There are plenty of versions of the Cinderella story, but none as brutal and nauseating as The Ugly Stepsister. For one, it’s not a lovely fairytale that rewards the perseverance of good people through a royal romance. Instead, this European folklore inspired body horror takes the perspective of its titular character, a stepsister who is forced to undergo invasive procedures for the sake of her family. It’s absolutely gruesome. Every single terrible thing Elvira goes through eerily recalls today’s plastic surgery and diet culture except without modern-day tools and anaesthesia. Those new to horror, or those who would be triggered by these topics, would find the film hard to watch. Still, The Ugly Stepsister deeply understands the dark side of this oft-told fairytale, especially at how marriage used to be the only means to upward mobility for women.
"The Ugly Stepsister’s grossness feels organic, both to its source material and to our own lives."
— Bilge Ebiri
"Blichfeldt blends the more brutal folktale elements with phantasmatic longing to create a version of Cinderella where beauty is pain for some women, but life is pain for all of them."
— Savina Petkova
In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira battles to compete with her incredibly beautiful stepsister, and she will go to any length to catch the prince’s eye.
Like every other girl in the Kingdom, Elvira wants to marry the Prince. However, her perfect stepsister, Agnes, is considered as the frontrunner, as she’s the most beautiful girl in the land. Because of this, Elvira begins a ruthless series of beautification and surgical enhancements in preparation for the Royal Ball.
The approach. The perspective itself is already novel, but paired with the modern day references, the excellent production design, and the anachronistic score all mashes up in such a great way.
Elvira and Agnes and all the girls in the world deserve better!
Berlin
1 nomination
Sundance
1 nomination
