The Ugly Stepsister
Introduction
The debate on whether Cinderella is a fairy tale or not, depends on which POV you choose to view it from. If it is from the POV of the fair maiden and the gorgeous character, it always remains a fairytale. But if the POV shifts to some of the other characters in the mix, particularly the ‘kin’ of Cinderella, then the scenario changes (and how). And that remains the mastery of the Norwegian film The Ugly Stepsister that is a reimagining of the Disney-fied version of Cinderella. It is gory, violent and absolutely chilling! To expand this thought, it won’t be wrong also to equate this story with the English film The Substance (2024), which itself felt like a spin-off of the classic fairytale while flipping the concept on its head. The key characters are the same – a ‘not-so-attractive’ young girl (not an aging superstar like in the 2024 film), a ‘pushy’ mother that would go to any extent in getting the ‘best deal’ for her daughter, a gorgeous ‘anti-thesis’ of the ‘not-so-attractive’ young girl who poses as a threat to the relevant parties, and a room full of inanimate objects that act as catalysts in the drama. In other words, this Cinderella tale isn’t for the faint-hearted!
Story & Screenplay
Based on the novel Aschenputtel by Brothers Grimm, the setting in The Ugly Stepsister is quite interesting and frightening to witness at the start. The grey and black coats of colour grading with a sombre and tense atmosphere welcomes you into the narrative that remains a far cry from the glitzy, polished and bright colour coding of the Cinderella fairytale. It is almost gothic in nature resembling Gotham City from the 19th century, while preparing the viewers about the ominous presence of the drama going forward. Instantly, you are introduced to Elvira (Lea Myren), a wide-eyed naive soul accompanying her mother Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp) and sister Alma (Flo Fagerli) to the new kingdom of Swedlandia. And this is where the characterization kicks in as well. You notice that Rebekka is on the cusp of marrying an elderly man, just for his wealth and privilege. It does set things up for the kind of person Rebekka chooses to be even while having a stranglehold on the life of her two daughters who must abide by her ‘ways of living’. And when the elderly stateman dies and the grand reveal is that he remains penniless, the onus is now on Elvira to pair herself with a younger Prince Charming. The obstacle? The elderly stateman’s young and gorgeous daughter Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Ness).
In many ways, Elvira and Agnes are designed to be on opposite sides of the spectrum in an era that was largely about objectifying women. Elvira (still gorgeous in my opinion) is conceived to be not as attractive as Agnes, even as both the young girls share a common goal of imagining and uniting with their Prince Charming, in this case – Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth). The inherent commentary remains eerily similar to today’s times when ‘good looks’ is directly proportional to instant validation on social media. And hence, the comparisons begin in a race for quick validation that has opened up an entire market of ‘surgeries’ to look pretty. Interestingly, the POV remains fixated on Elvira, and her process of beautifying her at the hands of Rebekka. The sequence of her undergoing a nosejob or a b**bjob or even discarding her braces, made for a chillingly nightmarish watch. You could sense the naivety on the part of Elvira, completely surrendering to the ‘vision’ of her mother in order to not only compete with a better-looking girl but going the extra mile to look ‘prettier’. And here, the only sane person remains her sister Alma, who is immune to her mother’s ways of beautification, a refreshing change from the original source material!
There is a searing subtext of the gaze that women are often subjected to, with respect to the men. While Elvira’s journey is more external, for Agnes, it remains internal. The requirement remains on the want for a ‘virgin’ girl, that directly equates itself to the s*xuality of an individual. And in this mix, there is a further layer of a class divide even as Agnes chooses to make love with a local stable boy, before being intervened and treated like a servant. The entire sequence highlights the ‘pressures’ of being a woman in a patriarchal setup! Elsewhere, Elvira is a victim of similar circumstances too – willingly consuming a tapeworm egg in order to keep her weight in check, before the ‘side-effects’ turn nearly fatal for her.
The typical fairytale setup is the anti-thesis of the drama that follows a familiar beat with respect to the classic, but instead being obsessively stationed on the character of Elvira, even as her appearance begins to deteriorate. She dons a ‘zit’ on her nose almost throughout the narrative, has her hair fall-off, is ridiculed by Prince Julian wherein the latter remarks that he will never make love ‘with that thing’, and eventually has to even don a wig before the big night. But the bloody journey of Elvira doesn’t end there – her toes are severed, her tooth is chipped, her nose is broken, all in pursuit of a dream that soon turns into a nightmare. It indeed felt like a chilling body horror that refused to showcase any remorse towards Elvira, while subjecting the viewers to her horrors in an incredible passage in the final act, that had me covering my eyes. But all of it also had a message tagged to it – beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and hence, you just need to be yourself or else, you will see yourself die everyday. Here, the tapeworm was also symbolic of two things – the toxic bond that Elvira shared with her toxic mother Rebekka, and the eventual killing of it depicting a new start! The screenplay here is wonderfully well penned and it makes for a chilling watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational while being true to the era in which this drama is set. The BGM is pretty good too, never overpowering in a manner to eclipse the journey of horrors featuring the character of Elvira, while doing just enough to elevate the impact of various scenes. The cinematography comprises of frames that are symbolic of the horrors in store for the viewers with its gothic atmospherics and a sombre colour grading that adds to the ambience of the drama. The frames also serve as a timely reminder that this is anything but a fairytale! The editing is crisp and sharp, allowing scenes to flow without any jump cuts while also going all in with the gore and violence in the drama. In fact, credit even to the frames depicting the body horror that don’t shy away from depicting the gore while remaining focused with the task in hand. Director Emilie Kristine adds a lot of sensitivity given that the entire drama unfolds through a young girl’s gaze. The horrors that a young mind is subjected to – not only at the hands of men objectifying her, but also something more internal and intimate, is just so well highlighted here. The costume department deserves a mention for successfully staying true to the era in which the drama is set in. The director is successful in demarcating the difference in an imaginary prince charming coming to the rescue, versus the reality that young women are subjected to in their quest for making their dreams, a reality. This, while the body horror portions remain chilling even as the director chooses to stay committed to the original source material. The direction is excellent here.
Performances
The performances are splendid by the members of the cast. Cecilia Forss as Sophie has a good screen presence while having her moments to shine. Isac Calmroth as Prince Julian looks regal and adds a lot of restraint with a hint of superiority that shapes up his character beautifully. Flo Fagerli as Alma is probably the only pragmatic character in the mix, and she taps into this trait of her character wonderfully well. She is wonderfully well restrained while leaving a lasting impression. Thea Sofie Loch Ness as Agnes has a radiating screen presence and she definitely leaves her mark in a character that is subjected to a string of atrocities owing to her looks. Ane Dahl Torp as Rebekka is intimidating and delivers a haunting performance in a no-holds-barred character that will literally stop at nothing to beautify her daughter. Her methods are chilling without an iota of remorse, and she puts forth a commendable act here. Lea Myren as Elvira is astonishingly good in a character that has such a horrifying character arc. There were streaks of naivety that needed to branch out into an unending obsession with streaks of eccentricity, and she delivers a brilliant performance to the core. Her body language and eyes do a lot of the talking while communicating her vulnerabilities and madness that absolutely hits home at the end. She was terrific to witness here.
Conclusion
The Ugly Stepsister is a chillingly nightmarish retelling of the fairytale ‘Cinderella’ with nuggets of body horror and gore that makes for a brilliant watch. It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Festival and 75th Berlinale Film Festival!