Ingrid Goes West

15

There was a time, believe it or not, when if you had something to say to someone, you'd say it to their face. Or if you were sly, behind their back. Thanks to social media however, you can now slag said person off to the world - isn't that right Donald? That's progress for you. #progresssucks

Heart emoji or poo emoji, social media is here to stay. It's no surprise then that this technological zeitgeist bleeds over into old media, e.g. film.

For his first full length feature, director Matt Spicer pokes the darker side of social media and this comic drama is what pops out.

boom reviews Ingrid Goes West
I just need a pic for my wank bank, do you mind?

Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) is far from being in a happy place. Not only does she appear to not have any real friends, the only person she considers her best friend - her mother - dies. After seeing an appealing post on Instagram from a hot and savvy social media user with tonnes of followers and a huge amount of influence over them, Ingrid decides to pack her bags, filled with the $60,000 left to her in her mother's will, and head to sunny California.

Not long after settling in, Ingrid becomes further obsessed with the social media darling Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), to the point where she kidnaps her dog, just so she can get an introduction, via a lost dog poster.

Taylor is so happy to have her dog back, she invites Ingrid in for dinner. Little does she know that once Ingrid had a foot in the door of not only her home, but also her life, she has no intention of going anywhere.

boom reviews Ingrid Goes West
I'm telling you, those are the best shadow rabbits i've ever seen!

This film could be described as the Single White Female of the social media world, but the pantone swatch shade of black is nowhere near as noir as that particular early nineties title. Spicer, somewhat disappointingly, doesn't push the stalker element anywhere near as much as he should have.

Which is certainly a shame as far as Plaza is concerned, as she appears to be chomping at the bit to take her character all the way over to the dark side. Instead, Spicer decides to keep the tone altogether lighter and fluffier to the detriment to the story. With Olsen's character being so utterly deplorable, Ingrid should have been allowed to go all out single white female on her Instagram arse.

Still, although Ingrid's adventures westwards aren't as dark nor as funny as they should have been, her obsession for social media and the desperate need for attention that has become a troubling universal trend, is worth a follow.

we give this three out of five