Several recent films have tried to capture Gen Z through heavy on-screen social media use and timely dialogue, but a lot of the time, the commentary falls flat. However, Australian shocker Sissy manages to critique the Instagram age with finesse while still providing a frightening and humorous gorefest. Sissy is crafted almost expertly, enabling the audience to be on the edge of their seat for most of this unpredictable thrill-ride's runtime. With a captivating performance from Aisha Dee at the film's center, Sissy is Heathers by way of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a modern twist -- basically, a must-see film.
Written and directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes, Sissy tells the story of Cecilia (Dee), a self-help guru of sorts with 200k+ followers on Instagram. However, Cecilia is not actually the person she presents herself to be on the internet, but a damaged person with dark impulses residing within her. When Cecilia has a random encounter with her childhood best friend Emma (Barlow) at the grocery store, she finds herself invited to Emma's bachelorette weekend getaway. The weekend soon takes an unexpected turn when Cecilia realizes she will be forced to spend time with her old bully Alex (Emily De Margheriti), who still holds resentment because of something Cecilia did when they were young. As the weekend progresses, a psychotic break threatens to destroy much more than just a bachelorette party.
Sissy is a highly impressive film on more than one level. The film is masterful at building tension, featuring long takes accompanied by a moody score and beautiful scenery, enabling the audience to become flooded by an array of emotions. Sissy goes in a variety of directions, and it soon becomes almost impossible to guess where it will be headed next. The film also does a great job at building the character of Cecilia, showcasing someone who does despicable deeds but still somehow manages to be somewhat likable. At the beginning of the film, audiences are shown Cecilia filming for her Instagram in her room, which looks like a tidy and tranquil place. When Cecilia stops filming, it is revealed that only this one little space is neatly decorated, while the rest of her apartment is a filthy mess. This not only reveals Cecilia's dishonest nature but also pokes at the dishonest culture of social media, perfectly setting the tone for the movie to come.
Many modern films that try to depict social media use on-screen usually come across as tacky, but Sissy is one of the few movies that actually succeeds in its satire. The use of Requiem for a Dream style close-ups depicting the high one gets from likes on social media is astounding. One of the wildest aspects of this film is the fact that it begins as a quirky dark comedy critiquing the fake nature of influencers before turning into one of the most brutal and entertaining horror flicks in recent memory. Heads are destroyed, scalps are ripped, and faces are smashed in a film that somehow manages to brilliantly combine the horrifically macabre with the blatantly funny. The only real flaw of this film is that some logic applied in the screenplay doesn't add up, but that's when suspension of disbelief comes in and saves the day.
Dee's performance is extremely layered, showing a person who desperately wants to do good but can't figure out how to do it in an authentic way. The talented actress believably switches between depicting a sorrowful person deserving of pity to a devious psychopath, pushing the film further into the territory of greatness. Sissy's ending ties the film together in a beautiful way, providing a bleak yet vibrant conclusion that doesn't provide the kind of justice one would expect in mainstream fare. Overall, Sissy is an original and exciting satire of the age of social media that brilliantly blends witty humor with brutal horror.