The Ugly Stepsister

Pretty Cinderella gets loyal friends, a gorgeous dress and a ruling prince. Who can relate to that?

In Norwegian Emilie Blichfeldt’s first feature film, the ”ugly stepsister” of the fairy tale gets the spotlight. Elvira (Lea Myren) doesn’t have a slim figure, elegant gestures or a pretty face – the most valuable assets of a lady. Money could even things out, but she has none of that either. Elvira’s mother tries to fix things by marrying a man living in a stunning manor.

This juicy horror film starts off just like the fairy tale. The widowed mother forces her stepdaughter to be a maid, and the prince invites all eligible women to a ball. The camera underlines the abyss between reality and the ideal. Elvira’s smile is framed by braces and her waist by love handles. Who is she to marry a prince?

The horror in this film springs from the compulsive attempt to try to close this gap, even if it takes blades and blood to do that. The violent fairytale tradition of the Brothers Grimm is depicted with a side of satire, and the body horror reminiscent of Julie Ducournau’s and Coralie Fargeat’s works is sprinkled with princess fantasy. The finishing touch to the crooked smile comes from realizing how far from the ideal the prince himself is.

Kaisu Tervonen (translated by Charlotte Elo)