“Look in the mirror, sweetheart”, the stepsisters mother barks at her as she informs her she wants to marry the prince. But this is nothing compared to some of the uncompromising meanness the evil stepmother shows one of her daughters in this wicked retelling of a well-known fairy tale.
Norwegian writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt reimagines the fairytale of Cinderella as a horror story, offering an exciting twist by telling the tale from the perspective of the stepsisters. This film shines a light on the fact that we still live very much in a world where aesthetics are deemed more important than anything else when trying to entice a handsome prince to marry you.
Elvira (Lea Myren) is our protagonist stepsister, already madly in love with Prince Charming, who lives in the castle down the road — though in this reimagining, he is far from charming. Without the pressure of society intervening in her self-confidence and dreams, Elvira has decided that she wants to marry the prince and will indeed marry the prince. When her wealth driven mother marries into a new family for money, Elvira and her younger sister, Alma, move into the house with their new stepfather and his daughter, the typically ‘beautiful and blonde,’ Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss).
Events take an unexpected turn and Elvira’s mother decides that she needs to marry one of her children off for money (Alma is too young), and thus Elvira is started on a long and often grotesquely painful journey to gain a perfect nose, perfect eyes, perfect teeth, perfect feet and the perfect body. It’s body horror in its most extreme form, and it’s impossible to look away. Watching Elvira’s journey is captivating, as she endures grueling cruelty, driven by the hope of a future marriage to the prince, while her mother is motivated by money. Whilst all this is going on, we see little sister Alma (who is the wisest character in the film) absolutely horrified by these events, a character who does not say much, but sees all. Could she be the hero who ultimately saves the day?
In terms of femininity and society’s attitudes towards women’s bodies, The Ugly Stepsister is a critically important film. If true beauty is said to lie within, yet external beauty is prioritized above all else, who decides what is truly beautiful?
Myren certainly goes through the ringer in this film, and the practical effects are absolutely out of this world — truly impressive. The Ugly Stepsister is a gloriously dark and gory horror fairytale, unafraid to make its audience cringe.
Definitely don’t watch it whilst you’re having your lunch.
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