This is one heck of a wild, bold take-off on The Grimm Brothers’s tale of Cinderella. Still set mostly in medieval times (some girls having braces is a surprise), “The Ugly Stepsister” explores a possible backstory to the rags-to-riches beloved princess. Who was her father, what was her life like before he died, and what was the revisionist shocking reason she was demoted to cleaning duty?
But still further, in a typical Norwegian twist, attempting to understand and analyze all parts of the iconic tale, Emilie Blichfeldt (writer/director) dissects what it must have been like to have been one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters.
Why didn’t we ask that question when a parent first read us the story or we first saw the Disney movie? I don’t remember us girls having empathy or compassion for the misshapen, awkward, needy, self-centered, unkind stepsisters. They were an example of all we were being taught not to be.
Blichfeldt has said she created “The Ugly Stepsister” as instruction for young girls. But even in her own country, generally more open-minded than the US, The Norwegian Media Authority, like our MPAA guide that is responsible for rating movies, has given it a 15, which means that it is not suitable for children under the age of 15. I suspect in the US the best it might get is a NC-17, which means no one under 17 admitted.
So far, in the US it has neither had a wide release nor been rated. A publicist sent me a screener copy to review as a hopeful entry in the Oscar run for Best Foreign Film and Best Film for a First-Time Director. Touted as being in the same genre as the 2024 body horror film “The Substance,” Blichfeldt’s “The Ugly Stepsister” is just more gross with a dash of “Poor Things” graphic sex than you might imagine an instructive film for girls might be.
However, I think Blichfelt’s investigation into the yearning for beauty is a meaty topic for little girls. We need to be exposed to various ways of thinking when we are young, when we are enthralled with the fantasy of princesses, castles, royalty, marriage… and what it takes to realize our dreams.
Besides delving into how far should we go to look good, Blichfelt’s film also begs a lot of other questions, like: What’s so great about this prince? Just how deep and important is it to be wanted solely for beauty? How important is beauty, and indeed, what is it? How far did beauty get the stepmother?
“The Ugly Stepsister” mercilessly drives home Blichfelt’s responses to these questions. There is no subtle innuendo or mere suggestion. Nudity, sex acts, and hide-your-eyes gore make the acclaimed body horror in “The Substance” look mild.
Everything about this Norwegian production is extreme, masterfully executed, thought-provoking, and well-told. The graphically sickening special effects amassed as stepsister Elvira (Lea Myren nails her) tries to become more appealing, drive home the idea that perhaps what we already are is good enough.
Credits
Director/Writer: Emilie Blichfeldt
Producer: Maria Ekerhovd
Cast: Lea Myren, Thea-Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, and Isac Calmroth
Director of Photography: Marcel Zyskind
Editor: Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Costume Designer: Manon Rasmussen
Release: March 7, 2025 (Norway), and
Official Website and how to view: https://www.uglystepsister.movie/
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