Sick of Myself

Timing is everything. If Sick of Myself had been released any time prior to the social media boom, it would have been considered a simple, absurdist comedy. But the world we live in now, drowning in short term ego boosts and obsessions with online personas and validation, Sick of Myself is just as much a modern day horror as it is a satirical comedy.

Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) is a young barista, quietly at war with her up-and-coming artist boyfriend Thomas (Eirik Sæther). But they are not at war in the way you would expect. There is no infidelity, no quarrels over money, jealousies or children. Signe and Thomas are playing tug-of-war of who can gain the most validation from essentially whoever is in the room. What starts off light and seemingly harmless (faking nut allergies and boasting about stealing expensive bottles of wine), descends into horror when Signe discovers an illegal drug that deforms her skin enough that she cons the world into thinking she has developed a mysterious new disease. And my, my, my, if it isn’t the consequences of her own actions that make Sick of Myself deliciously disturbing.

To get one thing straight, this is not a redemption story. There is no character arc or development, there is no soul searching or lessons learnt. Signe and Thomas are no antiheroes. Both are thoroughly unlikeable and the most we can give them is our pity. This is a tale of two legitimate narcissists fighting for the spotlight, and in turn is director Kristoffer Borgli holding a mirror up to his audience, reflecting back to them their obsession with reputation and society’s thirst for attention and acceptance, even if it is received in short drug-like hits. Thorp is sharp and mesmerising as Signe, a woman that begs the question, which addiction is stronger? The pills that are turning her skin into pustules; or the victimisation and infamy that comes with it? Thorp is as committed to her craft as her character is to hers. Sæther is also effortless as the smug boyfriend whose desperation level may not reach Signe’s, but whose motivations evidently only lie inward.

Hilarious in parts, grotesquely disturbing in others, Sick of Myself is a stark reminder of the relationship we share with social media, and its influence on our self-worth and on society as a whole. While we know Signe is on the extreme end of a modern day narcissist, there is a dark corner of our minds that can acknowledge that some of her decisions are undeniably relatable. We crave the likes and comments when our milestones go online, Signe’s motivations are just significantly more unhinged, and it’s what makes Sick of Myself so compelling to watch.

Sick of Myself has advance screenings from September 29, and will open nationally from October 5.