As a society, we are still obsessed with defining what beauty is, making it glamorous for some and, in the eyes of others, unattainable. Written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, The Ugly Stepsister jumps feet first into this obsession. The filmmaker uses the backdrop of the fairytale world of Cinderella as a launching point to shed a harsh, unflattering light on the truth about chasing beauty and the lengths some are willing to go to appear attractive in the eyes of others.
We meet the “ugly” stepsister Elvira (Lea Myren), who, because of a tragic arranged marriage, is forced to move into the lavish Victorian estate of her mother Rebekka’s (Ane Dahl Torp) new husband. Elvira meets Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), a beautiful young woman who, as it turns out, will be one of her top rivals for the hand of Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth), who will eventually choose his princess at the King’s Ball.
However, it will be a long and hard road for Elvira to compete with Agnes’s natural beauty. And so begins the transformation, which is pushed by her mother. She endures brutal physical alterations to her body that morph and twist her already fairytale world of reality into something truly desperate and sad.
The pinnacle of the obsession was a heart-wrenchingly devastating moment that brought this destructive path into focus, showing how truly pointless it all was. The events unfolding were unsettling, mesmerizing, and, at times, downright gruesome to watch.
Writer-director Blichfeldt manages to weave Elvira’s tragic journey into a coherent and enjoyable narrative, no small feat considering the subject matter. The gothic setting helped tell the tale, showing that time knows no bounds when it comes to the tragic story of a woman obsessed with having the perfect body, for herself, and to, in turn, get the ideal man. The synth-laden sounds that pulse in tandem with the score and visuals created a wonderful and eerie backdrop to this world, with small moments of silence placed at just the right moments.
Myren gives an excellent performance as Elvira, transforming a woman who began as a romantic who read poetry and dreamed of marrying the prince into a body-obsessed fanatic willing to go to extremes to get what she wanted. Torp, as her mother, was just creepy as hell, and Næss, as Agnes, gave Elvira not simply a rival, but something much more complex at times and almost as sad. All three women helped elevate the film to a better place, and Blichfeldt provided them with the opportunity to do so.
RELATED: Does ‘Sinners’ Have a Post-Credits Scene? (Spoiler-Free)
There can be no getting around how some of the film’s moments are familiar in theme and tone, and that the large shadow of 2024’s The Substance is hanging over its head. However, the film never felt like a mere copy or a cheap rip-off, but more like an extension of the theme of female body obsession.
With its dark and moody setting, hauntingly strange score, and excellent performances, it’s no wonder The Ugly Stepsister is receiving so much buzz. The talent in front of and behind the camera showed no fear in taking a beloved fairytale and familiar story and twisting it around in a different time period. At the same time, it drives home the point, often in a brutal fashion, that things must change and the concept of beauty needs to be truly redefined.
The film is now playing in theaters nationwide.
