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“Ingrid Goes West” is shocking, disturbingly hysterical, and resoundingly sad. You laugh in uncomfortable familiarity and experience touching compassion in one of the year’s best and darkest movies. Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen are stark, fearless, and human frailty in this cautionary tale of the darker obsession with social media. There are no great heroes in Director and Writer Matt Spicer’s “Ingrid Goes West”. There are a lot of the people we know.
Aubrey Plaza plays the lonely disturbed Instagram stalker Ingrid Thorburn, who methodically insinuates her way into the life of Social Media “It Girl” Taylor Sloane, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Taylor is famous for being essentially famous, with 1 million followers. Ingrid actually moves to Los Angeles using her inheritance of $63,000 from her late Mother, when she discovers that Taylor lives in Venice, California. She wants to friend the object of her obsession, confusing “likes” as an actual invitation to friendship. This may be the cautionary tale of having the “virtual life”.
Spicer and co-writer David Branson Smith evoke brazen humor and explore perhaps the darker side of desperation and wanting to be loved. No one is likable in “Ingrid Goes West”. But we have empathy for Ingrid’s suffering. Plaza’s Ingrid is a social pariah and seems both sociopath and psychopath. Plaza is so bold as Ingrid lies to others, and displays total disregard for right and wrong. Ingrid has little remorse for her actions and less compassion for others.
In the opening scene, Ingrid pepper sprays Charlotte, played by pretty Meredith Hagner, for not inviting Ingrid to her wedding. Turns out that Ingrid was only a “friend” on Instagram, she really did not know Charlotte at all. As a result, Ingrid is sentenced to a psychiatric rehabilitation facility. After serving her time she is released to go home. Ingrid discovers her new object of obsession in Taylor (Olsen). So Ingrid goes west to be with her.
Out west, Ingrid rents a house in Venice from Dan, played by charismatic O’Shea Jackson Jr. Dan might be her one true ally, may even become a friend. Dan is a coke head, landlord, and aspiring screenwriter with a new “Batman” treatment. At least Dan has a hero, unlike anyone else in the movie.
Ingrid and Taylor’s superfluous friendship eventually flames out. In catharsis at Taylor’s desert home, both confront each other’s lies and inauthenticity. Taylor says, “You need professional help!” She is right. We laugh hysterically at the inane exchanges and selfish action of both Ingrid and Taylor. But as sincerely embodied by Plaza, Ingrid needs help. Plaza captures the quiet desperation and loneliness of the girl, who simply wants to be loved, yet has no idea how to do so. Plaza is compelling in Ingrid’s fear just to be herself.
Spicer poignantly displays the profound depth of shallowness in the life of Taylor and those closest to her. To that end Elizabeth Olsen is amazing. There is the scene as her Taylor confesses her dream of buying the house next door to Ingrid. It’s a lie. Olsen plays it straight up, with subtle mesmerizing awareness. I think this is Spicer’s commentary on the whole vapid nature of social media obsession, where the surface trumps all else. In the brilliant pool scene Taylor’s distraught husband Ezra, played by vulnerable Wyatt Russell, tells Ingrid how everything on Taylor’s Instagram posts are “the best”. Obviously, not everything can be “the best”. But we get the clue that neither is Taylor or his marriage.
Conflict arises when Taylor’s painfully shallow brother Nicky, played by whimsical Billy Magnussen, outs Ingrid as Taylor’s social media stalker. Spicer and Smith’s narrative turn is somewhat contrived here, yet leads to both the touching and ironic.
Near the end, Plaza is heartbreaking as Ingrid records her selfie video. She says, “I’m a loser.” No, Ingrid is not. She does horrible things to people. She suffers, is lonely, and can’t love herself. No, she is not perfect. She is human.
Perhaps, that is the morale of “Ingrid Goes West”. We should all have compassion for others because we really don’t know what’s going on inside. Although “Ingrid Goes West” will make you simultaneously laugh and squirm, it is so worth watching. The darker side of humanity is still humanity.
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Originally Published on IMDb