Ingrid Goes West Movie Review

Ingrid Goes West is a 2017 American black comedy film, directed by Matt Spicer, distributed by Neon and edited by Jack Price with Bryce Fortner in charge of cinematography and a cast including Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen Born in Sherman Oaks, a city in California on Febr >> Read More... .

Plot

Fascinated by the picture perfect life of a social media influencer, Taylor, her stalker Ingrid Thorburn moves to Los Angeles to get to know her idol better. Going so far as to adopt a fabricated new identity specially made just to get close to Taylor, her subsequent behaviour starts to border on instability and unhinged increasingly over time.

Star Performance

The cast comprises of talented actors like Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O'Shea Jackson Jr., who deliver justice to their roles. Plaza, in particular, absolutely nails her role as a psychopathic stalker to the extent that the character almost seems tailor-made for her.

Analysis

A dark comedy that is a brilliant satire about the burgeoning popularity and importance of social media in contemporary society, Ingrid Goes West is an intriguing, strange twisted tale of a woman with a starkly visible social disorder. Her stalker-like tendencies are an accurate representation of what stalking on social media looks like and the lasting, negative psychological impacts social media culture can have. The cast performances are the real essence of the film. Aubrey Plaza shines in her role as a psychopath with obsessive tendencies, and it's apparent through her portrayal of the unstable Ingrid that she's in her element. She does a phenomenal job, and so does Taylor Olsen and the other supporting cast. While it may feel predictable and a bit of a stretch at times, it is undoubtedly a relevant expose on the way society consumes media in this age. It's one of those movies that's scarily accurate and feels relatable on a personal level, and leaves one thinking when they’re done watching.

What’s There?

● Darkly relatable

● Realistically portrayed

● Thought-provoking

What’s Not There?

● Unsettling and sad

Verdict

The movie is entertaining and yet darkly relatable, and tends to make the viewer feel downright uncomfortable at times, because of the way it almost precisely pinpoints real issues that are increasingly prevalent in today's social-media frenzied society. If you're looking for an entertaining film with some mellow vibes that has a profound message, Ingrid Goes West is for you.