Canadian Premiere
Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Thomas’ (Eirik Sæther) relationship is so toxic that they should probably don hazmat suits. (Sorry, Joachim Trier: these are the worst people in the world.) And when he becomes a cause célèbre in conceptual art circles thanks to his inane installations of stolen chairs, Signe is suddenly starved for attention. What’s a self-aggrandizing narcissist to do but order black market meds from Russia that have been banned for hideous side effects that would leave Cronenberg averting his eyes? As her skin becomes a science experiment gone wrong and she starts coming apart at the seams, social media sympathy is fast to follow.
Taking cues from Tom Waits’ adage, “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things,” Kristoffer Borgli helms an immaculately shot and utterly merciless takedown of fame culture. As Signe gorges her pathological need for validation, Borgli’s transgressive satire serves as a wickedly comic reminder of how cringe-inducing the concept of “going viral” should be.
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Kristine Kujath Thorp, Eirik Sæther, Fanny Vaager, Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen, Sarah Francesca Brænne, Ingrid Vollan
Norway
2022
In Norwegian with English subtitles
At VIFF Centre — Vancity Theatre
At The Rio
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Credits
Producer
Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Dyveke Bjørkly Graver
Screenwriter
Kristoffer Borgli
Cinematography
Benjamin Loeb
Production Design
Henrik Svensson
Original Music
Turns
Art Director
Mette Haukeland
Director
Photo by Bjarne Bare
Kristoffer Borgli
Kristoffer Borgli is a Los Angeles-based Norwegian writer and director. His numerous works of short and long format films have screened at festivals like Sundance and SXSW.
Filmography: Drib (2017)