SISSY
****
Directors: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes
Screenplay: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes
Principal cast:
Aisha Dee
Hannah Barlow
Emily De Margheriti
Daniel Monks
Yerin Ha
Lucy Barrett
Country: Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 102 mins.
Australian release date: 3 November 2022.
The recent crop of Australian-made horror films, by which I mean those released this year, has failed to make much of an impression at the box office. I’m thinking of movies like Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Girl at the Window and You Won’t Be Alone, but perhaps the latest, Sissy, will cut through because it has the added element of satirising people’s addiction to social media and the power of influencers… along with the blood and gore. And it’s funny. Written and directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes (Barlow stars as well), the film is unusual in that it was entirely shot in and around the Australian Capital Territory, which is a rare location for an Aussie production. It has been nominated in the Best Film and Best Direction categories in this year’s AACTA Awards, which augurs well for its success.
As kids, Cecilia aka Sissy (Amelia Lule) and Emma (Camille Cumpston) are BFFs, making a pact that they’ll stay friends for life, as children do, but allegiances change quickly at that age and a shocking event drives them apart. Twelve years later, the ex-friends (now played by Aisha Dee and Barlow respectively), meet again unexpectedly. Emma tells Sissy that she’s engaged and having a weekend hens’ party in the country with her lesbian and gay friends and she should come. Sissy asks her not to use her childhood nickname, saying she’s now known as Cecilia and is a mental health influencer with 200,000 followers on her ‘Sincerely Cecilia’ Insta account, but she agrees to attend, secretly thrilled to be asked. She’s a loner who seeks the endorphin high that comes from ‘likes’ and affirmative DMs from her fans, rather than having friends IRL. It turns out that the gathering is being held at the country home of Alex (Emily De Margheriti), a girl who bullied Sissy and was responsible for the break-up with Emma all those years ago. She hasn’t forgotten what happened back then and she’s certainly not over it. Sissy remembers the childhood event very differently to Alex, however, and hasn’t forgotten it either, despite the new age aphorisms she spouts online.
Initially, the engaging screenplay seems innocent enough but it takes a turn to the dark side as it progresses and we learn more about Sissy, Emma and Alex’s backstory. It cleverly plays with the viewer’s sympathies and you’ll find your allegiances switching from one protagonist to another as the body count rises (there are some very gruesome effects), yet it does all this while still managing to keep the overall tone light and comedic. The guests at the hen’s party help in that department and the repartee between the very camp Jamie (Daniel Monks), his gal-pal Tracey (Yerin Ha), Fran (Lucy Barrett), Emma’s soon-to-be bride, and queen bee Alex, the schoolyard bully, make for some acerbic and amusing moments. But it’s Aisha Dee who steals the show in the lead role. She makes Sissy/Cecilia an intriguing mixture of sweetness and sorrow. It’s no surprise that her performance has earned her an AACTA Award nomination as Best Lead Actress.
Sissy is a film that will have you gasping and laughing at the same time and, in the days following, make you question the validity of your online friendships. Can you really trust the people you meet on your socials? Are they authentic or fake?
Screenplay: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes
Principal cast:
Aisha Dee
Hannah Barlow
Emily De Margheriti
Daniel Monks
Yerin Ha
Lucy Barrett
Country: Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 102 mins.
Australian release date: 3 November 2022.
The recent crop of Australian-made horror films, by which I mean those released this year, has failed to make much of an impression at the box office. I’m thinking of movies like Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Girl at the Window and You Won’t Be Alone, but perhaps the latest, Sissy, will cut through because it has the added element of satirising people’s addiction to social media and the power of influencers… along with the blood and gore. And it’s funny. Written and directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes (Barlow stars as well), the film is unusual in that it was entirely shot in and around the Australian Capital Territory, which is a rare location for an Aussie production. It has been nominated in the Best Film and Best Direction categories in this year’s AACTA Awards, which augurs well for its success.
As kids, Cecilia aka Sissy (Amelia Lule) and Emma (Camille Cumpston) are BFFs, making a pact that they’ll stay friends for life, as children do, but allegiances change quickly at that age and a shocking event drives them apart. Twelve years later, the ex-friends (now played by Aisha Dee and Barlow respectively), meet again unexpectedly. Emma tells Sissy that she’s engaged and having a weekend hens’ party in the country with her lesbian and gay friends and she should come. Sissy asks her not to use her childhood nickname, saying she’s now known as Cecilia and is a mental health influencer with 200,000 followers on her ‘Sincerely Cecilia’ Insta account, but she agrees to attend, secretly thrilled to be asked. She’s a loner who seeks the endorphin high that comes from ‘likes’ and affirmative DMs from her fans, rather than having friends IRL. It turns out that the gathering is being held at the country home of Alex (Emily De Margheriti), a girl who bullied Sissy and was responsible for the break-up with Emma all those years ago. She hasn’t forgotten what happened back then and she’s certainly not over it. Sissy remembers the childhood event very differently to Alex, however, and hasn’t forgotten it either, despite the new age aphorisms she spouts online.
Initially, the engaging screenplay seems innocent enough but it takes a turn to the dark side as it progresses and we learn more about Sissy, Emma and Alex’s backstory. It cleverly plays with the viewer’s sympathies and you’ll find your allegiances switching from one protagonist to another as the body count rises (there are some very gruesome effects), yet it does all this while still managing to keep the overall tone light and comedic. The guests at the hen’s party help in that department and the repartee between the very camp Jamie (Daniel Monks), his gal-pal Tracey (Yerin Ha), Fran (Lucy Barrett), Emma’s soon-to-be bride, and queen bee Alex, the schoolyard bully, make for some acerbic and amusing moments. But it’s Aisha Dee who steals the show in the lead role. She makes Sissy/Cecilia an intriguing mixture of sweetness and sorrow. It’s no surprise that her performance has earned her an AACTA Award nomination as Best Lead Actress.
Sissy is a film that will have you gasping and laughing at the same time and, in the days following, make you question the validity of your online friendships. Can you really trust the people you meet on your socials? Are they authentic or fake?