The Ugly Stepsister is a bold and disturbing retelling of the Cinderella myth through the lens of body horror and social satire. Set in a grotesque fairy-tale world obsessed with physical perfection, the film follows Elvira, a young woman manipulated and mutilated by her mother in a desperate bid to win over a prince. Through sickening surgeries, parasites, and relentless humiliation, Elvira is transformed into a cautionary symbol of the lengths people will go to for beauty. Director Emilie Blichfeldt's debut is visually striking and deeply uncomfortable, turning familiar tropes into something uniquely grotesque.
While its pacing could have benefited from tighter editing, the film thrives on its strong performances, especially from Lea Myren as the emotionally hollowed-out Elvira. The violence is intentionally repulsive, not gratuitous, and the themes are never subtle. This is a fairytale stripped of its innocence, exposing the raw underbelly of expectations placed on women. The Ugly Stepsister is not for the faint of heart, but it leaves a lasting impression as a ferocious critique of societal beauty standards.
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