Sick of Myself, 2022.
Written & Directed by Kristoffer Borgli.
Starring Kristine Kujath Thorp, Eirik Sæther, Fanny Vaager, and Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen.
SYNOPSIS:
Increasingly overshadowed by her boyfriend’s recent rise to fame as a contemporary artist creating sculptures from stolen furniture, Signe hatches a vicious plan to reclaim her rightfully deserved attention within the milieu of Oslo’s cultural elite.
We’ve not been short of brilliant Cinema from Nordic countries over the past few years from the Oscar-winning Another Round and Riders of Justice both starring Mads Mikkelsen from Denmark to the modern masterpiece and festival darling The Worst Person in the World from Norway.
Cut from much the same mould as the latter of these films is Kristoffer Borgli’s Sick of Myself which focuses on an unbelievably narcissistic protagonist Signe played with a wonderful lack of sympathy by Kristine Kujath Thorp as she strives to always be at the centre of attention especially over here disinterested boyfriend Thomas, whose own career is beginning to take off.
Signe works at a bakery where one day she witnesses a horrific accident involving a customer and dog. This is just one of the shocking scenes in which Signe strives to make the incident all about her, ignoring the fact the customer nearly died in her arms. Other sequences like feigning an allergic reaction as Thomas gives a speech underline her clear need to be at the centre of attention and Thorp excels at rising to the challenge of grotesque and abstract forms of physical comedy, likely to make the audience cringe inducingly while laughing hard.
There is a fantastical element that heightens Signe’s aspirations and sense of self worth, intercut with her real situation. These sequences show her state of mind and delusional nature and add a quirkiness and sense of depth to the film.
The back and forth and sense of one-upmanship between the central pair might grow tiresome but the characters are so sharply written and engaging (if not likable in the least) that it is hard to take your eyes from the screen, with Eirik Sæther’s more deadpan and dry Thomas wonderfully contrasting Signe’s larger than life attitude.
It is the film’s second act where Signe takes an overwhelming amount of drugs and deliberately makes herself ill that the gross out humour increases as she strives to use her newfound illness to pursue a modelling career and have articles written about her. While it may not be for everyone, the sharp satire is wonderfully effective and keeps you on your toes for whatever the next shock will be.
Comparisons to The Worst Person in the World are perhaps inevitable with shared producers and even a fleeting cameo from Anders Danielsen Lie but while they share a focus on people at a particular stage in life, the approach to the subject matter beyond that is markedly different. Here it is far for more gross out and unrestrained where The Worst Person in the World could be a more meditative beast.
Sick of Myself, while full of unsettling imagery and gross out, at time excessive black humour proves endlessly watchable pulled along by the commitment of its cast and strength of its script. If at times its lack of subtlety may wear a bit thin it remains constantly engaging and is an engaging satire on narcissism and the impact of social media and fame. This is perhaps a film to go into without prior knowledge, to fully absorb its twists and shocking lack of restraint.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
