Magnus von Horn’s impressive second feature explores the life of an archetypal Insta-star over the course of three eventful days.
Life for fitness guru Sylwia is non-stop. The division between professional and personal is one that she can little afford. After all, as an influencer, her followers demand to know about every moment of her existence. But though she has a huge following, Sylwia appears to have no one close to her, a fact made clear in a teary online confession about being single. Coming so close to a major national TV appearance, could this revelation threaten her profile? Or is it in fact just another stunt by someone who recognises that bad publicity is an oxymoron in our mediated age?
Von Horn’s glacial, distanced camera captures Sylwia’s world of neon and spandex to chilling effect. But as the film progresses, the filmmaker questions any easy judgement about Sylwia’s profession and life choices. The resulting film is one of the first to fully engage with the Insta-age in a meaningful way and asks an age-old question question: what price fame?
★★★★ “Koleśnik gives a remarkable performance that nails the public/private schism at the heart of Instagram celebrity.” - Huw Oliver, Time Out
★★★★ “The gap between difficult reality and filtered social media fantasy is ruthlessly exposed in this ingenious character portrait” - Kevin Maher, The Times
