The Ugly Stepsister

It’s the old Cinderella story alright, but not as we know it! With her devilishly seductive (and occasionally full out gross) spin on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt has conjured up an unforgettably dark and twisted version, with an unforgettable performance by Lea Myren as the ugly stepsister of the title.

All starts in appropriate sumptuous mode with a carriage rolling along a forest path and one of the passengers, a young girl dressed to the hilt, engaging in a romantic encounter with one Prince Julian. Minutes later, we realise that it was all a dream and the young girl in question looks very different in reality, that is to say, about as plain as your granny’s underwear. Clinging on to a book of poetry (yes, with said Prince the central figure), the coach arrives at a magnificent looking mansion in the forest. We then get to know the other passengers: Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp) and her two daughters - Alma (Flo Fagerli), who is just as plain looking as her older sister Elvira (Lea Myren), yes, she who seems completely obsessed with Prince Julian.

As the trio get out of the carriage, they are greeted by an elderly gentleman named Otto (Ralph Carlsson) and his beautiful daughter Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), who greet the new arrivals in a warm and friendly manner. As Elvira attempts to smile back at Agnes, we see that she’s wearing ugly braces. Judging from the way Rebekka and Otto embrace, it becomes clear there’s some romance going on though actually, the truth is that Rebekka and her two plain daughters, who are pretty penniless, are in the belief that Otto is rich - hence the looming wedding. Ironically, Otto, who turns out to be not so wealthy after all, with his estate in huge debt, seems under the impression that Rebekka will be the future money provider…oops! Sure enough, during a splendid dinner, Otto croaks it and falls, head forward, into the cake. There isn’t even enough money for a decent burial and thus the poor man is temporarily stored in a cool chamber in the basement.

It goes without saying that the domestic situation doesn’t improve, and Agnes makes it clear that if her late father would have known that Rebekka doesn’t have any money, he would never have allowed persons of such low rank into his house. One day, royal heralds arrive and announce that all the noble virgins of the land are invited to a lavish ball, during which Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth) - yes, he really exists - intends on choosing his future wife. Agnes, due to her status, receives an invitation straight away but Elvira only receives one because she happens to be Agnes’ stepsister, hence, her invitation reads ‘Elvira von Stepsister’ as she doesn’t hold a title as such. Still, the ball is good news as mum Rebekka is concerned, because - deluded as she is - she plans on marrying off Elvira to the prince in the hope to prevent a life of poverty for herself and her two daughters.

Of course, she’s fully aware of the fact that Elvira, in her current incarnation, lacks both the looks and the grace in order to have even a remote chance of becoming the princess of the land and thus, scraping together some meagre savings and auctioning off some artefacts, she subjects Elvira to some primitive 18th century plastic surgery procedures, courtesy of a young quack by the name of ‘Dr. Estétique’ (Adam Lundgren) who first attempts a nose job on the poor girl with hammer and chisel, forcing her to wear a prosthetic, steampunk-like nose brace for weeks to come. It’s from that point onwards that the film slides into body-horror territory, with more outrageous and downright gory procedures to follow (you have been warned…)

Meanwhile, Agnes scolds Rebekka for frittering much needed money away on cosmetic surgery for Elvira instead of organising a funeral for the unfortunate Otto, whose rotting corpse lies still in a basement chamber. Both girls attend finishing school with emphasis on ballet and dance, where Elvira is subjected to more humiliation not only because of her unsightly nose brace, but because she’s also a bit on the plump side due to the fact that she can’t stop eating, in particular cake. Recognising Elvira’s obvious talent for dancing, the teacher hands her a locket which contains the egg of a tapeworm. If she swallows it, so the teacher promises, Elvira can scoff as much cake as she likes because the tapeworm will eat it all while Elvira will get slimmer and slimmer.

During an outing in the forest, Elvira has a chance encounter with the Prince, who is out hunting, and he pokes fun at her because of her nose brace. Undeterred by this latest humiliation, Elvira still thinks the world of Prince Charming and can’t wait to become the belle of the ball. One day, she accidentally stumbles upon Agnes having it off with stable boy Isak (Malte Gardinger) and tells her mum. Presumably, this scene was responsible for the film’s 18 certificate. So incensed is Rebekka that she sacks Isak on the spot and turns Agnes into a servant girl. Henceforth, she’s called Cinderella. When Elvira learns that the much prettier Agnes has every intention of going to the ball, she has a fight with her during which the gorgeous blue silk dress, which belonged to Agnes’ mother, gets torn.

The royal ball approaches but things don’t go swimmingly for Elvira despite her various cosmetic surgeries. Her hair begins to fall out (a side effect from the tapeworm inside her), forcing her to wear a blond wig. Still, when she arrives at the ball with her mother, she immediately catches the eye of the Prince. Devastated that she can’t attend the ball as she has no appropriate gown to wear, Agnes collapses sobbing over the maggot-infested corpse of her father when an apparition of her dead mother reveals a secret and the maggots turn into silkworms, who mend the torn dress… enabling her to arrive at the ball after all. We all know what happens to Cinderella in the end but wait and see what happens to Elvira - to say that she gets her well-deserved comeuppance is an understatement if ever there was one…

This is terrific fun, though some of the scenes will make you squirm, I can assure you! Lea Myren is outstanding as the ugly stepsister willing to go to any length (with the help of her vile mother) to climb the social ladder, with the rest of the cast in equally fine form. The cinematography is dreamlike and beautiful to look at, as are the costumes, hairstyles and make-up.

THE UGLY STEPSISTER has just been released as a Limited Edition 4K UHD / Blu-ray as well as in Standard 4K UHD / Blu-ray format, with an array of Extras including slipcase feat new artwork and 120-page booklet. Other Extras include interviews, audio commentaries, and featurettes.