Horror film “The Ugly Stepsister”: How women hurt other women
The Cinderella fairytale as a grotesque body horror film: This film is pitch-black, brutal, and packs a powerful punch. It hits theaters on June 5. The review.
Why are women seven times more likely to suffer from anorexia than men? Why is there so much pressure on women to be slim? Why do young women in particular present themselves on social media with "beauty filters", heavy makeup, and in provocative poses? And who actually benefits from beauty ideals and female competitive pressure? Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt explores these questions in her feature film debut "The Ugly Stepsister" ("Den stygge stesøsteren"), using the story of Cinderella as an example. Yes, the entire film is set in a fairytale Middle Ages, which more than once brings to mind the Czech Christmas classic "Three Nuts for Cinderella." The difference is that this is a film from the "body horror" subgenre, which is at times quite uncomfortable.
“If you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer”The main character is the young Elvira (Lea Myren). Together with her sister Alma and their mother Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), she arrives at the court of an old man whom Rebekka married for financial reasons. Otto dies suddenly at a celebratory dinner, leaving behind debts rather than riches. Now Rebekka's hopes rest on Elvira, her eldest daughter. Prince Julian is hosting a ball and intends to choose the most beautiful bride. Since, in her mother's opinion, Elvira's beauty could certainly be improved, the young woman undergoes several brutal operations by the ambitious Dr. Esthétique and ultimately swallows a tapeworm so she can eat and still lose weight. She also undergoes the rigorous training of a dance teacher. The deceased Otto's biological daughter, Elvira's stepsister Agnes, poses threatening competition. Those who have seen "The Substance," "The Neon Demon," or "Black Swan" will find the film thematically unoriginal. We learn early on: "If you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer." And we see women who could actually support each other caught in destructive competitive spirals. What makes "The Ugly Stepsister" special, however, is, on the one hand, the well-captured fairytale setting and, on the other, the interesting perspective the film offers on the well-known Cinderella tale. Here, for once, we are not told the story from the victor's point of view. The film also manages to strike a good balance between grotesque humor, nasty moments of disgust, and saddening drama. The effects are not too numerous, but very effective, and the production as a whole is surprisingly secure for a debut. Blickfeldt may have been inspired by directors as diverse as Juraj Herz ("Beauty and the Monster") and Catherine Breillat ("Fat Girl").
Lead actress Lea Myren in particular is able to bring a number of facets to her role, ranging from comic to tragic, ensuring that empathy is not lost despite the film's clearly satirical approach.
Film critic Sheila O'Malley writes on Roger Ebert : "It is hard to be a woman in any society when there is a Cinderella to whom you can be compared." Blichfeldt's debut shows in a genuinely cinematic way the persistence of destructive myths, the intertwining of economics and desire, and the deeply internalized control exerted by beauty ideals, especially on women and by women. It is an old and still effective trick of the ruling class to make the ruled feel that they are not good enough, that they only have to be better, harder-working, more beautiful, braver, more devoted to be happy within their circumstances. In this way, the oppressed direct their frustration against themselves and do not even consider seeing the prince for what he is: a boring, contemptuous and spoiled asshole whose romantic poems were probably secretly written by an unpaid woman.
The Ugly Stepsister: In cinemas from June 5, 2025, 1 hour 45 minutes, comedy, horror, directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, screenplay by Emilie Blichfeldt, cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, original title: Den stygge stesøsteren.
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