MOVIE REVIEW: THE UGLY STEPSISTER

 

Elvira dreams of the weak-kneed virgin, Prince Julian, and is willing to go to great lengths to conform to the kingdom's ideals of beauty. A surprising and raw twist on the fairy tale `Cinderella', seen from her stepsister's point of view.

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

Cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli

Release Date: April 18, 2025/UK Cinemas April 25, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Unrated 

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Emilie Blichfeldt's debut film, The Ugly Stepsister, is a lavishly demented and darkly funny take on the Cinderella story from the Stepsister's point of view full of body horror and subtext.  Blichfeldt's film has a dreamlike fairy tale feel to it juxtaposed with varying moments of increasingly intense body horror as we follow the eldest stepsister's, Elvira played with wide eyed earnestness by Lea Myren, a quest to achieve nearly impossible beauty standards to save her family.  The script avoids the usual depictions of the stepmother and daughter as outright evil and more as products of their unfortunate circumstances as they attempt to survive an intensely patriarchal society.  This approach gives Elvira and her family a much more sympathetic feeling as we follow her to do pretty much anything to give her a chance to marry the prince who isn't as charming as he is on paper.  Lea Myren delivers a stellar performance in the central role that's makes her increasing desire to achieve her goal which drives her to a series of extreme measures.  It’s a fascinating performance that always makes her the most interesting performer on screen even as the character slowly starts to tear apart at the seams, quite literally at certain points.  She's able to make the audience feel every moment, especially those wince inducing moments that's sure to turn more than a few stomachs.  There's a thematic echo of last year's The Substance but here there's still a sliver of redemption for our central character thanks to her more sensible younger sister played by Flo Fagerli who makes the most of her limited screentime.  Ane Dahl Torp and Thea Sofie Loch Naess play the stepmother and Cinderella respectively with an air of sadness throughout as opposite sides of the same coin where fortune shines on one but not the other.  The Ugly Stepsister's more extreme moments will be its calling card for years to come but there's so much shimmer under the surface that you must appreciate the level of talent behind its creation.  

A