Social Mania: "Ingrid Goes West" Review

"An unhinged social media stalker moves to LA and insinuates herself into the life of an Instagram star."

Directed by: Matt Spicer
Written by:  Matt Spicer & David Branson Smith
Starring:  Aubrey Plaza

                 Elizabeth Olsen 

                 O'Shea Jackson Jr. 

                 Wyatt Russell 

                  Billy Magnussen 

                  Pom Klementieff

It's rare that we get a film that reflects social media as it actually is. Sure, we've gotten a biopic about Mark Zuckerberg or some bad horror films centered around Skype or Facebook. We've even gotten looks into what the future of the medium could bring us in both great (Her) and awful (The Circle) films. It wasn't until this year, though, that I finally saw something that was not only a depiction of the world as it is right now but a brutally biting satire at that. Ingrid Goes West might come off as a pastiche at first glance, a painting of vapid Cali Insta-Celebs and the people who want to be them, but beneath the surface you'll find a film that's looking at our addiction to this hollow world- and it's screaming at us to wake up. #PrayerHandsEmoji

Our film opens pretty spectacularly as Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza) attacks her "friend" on her wedding day in a vengeful tantrum over not being invited. Cut to a mental institution and we learn that Ingrid was never really friends with this woman but actually just her Instagram stalker. As Ingrid improves and is released, she's given back her addiction: her cell phone. Immediately she finds a new Insta-Celeb (Elizabeth Olsen) to emulate, takes her dead mother's inheritance and makes the trip to Los Angeles to find her. What ensues is a bananas tale of love, friendship, false idols and addiction.

Immediately, I'm struck by Aubrey Plaza's performance. I've always liked her schtick, as it were, the vacant but hateful stares, the disaffected tone of voice and her general sense of apathy. I've never seen her allow herself to be vulnerable or to be the butt of the joke but it's a new facet that she plays well. So well that it might be one of my favorite performances of the year. She ratchets up the crazy just enough but it's the quiet moments where she really shines. She not only emotes a sense of pain and suffering but a sense of hope that anyone else in her situation probably wouldn't have. Here's the thing though: she's delusional and Plaza knows it. I think that's what makes the performance so special to me. We have a woman that keeps falling in with people that are 100% fake but she's bought into that persona. She thinks these Insta-Celebs are her friends and that they care about her and through that she finds a continuous sense of hope. It's equal parts inspiring and soul crushing to watch her move through this story. Especially because I think anyone could relate to this character. She wants desperately to be something she's not and to live a life that just isn't real. How many of us wake up every day and hate what we see in the mirror? It's heartbreaking but it's honest.

The rest of the cast fills out nicely around her with Olsen and O'Shea Jackson Jr. being highlights. Olsen has been one of the better actresses her age since her debut in Marcy Martha May Marlene and here she stretches herself a bit more as the soulless Cali wannabee in a sea of many like her. There's nothing inherently special her character, Taylor Sloane, but she exudes a confidence that forces you to believe what she's saying. Like anyone else on social media, she spends an inordinate amount of time perfecting her photos and her image for everyone else to see. Regrettably, we're all kind of like Taylor. How many times have you deleted that selfie until it was perfect? Or written and rewritten a caption until it truly sounded right? Her character holds up a societal mirror and we all recognize the refection, reluctantly or not. Jackson Jr. rounds out the main trio well. He provides the other side of LA wannabees: an aspiring screenwriter who's so passionate about what he's writing that he can't see how it could never sell. He provides a nice contrast to Taylor as he isn't like her in any way. She puts on a pose, 24/7 and it's gotten her to be semi-successful whereas he's keeping it honest and he's struggling. It's an unfortunate take on what it actually means to "Make It" in LA.

What's interesting to me is that aside from the acting and the themes the films goes for, there's nothing else about it that makes it great. It's well directed and shot but it's nothing too eye popping. That's why I think it was a great choice to jump cut in between actual Instagram posts. It's a neat visual device that keeps this from being too pedestrian. The editing is really a step above, and the music is great. None of the music here is what you'd expect. There are some great choices here that call out everything from Hipster LA vibes to old Hollywood. It's one of my favorite soundtracks of the year.

What sold me on this above anything else is the satire of it all. You could argue that co-writer David Branson Smith and director Matt Spicer are making some grand statement about the evils of social media. Maybe they are but the film isn't really interested in getting some thesis statement across. Instead it opts to take this culture and just portray them as viciously as possible. There's something kind of pathetic about Instagram culture in the long run. We scroll, favorite, scroll, favorite, rinse, repeat. But do any of us really want to stop? Isn't there something intoxicating about looking at your phone and seeing a new like or retweet or comment? I know how I feel. As soon as I post this review to my various social media accounts, I'll be anxiously awaiting the first like. The film takes a muddy look at this world because these "celebs" are fake. They don't care about their fans. They don't care how much they've sold out. But does that matter? And does it matter if we're losing ourselves into their lives? That's not for Ingrid to answer. It just wants to show you the monster we all have a hand in creating and see how hard you flinch.

Ingrid Goes West is a great film, although flawed. Its depiction of mental illness is maybe a tinge too insensitive in that it doesn't do a fantastic job of addressing it. It's something that I could see putting some people off. The idea of social media addiction is prevalent throughout, but I don't think the film is particularly interested in addressing it. That sounds like a cop out and in a lot of ways it is but Spicer is only interested in portrayal. He wants you to reckon with this world whether you want to or not. Nothing says that more than the brutally honest ending. I won't spoil it but you'll be left reeling and laughing and definitely uncomfortable. Not because of what happens but because of the reaction to it. Everything the film is railing against comes to a head and the response is exactly what we'd let happen in the real world. Don't expect a parable where everything is presented to you with a nice, neat bow. You can definitely expect to laugh out loud for 90 minutes though. Just be prepared to do so unwillingly many times. Plaza commits to a pretty tough role and excels in doing so. You needed someone who effortlessly blends in while still standing out and she does that better than almost anyone. She's the anchor of a somewhat disjointed film and it's because of her that it works as well as it does.

VERDICT

A brutally hilarious satire, Ingrid Goes West, offers up a look at obsession and social media in a way that we've yet to see on screen. The first "post-Instagram"film of our time, it presents to you the harsh reality of what this culture does to us, both positively and negatively. It asks tough questions but like the better stories do, it doesn't answer them for you, instead forcing you to draw your own conclusions. Aubrey Plaza gives the performance of her career, so far. Equal parts manic, centered, strong, vulnerable and human. She's the logical conclusion to what this culture presents to us. You too can be perfect with just the right amount of soul-selling. #Blessed

8/10