Australian horror comedy Sissy is a delight, addressing social media culture and bullying as it delivers large shares of laughter and gore.
Cecilia (Aisha Dee) has 200,000 followers on her self-help “Sincerely Cecilia” channel, on which she leads meditation practices and plugs paid sponsors. When she randomly runs into childhood best friend Emma (Hannah Barlow) at a pharmacy, she is obviously uncomfortable, though Emma seems genuinely glad to see her, and invites Cecilia — formerly known as Sissy — to her hens party (bachelorette party).
Cecilia arrives, only to find out that Alex (Emily De Margheriti), who bullied Cecilia as a child, is also in attendance. A violent occurrence between the two took place when they were youngsters, and Alex isn’t about to let “Sissy” forget it.
Humor ranging from the uncomfortable to the jaw-dropping ensues, as old wounds are opened — quite literally, in one scene — and one deadly deed leads to another. Codirectors/cowriters Barlow and Kane Senes deliver the gruesome goods, wonderfully balancing the horror and comedy elements.
Dee is outstanding as the conflicted lead character, who pretends to have it all together online but lives in an unkempt home and repeats self-care mantras to try to get herself grounded. The rest of the ensemble cast — which besides Barlow includes Lucy Barrett, Yerin Ha, and Daniel Monks — all give splendid turns.
Sissy — picked up by Shudder for future release — is a lively, colorful romp that comes highly recommended for fans of horror comedy. With a lead character who has her persona flaws but is still easy to root for, it’s a charmer of a film.
Sissy screens as part of SXSW, which takes place March 11–20, 2022 in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit https://www.sxsw.com/.
