Ingrid Goes West
With starring roles as the villain of Legion and one of the depraved nuns of The Little Hours, 2017 might be the Golden Age of Aubrey Plaza. Her reign as Hollywood’s queen of surliness continues with Ingrid Goes West, writer/director Matt Spicer’s debut feature. Plaza plays social-media addict Ingrid Thorburn, whose mood fluctuates with each “like.” Following the death of her mother, Ingrid pepper-sprays the bride of a wedding she wasn’t invited to (as one does) and is committed to a mental institution. Once she’s released, Ingrid cashes out her inheritance and moves across the country to befriend (well, okay, stalk) Los Angeles-based Instagram celebrity Taylor Sloane. The couple’s living their #bestlife—aka their best trust-funded existence—and Ingrid is obsessed. Ingrid and Taylor quickly become BFFs. Though the film condemns both Taylor and Ingrid’s lies, its depiction of Ingrid’s deteriorating sanity insinuates that mentally ill people—especially those with access to social media—are dangerous, manipulative, and just waiting to catfish you.
by Ciara Dolan