2/24/26 - The Ugly Stepsister - 6/10

A body horror miasmagoric retelling of Cinderella from the view of the sad and put upon stepsister. It’s a tragic tale with no real winners, like the best Brother’s Grimm. This one is not for the faint of heart, with its sickening body dismorphic horrible alterations writ large across the screen in fabulously unsettling splendor. There are the over the top moments, that feel all the more pointed when punctuated against the backdrop of the solemn and lonesome protagonist - just trying to please those around her and find her romantic dream amongst the scum and villainy of her world.

The point was the discomfort and the playing with the intrinsic horrific ends of the side characters of the tale, but some of that did keep me at arm’s length.

I will give it extra points for it’s European nature and it’s unabashed vaginal & phallic presentations - fully adulting this children’s parable, excusing all hints and innuendos for bold and nigh-bawdy.

I liked this one though it was a difficult watch, especially on my lunch breaks.