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Sweden · 2020
1h 46m
Director Magnus von Horn
Starring Magdalena Koleśnik, Julian Świeżewski, Aleksandra Konieczna, Zbigniew Zamachowski
Genre Drama
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Chronicles three days in the life of fitness motivator Sylwia Zając, whose presence on social media has made her a celebrity. Although she has hundreds of thousands of followers, is surrounded by loyal employees, and is admired by acquaintances, she is still searching for true intimacy and friendship.
Von Horn has crafted an impressive art film that tells a story outside of the pathological narcissism commonly associated with the world of social media influencers. Even surrounded by the alarmingly curated lifestyle, von Horn and Koleśnik together bring to life a story with more nuance, sophistication and genuine moral curiosity than we’ve seen from the genre.
The Hollywood Reporter by Deborah Young
In her first leading role, Kolesnik is as irresistible as an energy bar, exploring the Insta-queen’s shallow depths with cunning sincerity. Rather inevitably, she overshadows the rest of the pro cast.
The most intense look at a social media-obsessed loner since “Eighth Grade,” Swedish director Von Horn’s Polish-language feature finds its character wrestling with the nature of her popularity, until she’s forced to confront the disconnect between her public and personal existence in vivid detail.
With her eerily flawless image and pathological narcissism, it would be all too easy to make Sylwia a monstrous figure of fun — yet the more circumstances turn against her, the more nuance and moral curiosity von Horn and Koleśnik find beneath her hyper-contoured surface.
The direction is sharp, the camerawork in-your-face, and the lilting synth score by Piotr Kurek recalls Drive – as do Sylwia’s neon outfits. And through it all, Koleśnik gives a remarkable performance that nails the public/private schism at the heart of Instagram celebrity.
Sweat mostly adheres to a time-honored tale of the pitfalls of fame, despite its ultra-modern context.
The Film Stage by Matt Cipolla
While von Horn’s script has trouble fitting its themes and plot together, Magdalena Koleśnik’s performance commands the good and the bad.
Coming to a too-obvious conclusion aside, if there’s a better minimalist parable for “living online,” I’m hard pressed to think of it.
This accomplished and satisfyingly hard-edged drama harnesses the monetised narcissism of influencer culture and looks beneath the gloss to find an ache of emptiness.
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Really fascinating story about social media and influencer culture, one of the first movies to actually capture the new phenomenon of the Instagram celebrity with depth and consideration.