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The Ugly Stepsister
The Ugly Stepsister (Norwegian: Den Stygge Stesøsteren) is a 2025 satirical black comedy body horror film written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, in her directorial debut. It stars Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp and Flo Fagerli, using the motif of the fairy tale "Cinderella", it retells a twisted story of Elvira, who competes against her beautiful stepsister in a bloody battle for beauty.
The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Midnight section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January. It was also screened at the Panorama section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February. It was theatrically released in Norway on 7 March by Scanbox Entertainment, in Denmark on 28 May, and in Sweden on 13 June.
A widow, Rebekka, has two daughters named Elvira and Alma. She marries an older widower, Otto, who has a daughter named Agnes. During Rebekka and Otto’s wedding night, Otto suddenly dies. Otto and Rebekka married and blended their families, each in hopes of becoming wealthy via the other, only to find out they both are deeply in debt. Meanwhile, Agnes behaves haughtily toward her stepmother and stepsisters for their comparatively low social status.
Royal heralds announce that all noble young virgins are invited to a ball, where Prince Julian will choose a wife. To improve their household finances, Rebekka plans to marry off Elvira, her eldest daughter, to Julian. While Elvira dreams of marrying the prince, Rebekka knows her daughter is ugly by societal standards and has next to no chance of winning him over, especially when pitted against the conventionally beautiful Agnes.
To improve her chances with the prince, Rebekka subjects Elvira to a series of primitive and painful cosmetic surgeries. Elvira is also made to take finishing lessons with Agnes. The pressure causes Elvira's initial admiration for her stepsister to turn to resentment. One day, one of the finishing school teachers gives Elvira a tapeworm egg for weight loss. Agnes reprimands her stepmother for spending their remaining money on Elvira's beauty instead of paying to bury her father, whose rotting corpse is being stored in an abandoned room of the house.
When Elvira encounters Prince Julian by chance in the woods, he mocks her for her ugliness and is revealed to be a shallow womanizer, but Elvira clings to her belief that he is a good man. One night, Elvira discovers Agnes having sex with Isak, a stable boy, and tells Rebekka. Disgusted, Rebekka throws Isak out and makes Agnes a servant girl, and the family starts calling her Cinderella. As the royal ball approaches, Elvira becomes malnourished and her hair starts falling out in clumps due to the tapeworm. Meanwhile, Alma has her first period, but does not tell her mother for fear she will be subjected to the same horrors as Elvira. Rebekka also has Agnes pulled from finishing school, leaving no one in the starring role for the dance the school will perform at the ball. Due to her changed appearance after the weight loss and cosmetic surgeries, Elvira is given the role.
During a dress fitting with her mother, the dress seller gives Elvira a blonde wig and ballgown. He notices Agnes's beauty and makes inappropriate advances on her, including kissing her. She spits on him and the floor in disgust, which Rebekka forces her to clean up. Elvira later sees Agnes with a ball gown that belonged to Agnes's late mother and angrily destroys it. Agnes cries over her father's corpse. She then has a vision of her mother, who gives her a beautiful pair of shoes and warns her that the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin by midnight. Silkworms on her father's body fix Agnes's torn gown.
At the ball, Elvira attracts Prince Julian's interest, but his attention is quickly stolen by a veiled Agnes, who arrives late. Elvira flees to another room and vomits up tapeworm eggs. Rebekka forces her to go back to the ball and dance with other men, during which Elvira sees Agnes without the veil. Agnes hears the clock chiming midnight and runs away, leaving one shoe behind. Prince Julian declares he will marry the woman whose foot fits the shoe. Back home, aware that Agnes left behind a slipper, Elvira attacks and forces Agnes to hand over the other shoe with a butcher knife. When she discovers that her feet are too large for the slippers, Elvira attempts to sever her toes using the same knife. She is found by Rebekka and Alma. Alma is horrified when Rebekka sedates Elvira and completes the task.
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The Ugly Stepsister
The Ugly Stepsister (Norwegian: Den Stygge Stesøsteren) is a 2025 satirical black comedy body horror film written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, in her directorial debut. It stars Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp and Flo Fagerli, using the motif of the fairy tale "Cinderella", it retells a twisted story of Elvira, who competes against her beautiful stepsister in a bloody battle for beauty.
The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Midnight section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January. It was also screened at the Panorama section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February. It was theatrically released in Norway on 7 March by Scanbox Entertainment, in Denmark on 28 May, and in Sweden on 13 June.
A widow, Rebekka, has two daughters named Elvira and Alma. She marries an older widower, Otto, who has a daughter named Agnes. During Rebekka and Otto’s wedding night, Otto suddenly dies. Otto and Rebekka married and blended their families, each in hopes of becoming wealthy via the other, only to find out they both are deeply in debt. Meanwhile, Agnes behaves haughtily toward her stepmother and stepsisters for their comparatively low social status.
Royal heralds announce that all noble young virgins are invited to a ball, where Prince Julian will choose a wife. To improve their household finances, Rebekka plans to marry off Elvira, her eldest daughter, to Julian. While Elvira dreams of marrying the prince, Rebekka knows her daughter is ugly by societal standards and has next to no chance of winning him over, especially when pitted against the conventionally beautiful Agnes.
To improve her chances with the prince, Rebekka subjects Elvira to a series of primitive and painful cosmetic surgeries. Elvira is also made to take finishing lessons with Agnes. The pressure causes Elvira's initial admiration for her stepsister to turn to resentment. One day, one of the finishing school teachers gives Elvira a tapeworm egg for weight loss. Agnes reprimands her stepmother for spending their remaining money on Elvira's beauty instead of paying to bury her father, whose rotting corpse is being stored in an abandoned room of the house.
When Elvira encounters Prince Julian by chance in the woods, he mocks her for her ugliness and is revealed to be a shallow womanizer, but Elvira clings to her belief that he is a good man. One night, Elvira discovers Agnes having sex with Isak, a stable boy, and tells Rebekka. Disgusted, Rebekka throws Isak out and makes Agnes a servant girl, and the family starts calling her Cinderella. As the royal ball approaches, Elvira becomes malnourished and her hair starts falling out in clumps due to the tapeworm. Meanwhile, Alma has her first period, but does not tell her mother for fear she will be subjected to the same horrors as Elvira. Rebekka also has Agnes pulled from finishing school, leaving no one in the starring role for the dance the school will perform at the ball. Due to her changed appearance after the weight loss and cosmetic surgeries, Elvira is given the role.
During a dress fitting with her mother, the dress seller gives Elvira a blonde wig and ballgown. He notices Agnes's beauty and makes inappropriate advances on her, including kissing her. She spits on him and the floor in disgust, which Rebekka forces her to clean up. Elvira later sees Agnes with a ball gown that belonged to Agnes's late mother and angrily destroys it. Agnes cries over her father's corpse. She then has a vision of her mother, who gives her a beautiful pair of shoes and warns her that the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin by midnight. Silkworms on her father's body fix Agnes's torn gown.
At the ball, Elvira attracts Prince Julian's interest, but his attention is quickly stolen by a veiled Agnes, who arrives late. Elvira flees to another room and vomits up tapeworm eggs. Rebekka forces her to go back to the ball and dance with other men, during which Elvira sees Agnes without the veil. Agnes hears the clock chiming midnight and runs away, leaving one shoe behind. Prince Julian declares he will marry the woman whose foot fits the shoe. Back home, aware that Agnes left behind a slipper, Elvira attacks and forces Agnes to hand over the other shoe with a butcher knife. When she discovers that her feet are too large for the slippers, Elvira attempts to sever her toes using the same knife. She is found by Rebekka and Alma. Alma is horrified when Rebekka sedates Elvira and completes the task.