Review of Ingrid Goes West (2017) by Andrew A — 05 Nov 2018

This is a black comedy in the best sense of the word. Lots of flawed, if not downright unlikable, characters. A tone of bitterness, but kept watchable by giving us a lead character who is awful, but also draws our sympathy or interest (I'm thinking Aaron Eckhart's character in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING as a good example of the type).

Aubrey Plaza, a master of underplayed snark, is the deeply disturbed Ingrid. She has no "real" life of note, and lives vicariously through people she "meets" or "follows" on social media, primarily instagram. When we meet her, she is seemingly tipped over the edge following the death of her mother, and attacks a "friend" who didn't invite her to her wedding. She spends some time in an asylum, but once released, she stumbles across Elizabeth Olsen's character, a kind of blogger of clothing and decor, who lives what seems to be a perfect life in Southern California. Having come into some money, Ingrid cashes out and makes the move to Venice Beach, with a plan to stalk her target until she can ingratiate herself and insert herself into Olsen's life.

Much of this is pretty cringe-worthy...but what makes it watchable and what even makes us root for Ingrid is the fact that the other characters are not entirely admirable either. Olsen seems like a delightful young lady, but under her sunny veneer is a deep layer of insincerity. Her marriage is clearly troubled. And when Olsen's insufferable brother arrives on the scene, everything starts to unravel.

The movie is a pretty direct dig at our social media obsessions. One could argue that it also exploits mental illness for entertainment value...but I don't entirely buy that. She is a character doing the best she can to strive for happiness. She's aware of her "issues" but also unaware of how to handle them. So she has our sympathy and sometimes even affection. We can laugh at her antics, and get frustrated at her actions...but we're never asked to mock or deride her. Aubrey Plaza really does a nice job, as does pretty much everyone in this small cast.

I haven't covered too many plot specifics, because that's part of the fun of the film...watching to see where things will go. The film doesn't chart a totally predictable course, nor is it filled with cookie cutter characters (they may be extreme characters, but they aren't stereotypes). Unpredictable, funny, mean spirited but sympathetic...INGRID GOES WEST is little treat for admirers of black comedy.