them. You’d think that being chased by murderous thugs intent on eliminating loose ends would be the worst that could happen. That’s when the backwoods lunatic with an affinity for knives shows up.

Kazakh director Yernar Nurgaliyev delivers a thrill-a-minute horror comedy in SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT, his third feature and first in this vein. Fans of bona fide bangers like TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL will want to find a spot for this one on their schedule, as SWEETIE deftly swings from bloody killings to bumbling oafish masculinity with glee and aplomb. We know things can sometimes get awfully heavy at the fest, so if you’re in need of a reprieve and a solid laugh, SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT has you covered. (JOSH HURTADO)