What’s none more black with glitter all over? The humor in Sissy, that’s what. Well, wait, that may be paying it a little too much of a compliment there but it is dark and it is rather funny.
Australian directors Hannah Barlow (who also stars as Emma, best friend to Aisha Dee’s titular Sissy) and Kane Senes add another in the notch in the bedpost of notable horror films from their weird, fucked up, country.
Cecilia (and don’t call her Sissy) is a social media “influencer” (man do I hate that word). She has over 200,000 followers of her self-help channel where she sits in a pink corded circle (for sale!) and tells you you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and, goddammit, people like you. When she was a young, she had a best friend called Emma. They did everything and were inseparable. That is, until Emma approached her 13th birthday and Alex (Emily De Margheriti) steps in.
Flash forward 10 some odd years and Cecilia randomly runs into Emma out shopping. After inviting Cecilia to a Hen’s Night (Hen=bachelorette for the uninitiated) that same evening, Emma also demands she attend her Hen’s Weekend, as well. And that, reader, was where it all goes wrong.
There’s a lot going for Sissy. The cast is pretty great, led by Dee. She’s in nearly every scene and boy, the camera loves her. It’s funny and, as previously mentioned, it’s very dark. There was a lot of laughter at premiere and perhaps some of it was of the uncomfortable kind. There was rather a lot of violence, which is always a plus, and the aftermath effects of it are excellent. Well done, Team Gore. One of the things that stops Sissy from being a great film is the sound, with the score mixed so high that it is relentless to the detriment of the film. At times, the dialogue can’t be heard, and I can’t imagine that was the point.
There’s a lot of trauma being dealt with (or not, depending on how you look at it). What happens to you when you’re 12 and your reaction to it affects you your entire life, especially if it isn’t dealt with. We’re meant to pick sides in fight and, honestly, everyone is pretty terrible. Heads up to those folks who don’t like animal trauma as there’s definitely some of that going on. Unsure why my crowd thought it funny, though.
Sissy
Midnighters, World PremiereSunday, March 13, 11:45am, Alamo South Lamar
Wednesday, March 16, 4pm, Alamo South Lamar
Online: March 12, 9am-March 14, 9am
This article appears in Guide to SXSW 2022.