❝If the shoe doesn't fit...❞
──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────
YES. I never knew I needed this until now, but boy, am I glad it exists.
I love reading the original fairy tales. They're so much darker and exciting than the stories we've ended up with, and The Ugly Stepsister is a fantastic retelling of 'Cinderella' with all the horror missing from the Disney version. From the get-go, I was fascinated by the dark and haunting atmosphere, and as the story progressed I don't think my eyes left the screen once. Initially, I really liked Elvira; she was innocently in love and determined to marry her dream man, but the further she went in her pursuit of beauty, her desperation turned her into a pitiful caricature. And in the end, the man she pined for was a complete and utter twat, completely unworthy of her inner sweet self. I hoped she would take more interest in dance outside of the Finishing School when she first started classes because she was excellent, but even that was mocked by the teacher. Elvira just couldn't get a break. Her mother deserved to go to Hell for encouraging everything and mutilating her irreversibly, both physically and mentally. I genuinely can't find the words to describe how despicable she was. With the way the story was told, I disliked Agnes in the beginning, but it was easy to see why she wasn't a big fan of her stepmother and sisters, and I sympathised with her plight (but not when she harmed Elvira). I was just happy that Alma was able to save her sister and escape together before their mother could ruin their lives further.
The VFX was so good, and I know this comparison has been made a million times already, but it reminded me of The Substance in that all of the body horror occurred in the quest for beauty. I'm not squeamish by any account, but I hate insects with a passion, so that scene with the tapeworm made my skin crawl and the hairs on my neck stand up. The body horror wasn't used solely for shock value, and was executed flawlessly in my opinion. I loved the wardrobe of all the characters, too; Elvira's dresses and Alma's shirt and trousers combo were fantastic, and I really liked Agnes' blue ball dress too. The cinematography was excellent, and there were some gorgeous shots of the house in mist and the nature surrounding it. The score was stunning as well, and mixed melancholy classical pieces with funky electropop to suit the manic plot.
Lea Myren knocked it out of the park, of course, and portrayed the physical and mental transformation of Elvira perfectly. Ane Dahl Torp did great as Rebekka, as did Thea Sofie Loch Naess as Agnes. The rest of the cast were also very good, but these three actresses were fantastic, and it was so captivating to watch them interact with each other.
I strongly recommend checking this film out as soon as you can, because it absolutely rocked. I promise you won't regret it.
❝If the shoe doesn't fit...❞
──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────
YES. I never knew I needed this until now, but boy, am I glad it exists.
I love reading the original fairy tales. They're so much darker and exciting than the stories we've ended up with, and The Ugly Stepsister is a fantastic retelling of 'Cinderella' with all the horror missing from the Disney version. From the get-go, I was fascinated by the dark and haunting atmosphere, and as the story progressed I don't think my eyes left the screen once. Initially, I really liked Elvira; she was innocently in love and determined to marry her dream man, but the further she went in her pursuit of beauty, her desperation turned her into a pitiful caricature. And in the end, the man she pined for was a complete and utter twat, completely unworthy of her inner sweet self. I hoped she would take more interest in dance outside of the Finishing School when she first started classes because she was excellent, but even that was mocked by the teacher. Elvira just couldn't get a break. Her mother deserved to go to Hell for encouraging everything and mutilating her irreversibly, both physically and mentally. I genuinely can't find the words to describe how despicable she was. With the way the story was told, I disliked Agnes in the beginning, but it was easy to see why she wasn't a big fan of her stepmother and sisters, and I sympathised with her plight (but not when she harmed Elvira). I was just happy that Alma was able to save her sister and escape together before their mother could ruin their lives further.
The VFX was so good, and I know this comparison has been made a million times already, but it reminded me of The Substance in that all of the body horror occurred in the quest for beauty. I'm not squeamish by any account, but I hate insects with a passion, so that scene with the tapeworm made my skin crawl and the hairs on my neck stand up. The body horror wasn't used solely for shock value, and was executed flawlessly in my opinion. I loved the wardrobe of all the characters, too; Elvira's dresses and Alma's shirt and trousers combo were fantastic, and I really liked Agnes' blue ball dress too. The cinematography was excellent, and there were some gorgeous shots of the house in mist and the nature surrounding it. The score was stunning as well, and mixed melancholy classical pieces with funky electropop to suit the manic plot.
Lea Myren knocked it out of the park, of course, and portrayed the physical and mental transformation of Elvira perfectly. Ane Dahl Torp did great as Rebekka, as did Thea Sofie Loch Naess as Agnes. The rest of the cast were also very good, but these three actresses were fantastic, and it was so captivating to watch them interact with each other.
I strongly recommend checking this film out as soon as you can, because it absolutely rocked. I promise you won't regret it.
