Thursday, August 10, 2017

Trailer Reaction + Review: Ingrid Goes West

Year: 2017

Director: Matt Spicer

Writer: David Branson Smith & Matt Spicer

Cinematography: Philippe Le Sourd

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr.

Country of Origin: USA

Rating: R

Time: 97 mins.

I went to LA Film Festival this year and one of the best film I saw there was Ingrid Goes West (See vlog). It was their closing night film and I had no idea what to expect and boy, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The film follows Ingrid, who after the death of her mother and a series of self-inflicted setbacks, moves to Los Angeles to try to befriend an Instagram star, Taylor Sloane. Undeniably, this is one of the most accurate depictions of social media since EVER! 

As someone who is just as obsessed with social media as anyone else living in this digital age, I felt personally attacked by the film. It was so accurate in it's portrayal of the LA socialite and our social media habits that this supposedly "satirical" film was jarring. Aubrey Plaza has never been better as the mentally ill fan girl who just wants to have friends and O'Shea Jackson Jr. as the most grounded and hilarious character in the film. Ingrid Goes West's screenplay is painstakingly humorous while the direction is razor-sharp, making this film, easily one of the best films of the year.