Sick of Myself: LFF Film Review
If you like your comedies so dark they’re not “haha” funny then the Norwegian movie Sick of Myself is one for you.
The film follows Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp), who is in a competitive relationship with artist Thomas (Eirik Saether). They are always trying to outdo each other and he puts all his energy into his career, leaving little for Signe. Inspired by a dog bite attack she witnessed at work, Signe tries to give herself a skin disease on purpose by taking pills that have been linked with it!
Signe is a sad, destructive, mentally unstable character and you will not agree with her drastic decisions. She wants attention so badly that she deliberately disfigures herself – and she doesn’t even seem too worried about her appearance because it achieves the desired effect – she no longer feels invisible and Thomas shows care and concern.
However, Signe bites off more than she can chew and this unknown disease gets progressively worse and worse. She used to exaggerate her symptoms for sympathy but soon she doesn’t need to. As you might expect, the film gets even more shocking as it goes along and Signe makes some wild choices as it progresses.
I’ve spoken to some people who found this hilarious but I didn’t think it was that funny, although it was ridiculous. I laughed a couple of times but I mostly just felt pity for Signe. Obviously, director Kristoffer Borgli has exaggerated everything to the absolute extreme but I liked what he had to say about vanity, the attention-seeking nature of people today and the modelling industry.
I really loved Thorp in Ninjababy last year and she is just as brilliant in this. She plays Signe with total sincerity – she doesn’t ham it up for laughs because Signe’s actions do that easily for her. Saether is also fun as the uninterested kleptomaniac boyfriend, while Anders Danielsen Lie has a memorable scene as an upfront doctor.
How you get on with Sick of Myself will depend on how dark you like your comedy, because this is pitch black. I enjoyed most parts of the movie even though I didn’t find it that funny.
Seen as part of the London Film Festival. No current UK release date