Review of Ingrid Goes West (2017) by K Nife C — 27 Aug 2017

SOCIAL MEDEA - My Review of INGRID GOES WEST (4 Stars).

Director Matt Spicer and co-writer David Branson Smith paint themselves into a corner right at the start of INGRID GOES WEST. Our title character, obsessed by a stranger's Instagram feed, shows up at her wedding, furious that she wasn't invited, and proceeds to mace the poor, unsuspecting bride. After a stint in a mental health facility, Ingrid, clearly not "cured", sets her sights on another social media influencer, moving out to LA to live her best life, or stalk someone else, or just because she's seriously damaged. Regardless, it's no easy feat to come back from the seriously delusional character they've established, but thanks to a smart script, terrific direction, a winning cast, especially the breakthrough lead performance by Aubrey Plaza, they succeed beautifully. This is dark stuff, but stick with it. It has something to say about how we relate to each other when all we do is look at ourselves in our phone screens anymore.

Due to a well-timed inheritance, Ingrid moves out to Venice, CA, which puts her a stone's throw away from her target, Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). With hundreds of thousands of Insta-followers, Sloane leads the seemingly perfect life with her perfect boyfriend Ezra (Wyatt Russell), her perfect sense of style, and let's not forget, her perfect avocado toast! Ingrid connives to meet Taylor in a truly twisted way, and lo and behold, they're instant BFFs. Spicer and Smith explore, beat by excruciating beat, the insidious ways we can instill ourselves into someone's life, especially when the entire relationship is predicated on a few social media postings. You like macrame? Me too! OMG! You're like my favorite person ever!

Olsen, using a little girl rasp, nails her role, oblivious to Ingrid's machinations but way more grounded than anyone expects. Olsen, as a matter of birth, is no stranger to narcissism, and she manages to create a very likable character despite her intense self-obsession. Also incredibly winning is O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube's son, and who played his father in STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON) as Ingrid's landlord and love interest, Dan. He's maddened by Ingrid's flakiness, but he also recognizes good chemistry when he sees it. Jackson is pure dynamism and proves to be the moral center of the film. When Ingrid asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend, just watch for his highly engaging reaction. Bill Magnussen (INTO THE WOODS) really connects with his role as Taylor's jacked-up, douchebag brother who just may be a lot smarter than he appears. There's a danger here in his performance that he hasn't brought to prior parts.

Ingrid creates lie upon lie in order to maintain her friendship with Taylor, so it's only a matter of time before the bubble bursts. This inevitability drives the story as we watch this feature length train wreck crash into the station. Plaza shows so many layers here, making this a real treat to watch as she moves past the monotone goth chick of her April Ludgate years on PARKS AND RECREATION. In fact, it's become an industry standard to write dead-inside characters as the "Aubry Plaza type". Well, Plaza blows that stereotype to smithereens with this film. She manages to make you care about Ingrid. We identify with her loneliness and her need to connect with the cool kids. You won't be able to take your eyes off of her, down to the sublime and ambiguous final shot. It's a beauty of an ending.

At times, the film plays like the wackier cousin to the BLACK MIRROR episode called NOSEDIVE, starring Bryce Dallas Howard as a social media obsessive trying desperately to get people to like her. While NOSEDIVE lives in pink and blue pastels, INGRID feels earthier with its sun-dappled exteriors and dark, forbidding spaces in which Ingrid lives. Both projects leave you a little spent as they grow more intense in their final acts.

What sets INGRID apart, however, is its elegant score by Jonathan Sadoff and Nick Thorburn (Ingrid's last name! Coincidence? No way!) There's a classicism to it that suggests we're witnessing something important despite the fact that we're swimming in a pool filled with insane egos. There's a little bit of ALL ABOUT EVE here, as well as a smattering of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, TO DIE FOR, and CHUCK AND BUCK. Tonally, however, the film is its own singular creature. INGRID GOES WEST wants you to take a hard look at your life. Can you see past your phone to the person right in front of you? INGRID seems to have an answer: REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.