Ingrid Goes West (2017)

First time director Matt Spicer's film Ingrid Goes West has me torn. There are elements of his dark comedy which are fascinating and terrifying, but also parts which seem reductive and trite. Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen are both remarkable in roles which often seem so limited. O'Shea Jackson Jr. leaps off the screen with his oversized charisma in a part which often feels like he's in another movie.

Ingrid Goes West is an examination of connection in the social media world. It takes a rather damning view (which is hardly original) and riffs on Single White Female (even referencing that film). The depths of loneliness, lack of connection to community and self, and the callousness of modern relationships are bitingly real, yet the film seems to flirt with these ideas in a manner that doesn't feel organic, never feels honest. Ingrid Goes West felt to me like a near miss.

There is an episode of Dark Mirror which plays with these ideas in a more satirical way but I think it may have been more successful. Despite this Ingrid Goes West remains mostly enjoyable. The interactions between Plaza and Olsen are electric and, as I mentioned, Jackson just lights up the screen each time he's on. For me I just never felt the film completely came together. That doesn't mean it is a film to avoid, just one to watch with a careful eye. There is interesting stuff going on along with some disappointments.

Ingrid Goes West
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russsell, Pom Klementieff, Billy Magnussen
Director: Matt Spicer
Writers: David Branson Smith, Matt Spicer