“The Ugly Stepsister” opens with young Elvira (Lea Myren) clutching to a book of poetry authored by the man of her dreams, Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth). She’s daydreaming about true love’s kiss as she arrives via carriage to the fictional Swedlandia with her younger sister Alma for their mother, Rebekka’s (Ane Dahl Torp) re-marriage. Unfortunately, tragedy soon follows the nuptials and the new stepsisters Elvira and Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) grow into rivals. They attempt to outdo each other in terms of social hierarchies, beauty standards, and even respective mourning processes. Furthermore, the estranged bond—as well as the step-sisters’ insecurities—are put to the test (quite literally as both the girls are enrolled in the same finishing school) when the call to a grand ball arrives, and it turns out the prince is on the lookout for a bride.
Don’t let the charming poetic voiceover, harp background score, beautiful gowns and picturesque Pinterest-like aesthetics of this period piece fool you. Emilie Blichfeldt’s directorial debut is as much of an escapist fairytale as the late Shyam Benegal’s “Zubeidaa” was. It is not entirely a re-telling either, but a harsh reality bite set in an unnerving, sadly unchanged backdrop. Here skinny equates beautiful, literal menus featuring various facial reconstruction procedures grace the waiting rooms of dentist clinics, and true love’s kiss is sidelined in favour of material wealth.
Empathy Along with Stereotype
Blichfeldt utilises archetypes from fairytales to craft a role reversal, especially one sympathetic to the plight of both Elvira and Agnes. They long to escape labels such as ‘ugly’ or ‘virginal,’which only leads to a downward spiral and mental and physical deterioration. It even evokes empathy towards the stereotypical ‘evil’ stepmother, since Rebekka has become embittered by the overwhelming nature of her circumstances. She faces similar limitations as any woman in the 19th Century. She continues to bear the brunt of ageism. Her fear of others’ seeing her as a widow—who is losing her looks—causes her to forever seek out an aristocratic man out of sheer desperation. This, or to accept her fate and languish as a single mum with mouths to feed but no income.
The morbid imagery in particular paints an ugly picture of the unhealthy ideals that pass from generation to generation. Elvira fears ostracism due to her braces—which she hides with a ‘modest’ smile—taking care to not show her teeth, which only results in her appearing eternally smug and dreary. As a result, this hides away her otherwise genuinely upbeat persona. She pushes mouth-watering cinnamon rolls far into a drawer and tuck away her tummy rolls, singled out time. Her dance instructor judges her simply for her looks and her own mother even belittles her. Therefore, it isn’t entirely surprising when poor Elvira emerges from her cocoon as a villain instead of a butterfly.
Even the blue waistband on Agnes’ dance rehearsal attire is seemingly modeled after the powder blue ball gown from Disney’s “Cinderella.” Yet it also pairs well with the virginal façade she puts on to avoid word getting out about her secret steamy affair with a handsome stablehand. A hairbrush too serves as a symbol of the growing distance between Agnes and her step-sibling and foreshadows the loss of Elvira’s unique, innocent personality as the social conditioning continues.
The Haves and the Have Nots
“The Ugly Stepsister” has its moments of body horror and the close-ups during its many sequences depicting cosmetic procedures are enough to make viewers flinch. And the movie’s many revolting visuals do not stop there. Later, someone presents Elvira with a ‘miracle egg’ housed in a jewelry box that oddly resembles a pearl encased in an oyster shell. This is in addition to being affixed with an apparatus that would put Hannibal Lecter to shame (the latter of which is actually based on a real-life device from the 1940s that went by the ominous moniker ‘the nose shaper’).
The stark contrast between the haves and have nots is yet another recurring theme of the movie . It touches upon this via nauseating shots of a rotting body in a scene wherein Agnes reprimands her step-mother for prioritizing the material Ball and spending money lavishly on beauty procedures rather than organising a simple burial for her recently deceased father.
The movie also boasts a gothic ambiance reminiscent to cinematic works before it such as Tim Burton’s adaptation of “Sleepy Hollow” or Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Later, it even pays homage with parallels to both David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and to “Suspiria” in the form of foreboding red curtains.
A Good Supporting Cast
Lea Myren channels a young Maggie Gyllenhaal with her body language and dialogue delivery as she steps into the shoes of the naïve Elvira, and co-stars Thea Sofie Loch Næss and Ane Dahl Torp as Agnes and Rebekka, respectively, are top draws as well. Flo Fagerli as Alma, Isac Calmroth as Prince Julian, Adam Lundgren (in a brief appearance as the nutty Dr. Esthétique), and Katarzyna Herman as stern dance instructor Madame Vanja leave a mark in their supporting roles.
While the eventual fate of the titular character is hard to stomach, “The Ugly Step Sister” is a timely cautionary tale to all those young girls who grew up on fairytales of a prince charming. Sometimes the prince just isn’t worth the pain.
“The Ugly Step Sister” releases in US cinemas on 18th April and UK cinemas on 25th April.
