In this crazy world in which we live, where the obsession with image and success is the order of the day, the Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli has seen a gold mine to put together his second film, a perverse and uncomfortable comedy, with a lot of black humor and surreal situations entitled Sick of myself and opens in theaters this Friday. The film participated in the 'Un Certain Regard' section of the Cannes Film Festival and in Seminci's 'Meeting Point', and has the seal of the same producers of The Worst Person in the World, last year's Nordic sensation that addressed the existential crisis of a thirtysomething.
The protagonists are Signe (magnificent Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Thomas, a rather peculiar couple. She works in a coffee shop and he is an artist aiming high for the Norwegian cultural elite creating sculptures from stolen furniture. Apparently, Signe does not seem very ambitious but one day she witnesses an event in the cafeteria that will make her change her mind drastically.
Suddenly, she is envious of her boyfriend's attraction and needs to attract attention in any way she can to compete with him. She to the point that she reads on the internet about the use of some Russian pills that have caused serious skin problems in consumers and she acquires them illegally for her own use. "The film is born from situations that I have seen around me and from recognizing my own narcissistic dark side, as well as from that desire to always make heroes out of the victims. And there is something about finding humor in the darkest aspects of our psyche ", explains the director by videoconference to La Vanguardia from Los Angeles, where he has lived for a few years: "I couldn't take the cold of my country anymore," he admits with a laugh.
Needless to say, Signe gorges herself on these medications and her appearance will transform until she looks like a monster. But she doesn't care about her physique or her health. The only thing she wants is for people to focus on what is happening to her, to worry about her and visit her at the hospital. If someone doesn't, she crosses and dashes.
The title is itself a play on words. The expression Sick of myself means 'fed up with me', but the translation of sick is 'sick'. "Signe is fed up with herself because she thinks she's not interesting. So she also gets sick of herself because her sickness is self-inflicted," says the filmmaker.
The idea for the story had been around him for a decade. "I had this image in my head of wealthy and privileged young Norwegians with skin diseases and Sick of myself became the work that came out of this image. The main reason it was made into a film was cultural changes and the inclusion in the fashion industry. I started writing the script in 2017 as it became a new trend to show very different body types. That, combined with my image of a young woman with a skin disease, suddenly It made sense in a larger context."
The director believes that "Signe is a girl from Oslo who wants to be part of that system. She lets herself be enlightened by popularity but she has to create her own version, become a victim with a strong story. The desire to be recognized and someone important in his community of friends he is superior to everything, even though he may die for it". In addition to the idea of those young people with skin problems, the director recalls the case of an acquaintance from her youth gang who made up that she had cancer. "Eventually it was discovered to be a lie and it was exposed. It happened a long time ago and I didn't even remember it when I wrote the story. I did it later. It was essential for me to mix the theme of inclusive fashion with the appearance of a beautiful woman who smashes his face in order to have an interesting story to tell".
The theme of narcissism is latent from the beginning of the story: "It interests me a lot. It intrigues me to study people's ambitions and desire for recognition." And that is something that social networks have helped to contribute. "I think there are a lot of platforms now where people have a huge desire to express themselves and showcase themselves and that's a form of pressure to find a good story, to the point where it's become monstrous and that's what the focus is on." movie".
Regarding the leading couple, immersed in a constant spiral of envy and jealousy, he maintains that "they are two people who could not be with anyone else because no one else could tolerate how they are. Thomas and Signe are a competitive couple in which each one wants to be the protagonist of the relationship. And they enjoy that competitiveness."
Actress Kristine Kujath Thorp, most recently seen in the comedy Ninjababy as a young woman dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, landed the role of Signe thanks to her talent and humor. "She was the only person in the cast who could play her naturally. She made her real and because of her it's been possible to make this movie," she says. Borgli has her next project pending release this year, Dream scenario, a horror comedy produced by the A24 studio and the filmmaker Ari Aster. "I can't say much about her, but Nicolas Cage comes out of her and I'm very proud of her," she concludes.
