“The Elephant Man” of the Instagram era: social satire with elements of body horror, shown at Cannes. The Second film by Kristoffer Borgli, a new favorite of A24 Films
In the sickening dark comedy, a toxic twenty-year-old barista named Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp from “Ninjababy”, a 2022 “Northern Lights” Audience Award-winning film) is overtaken by the Main Character Syndrome. The girl is sure that she is smarter, funnier, and noteworthier than other people in her creative environment. Signe is especially annoyed by the successes of her boyfriend Thomas, a hooligan conceptual artist who creates installations from furniture stolen from restaurants, which greatly impresses the cultural elite of Oslo. In the end, the girl resorts to an extremely perverted way to attract attention: she swallows batches of dubious Russian pills found on the darknet, due to which her hair begins to fall out and her face becomes covered with blisters and scars. Signe talks about a “unique disease” on social networks, goes viral all over the world, and signs a contract with an inclusive modeling agency. But the longer the girl exploits her condition, which is worsening every day, the more her new life as an influencer will slide into an absurd and insane tragedy.
Original language: Norwegian Subtitles: Belarusian | English