Sissy (film)

Last updated
Sissy
Sissy-movie-poster-sissy-2022-aussie-horror-austra1 jpg resize.png
Directed byHannah Barlow
Kane Senes
Written byHannah Barlow
Kane Senes
Starring
CinematographySteve Arnold
Music by Kenneth Lampl
Distributed by Shudder
Release date
  • 2022 (2022)
LanguageEnglish

Sissy is a 2022 Australian indie psychological horror film written and directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes and starring Aisha Dee in the title role as Cecilia (aka Sissy), a successful social media influencer who is invited to a bachelorette weekend by her close childhood friend before it turns into a nightmare with Hannah Barlow (who also directed and wrote the film), Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, and Lucy Barrett.

Contents

Plot

Young best friends Cecilia and Emma make a pact to be friends forever. Years later, an adult Cecilia is a successful lifestyle vlogger. While shopping at a pharmacy, she reunites with Emma, who calls Cecilia "Sissy" to the other’s chagrin. After exchanging contact information, Emma invites Cecilia to her engagement party, and later to her bachelorette party.

Cecilia arrives at Emma and her fiancée Fran's house for the bachelorette party, and meets Emma's friends Tracey and Jamie. During the trip, Fran mentions that a girl named Alex, Cecilia's former grade school bully, is joining them. The car accidentally hits a kangaroo, and when they all exit the car to inspect it, Cecilia is especially horrified, imagining the bloodied, spasming creature as a young Alex. Fran insists on running over the kangaroo's head to put it out of its misery. Once they arrive at their destination, Alex treats Cecilia coldly, including belittling her career as an influencer, while the other guests largely ignore her. Emma later apologizes to Cecilia for Alex's behavior and encourages them to make amends.

While at a lake the next day, Cecilia overhears Alex, Tracey, and Jamie badmouthing her. When Emma storms off angrily, all but Alex follow her. Alex asks Cecilia why she bothered showing up and steals her phone, which she uses to post a video on Cecilia's social media accounts, ostensibly "exposing" Cecilia’s true cruel, sadistic nature to her followers. While wrestling for the phone, Cecilia strikes Alex in the head with a rock, seemingly killing her. It is revealed that as a child, Alex had repetitively taunted Cecilia until the latter eventually struck Alex in the face with a gardening trowel, disfiguring her cheek.

Cecilia drags Alex into the woods to bury her, stealing a necklace from the body beforehand. She then begins a livestream where she calmly attempts to lead her followers in meditation and replant an uprooted tree on top of Alex's grave. Jamie arrives and flees when he sees Alex's body, but Cecilia pushes him over a cliff to his death. Emma then falls into a river while searching for Alex.

Back at the house, Tracey reveals she knows what happened between Cecilia and Alex. Cecilia pushes Tracey into a bathtub and watches vacantly as the latter drowns when her hair gets tangled in the plug. Meanwhile, Alex, who is still alive, emerges from her grave, nearly blinded from a grievous head wound. Cecilia picks up Fran on the road while searching for Emma and confesses her heartbreak that they didn't grow old together, as they said they would when they were kids. Fran tries to calm her, but Cecilia accelerates and suddenly brakes, ejecting Fran from the windshield. Cecilia then runs over Fran's head to end her suffering as Fran had done to the kangaroo earlier.

Alex finds Jamie's lost phone and manages to call the police, but cannot speak due to her head wound. The police trace the call before the phone dies. Cecilia arrives at the house and repeatedly beats herself in the face with her phone, then begins a livestream, begging her followers for help and claiming Alex attacked her and killed the others. Cecilia subsequently passes out and is awoken by Emma, to whom Cecilia relays the same story, but Emma realizes the truth when she finds Tracey's corpse hidden under the bed and notices Cecilia wearing Alex's necklace. Cecilia accidentally causes Emma to slip and knock herself out and ties her up with the intention of fixing their friendship when she regains consciousness but Emma frees herself and begins to fight back. She gains the upper hand, viciously beating Cecilia before Alex suddenly returns and, confusing Emma for Cecilia, bashes Emma's face in. Cecilia thanks Alex, and, upon realizing the error she's made, Alex is about to kill her before the police arrive and fatally shoot Alex, believing her to have been the instigator.

Some time later, now a famed survivor of the "Alex Kutis Massacre", Cecilia promotes a book she has written on her channel.

Cast

Release

The film had its official premiere at the 2022 South by Southwest where it was the opening night film of the Midnighters program. [1] It was distributed by the streaming service Shudder. [1]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sissy weaves timely themes into its rich blend of horror and dark humor, topped off by terrific work from a talented cast led by Aisha Dee." [2]

In his review on The Guardian Luke Buckmaster praised the "Aisha Dee’s painfully good performance" as well as the satirical elements which added "perhaps unexpected level of depth to a film that is impressively unpredictable all the way to the bitter end". [3] Jon Mendelsohn of Comic Book Resources described the film as " Heathers by way of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a modern twist - basically, a must-see film". [4]

The film was nominated for three AACTA Awards, for best film, best direction and best lead actress (Aisha Dee). [5] Jamie Dunkin of Gamurs dubbed it the best horror film of 2022, praising its social commentary and "cringe-inducing violence". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Lee Curtis</span> American actress and author (born 1958)

Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream queen, in addition to roles in comedies. Curtis has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award.

<i>The Grudge</i> 2004 American film by Takashi Shimizu

The Grudge is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu, written by Stephen Susco, and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Takashige Ichise. A remake of Shimizu's 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge, it is the first installment in The Grudge film series. It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea DuVall, and Bill Pullman. Takako Fuji, Yuya Ozeki, and Takashi Matsuyama portray the characters Kayako Saeki, Toshio Saeki, and Takeo Saeki from the original films. The plot is told through a nonlinear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots.

<i>Malone</i> (film) 1987 film by Harley Cokeliss

Malone is a 1987 American action thriller film starring Burt Reynolds in the eponymous role alongside Cliff Robertson, Cynthia Gibb, Lauren Hutton, Scott Wilson, and Kenneth McMillan. It is an adaptation of William P. Wingate's novel Shotgun, written by Christopher Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer, and directed by Harley Cokeliss.

<i>Cannibal Apocalypse</i> 1980 film

Cannibal Apocalypse is a 1980 horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring John Saxon, Elizabeth Turner, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Cinzia De Carolis, Tony King and Ramiro Oliveros. The film combines the cannibal film genre with a Vietnam War film.

<i>Gone</i> (2007 film) 2007 film

Gone is a 2007 psychological horror film starring Shaun Evans and Amelia Warner as a young British couple travelling through the Australian outback who become involved with a mysterious and charismatic American whose motive for imposing his friendship upon them becomes increasingly suspect.

Aisha Dee is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her main roles as Desi Biggins on the children's television series The Saddle Club (2008–09) and Kat Edison on the Freeform comedy-drama television series The Bold Type (2017–21). She plays the main role in the 2023 Australian drama miniseries Safe Home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Snook</span> Australian actress (born 1987)

Sarah Ruth Snook is an Australian actress. She is best known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which she won two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<i>The Slap</i> (Australian TV series) 2011 Australian TV drama series

The Slap is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on ABC1 from 6 October to 24 November 2011. The series is based on The Slap, a 2008 novel by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, which explores what happens when a man slaps a child, who is not related to him, at a suburban barbecue.

<i>The Ring Two</i> 2005 American film directed by Hideo Nakata

The Ring Two is a 2005 American supernatural horror film and sequel to the 2002 film The Ring, which was a remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ring. Hideo Nakata, director of the original Ring, directed this film in place of Gore Verbinski. Noam Murro was attached before Nakata, but left due to creative differences. Naomi Watts, David Dorfman and Daveigh Chase reprised their roles with Simon Baker, Elizabeth Perkins and Sissy Spacek joining the cast. This film also marks the debut of Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

<i>The Babadook</i> 2014 horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her feature directorial debut, based on her 2005 short film Monster. Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear, the film follows a widowed single mother who with her son must confront a mysterious humanoid monster in their home.

<i>Hashtag Horror</i> 2015 American film

#Horror is a 2015 American horror thriller film written and directed by Tara Subkoff, and starring Chloë Sevigny, Timothy Hutton, Natasha Lyonne, Taryn Manning, and Balthazar Getty. The plot follows a group of wealthy 7th grade girls who face a night of terror together after a social media game that twisted out of control.

<i>You Might Be the Killer</i> 2018 film

You Might Be the Killer is a 2018 American supernatural slasher film directed by Brett Simmons and written by Covis Berzoyne, Thomas P. Vitale, and Simmons, based on an idea by Chuck Wendig and Sam Sykes. The film stars Fran Kranz and Alyson Hannigan, and features Brittany S. Hall, Patrick Reginald Walker, Keith David, and Bryan Price in supporting roles.

<i>The Prom</i> (film) 2020 film, based on the musical of the same name, directed by Ryan Murphy

The Prom is a 2020 American musical comedy film directed by Ryan Murphy from a screenplay by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, based on the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name by Martin, Beguelin, and Matthew Sklar. The film stars Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Kay Place, and Kerry Washington, and introduces Jo Ellen Pellman in her film debut as Emma Nolan. Logan Riley Hassel, Sofia Deler, Nico Greetham, and Nathaniel J. Potvin also appear in supporting roles.

<i>The Mortuary Collection</i> 2019 film by Ryan Spindell

The Mortuary Collection is a 2019 American horror anthology film written and directed by Ryan Spindell. It stars Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Barak Hardley, Sarah Hay, Mike C. Nelson, and V Nixie.

<i>Host</i> (film) 2020 British horror film

Host is a 2020 British independent supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage and written by Savage, Gemma Hurley, and Jed Shepherd. A computer screen film that takes place entirely on a Zoom video call, it follows a group of friends who attempt to escape from a demon they inadvertently summoned during an online séance.

Scare Package is a 2019 American anthology horror comedy film created by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns. It features a series of horror shorts written and directed by Aaron B. Koontz, Courtney Andujar, Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan, and Baron Vaughn.

<i>The Seed</i> (2021 film) 2021 British horror film

The Seed is the 2021 science fiction body horror feature film directorial debut of Sam Walker, who also wrote the script. The movie premiered in the United States at Beyond Fest, after which it was released to Shudder as one of its original films. The film received mixed to positive reviews.

<i>V/H/S/99</i> 2022 horror anthology film

V/H/S/99 is a 2022 American found footage horror anthology film produced by Studio71 and Bloody Disgusting. The sequel to V/H/S/94 (2021), it is the fifth installment in the V/H/S franchise. Set in 1999, the film features five found footage segments written and directed by Maggie Levin, Johannes Roberts, Flying Lotus, Tyler MacIntyre, and Vanessa and Joseph Winter.

<i>Abandoned</i> (2022 film) 2022 American horror film by Spencer Squire

Abandoned is a 2022 American horror film directed by Spencer Squire and written by Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott. The film stars Emma Roberts, John Gallagher Jr. and Michael Shannon. The film was Squire's feature film directorial debut, with Roberts serving as one of the producers.

<i>Bad Things</i> (film) 2023 film by Stewart Thorndike

Bad Things is a 2023 horror-thriller film written and directed by Stewart Thorndike. It stars Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Jared Abrahamson and Molly Ringwald.

References

  1. 1 2 Urban, Sasha (11 March 2022). "Shudder Acquires Horror-Comedy 'Sissy' Ahead of SXSW Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Sissy". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (1 November 2022). "Sissy review – influencer horror film is a deranged pleasure to watch". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Mendelsohn, Jon (28 September 2022). "REVIEW: Shudder's Sissy Delivers an Impressive & Gory Satire of the Instagram Age". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Sangster, Ella (7 December 2022). "See All of the 2022 AACTA Awards Winners". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "WGTC's best horror movies of 2022". 9 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.