Premise tired of meThe black comedy, slash psychodrama that was honored at last year’s Cannes Film Festival is like the Elephant Man coming to Norway to become an influencer.
Signe and Thomas are a toxic couple who constantly try to outdo each other with passive-aggressive humiliation. Thomas (Eirik Seter) is a contemporary artist whose recent exhibition consisting entirely of stolen furniture made him famous, with an elaborate magazine cover calling him “Thomas the Thief”.
Signe (Kristin Kujat Thorpe) becomes increasingly frustrated both with Thomas’ growing disdain for her and with everyone else’s attention on him. When she accidentally saves the life of a woman bitten by a dog in a cafe where she works for weeks and eats out because of this story, that’s it. She’s had some fame and wants more. The lie starts small – here an allergy to fake nuts, there a thwarted attempt to provoke a dog attack. But she soon tricks a local drug dealer into buying her Russian anti-anxiety drugs on the black market, which she knows will leave her with a terrible skin condition.
When the doctors and Thomas aren’t bothered by the first signs of a rash, she swallows dozens of large yellow pills at a time until her face is swollen like a deformed marshmallow man and jagged red lines appear on her cheek. arteries oozing blood.
At the hospital, she finally gets the attention she craves. From Thomas apologizing for not taking her seriously sooner and plotting a fantasy of her VIP funeral. And friends cackle and coo at them. Finally freed and once again feeling her concentration slipping away, she removes her bandages from her face and poses discreetly as Thomas snaps social media photos. She persuades a friend to write an article in the newspaper, ostensibly to normalize the “illness” (which the doctors could not identify) and enters into a contract with an “inclusive” modeling agency.
But it can’t be that easy for a narcissist with Munchausen syndrome, can it? NO. Signe’s side is affecting progress in ways she didn’t plan, and Friends’ focus inevitably shifts because that’s life. Despite all the make-up and prosthetics, Thorpe puts on an amazing performance, ensuring that such an unlikely character remains intriguing throughout the film. The film also seamlessly shifts between reality and Signe’s hilarious fantasies of admiration (apologies from her careless father! Bookshop!). It’s funny in a scary way.
And yet there is something special about this film. The sermon is heavy-handed (don’t draw too much attention!) and doesn’t pay enough attention to some of the most interesting parts, like how society is to blame for this self-obsession. In a world that celebrates Insta’s bravery, is it all Signe’s fault? A little more depth could have made this more than just a fun premise.
Source: I News
I am Mario Pickle and I work in the news website industry as an author. I have been with 24 News Reporters for over 3 years, where I specialize in entertainment-related topics such as books, films, and other media. My background is in film studies and journalism, giving me the knowledge to write engaging pieces that appeal to a wide variety of readers.