‘Sissy’ and A Deadly Battle of the Influencers [Fatal Femmes]
By now we know all too well that you can’t always trust what you see on social media. That candid photo or quirky dance likely took extensive planning not to mention hours of production to achieve the perfect blend of effortless cool. Who knows how many earlier drafts ended up on the cutting room floor? The glossy 2022 horror comedy Sissy begins with a similar video. Cecilia (Aisha Dee) addresses the camera and uses a pink rope to create a circle of safety around herself then leads us in a moment of therapeutic hyperventilation. The picture of fresh-faced serenity, she sits in front of a matching pink background surrounded by lush plants in wicker baskets. But as the camera pans out, we see the mess lurking just outside of the frame.
Directed and co-written by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes, Sissy may shine an unflattering light on influencer culture, but the twisting story also reveals a more insidious type of social manipulation. Alex (Emily De Margheriti) is a wealthy mean girl who maintains her power by vilifying others. Her influence extends to the real world as she masterfully curates her surroundings to hold the center of attention. This violent film pits two highly skilled influencers against each other for the right to a coveted friendship and challenges us to choose our hero. Is it the self-help Instagram star who spreads positivity and light while her world is falling apart? Or should we follow the domineering bully who destroys the lives of others by convincing her followers to shun them in reality?
Her Story
Cecilia may have reached 200K followers, but her real life is lonely. With the mantra, “I am loved. I am special. I am enough. I am doing my best. We all are,” Cecilia has built her brand on self-love and compassion for others. She leans on comments from her adoring followers instead of making real-life connections. One day while running errands, Cecilia bumps into Emma (Barlow), her childhood best friend. Though they haven’t seen each other in years, Emma insists Cecilia come to her engagement soirée and Hen Party weekend. Cecilia initially declines but gives in to Emma’s sincere desire to rekindle their friendship.
While driving to the remote locale, Cecilia realizes the event is being hosted by Alex, her childhood bully. Outraged at the intrusion, this cold but glamorous woman begrudgingly allows her to stay as a favor to Emma. But, it’s clear they’re in for a tense weekend. Alex can barely conceal her hatred and begins turning the rest of the guests against her old enemy. When she tries to hijack Cecilia’s social media account, the peaceful woman retaliates, igniting a deadly cycle of revenge and self-protection. The film concludes with a fight to the death as Cecilia and Alex battle for control of the narrative and the right to identify as the story’s main character.
Flashbacks reveal that the seeds of this feud were planted in childhood. The daughters of best friends, “Sissy” and Emma see themselves as sisters and claim to have formed a connection in their respective wombs. They sing and dance together in camcorder videos and make a pact to spend their final days in the same nursing home. But an intruder breaks up this blissful camaraderie. A young Alex informs Cecilia that she has not been invited to Emma’s birthday party because they are no longer friends. She begins mocking Cecilia and leads the other children in chanting “Sissy’s a sissy” while Emma does little to protect her. When Cecilia can’t stand it anymore, she plunges a garden too into Alex’s cheek. We don’t see the aftermath, but it’s clear that this violent response has ended her friendship with Emma and given birth to the story that “Sissy’s a psychopath.”
Her Motive
Barlow and Senes tell the story from Cecilia’s perspective, offering a glimpse into the private life of a popular influencer. Despite her messy reality, Cecilia just wants to be loved. Time capsule videos show that while Emma has specific dreams for her own future, Cecilia doesn’t want to change. She’s happy to live in the present moment and enjoy spending time with her best friend. This peaceful desire is evident in her adult life as well. Cecilia’s videos revolve around self-acceptance and creating a personal safe space she uses as armor. Given her painful past, it’s understandable that she would try to create a barrier between herself and the rest of the world.
Alex builds her cruel narrative by claiming that Emma doesn’t actually like Cecilia and that she’s helping out by cutting off the friendship. But her story doesn’t line up with reality. Videos from the time capsule are hardly one-sided and it’s Emma who suggests the pact to grow old together. After reconnecting, Emma seems genuinely thrilled at the prospect of having Cecilia back in her life. She gazes at her former best friend with unconcealed adoration and insists they recreate their special song and dance at karaoke. Her fiancé Fran (Lucy Barrett) even resembles Cecilia and both women work in the field of mental health. Emma may have chosen her future wife because she sparks memories of the first girl she ever loved.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Alex needs control. She doesn’t just want to be friends with Emma, she lays claim to her love and devotion. Cecilia’s painful childhood memory begins as Alex gives Emma one-half of an expensive BFF charm, effectively stealing her away from her first best friend. The lavish hen weekend at her fancy vacation home shows that Alex has built her friendship with Emma by dazzling her with wealth and privilege. This ostensible generosity likely hides a deep well of insecurity. Alex knows she can’t compete with Cecilia’s genuine connection to Emma so she uses extravagant gifts to break it apart. When Cecilia presents Emma with their time capsule, Alex cuts the beloved video short. She can’t stand Emma enjoying anything that doesn’t revolve around her.
Her Weapons
Though Cecilia is a professional influencer, Alex uses her influence as a weapon. When she learns that Cecilia has more followers on social media she instantly starts picking the gentle woman apart. Hinting at mental instability, she claims that Cecilia is profiting off of other people’s pain. This is clearly not true but Jaime (Daniel Monks), another guest at the party, immediately picks up the cruel baton. He wonders aloud if Cecilia’s followers might die by suicide if she doesn’t answer her DMs—as if the same couldn’t be said for Fran’s occupation as a therapist. Both women make their living by helping others through difficult situations, but Cecilia is the only one being punished for her kindness.
Alex is an expert manipulator and specializes in making herself the victim. Though Cecilia constantly tries to put the past behind them, Alex won’t let go of her grudge. Yes, the wound to her face was no doubt painful, but it also allows Alex to maintain her power. No matter what Cecilia says—no matter how many times she tries to apologize—Alex can simply point to her scarred cheek, say “Sissy’s a psychopath” and the world will believe her. Never mind the fact that she goaded Cecilia into the attack. Her bullying fades in comparison to the scar clearly visible on her face. Alex just has to imply Cecilia’s involvement for Jaime to explode with joyous shouts that “Sissy is canceled!” Her manipulation continues twelve years after a juvenile mistake and Cecilia has once again become the villain.
While certainly hurt by Alex’s cruelty, Cecilia is content to let Emma’s friends hate her. She’s already survived this abandonment once and has built a life of emotional safety for herself. But Alex threatens to destroy her life once again. She grabs her phone and begins recording a vicious message claiming that Cecilia tried to murder her. She knows that just the hint of deception would be enough to forever ruin Cecilia’s reputation and effectively end her thriving career. Faced with losing everything again, Cecilia fights back. She grabs a crystal paperweight and strikes Alex in the back of her head. Scrambling to delete the video before it can upload, Cecilia shows that she will do anything to protect the fragile peace she’s worked so hard to create.
Her Victims
This confrontation forces Cecilia past the point of no return. When Jaime stumbles upon the body, she tries to convince him she acted in self-defense but quickly sees it’s a lost cause. Alex has already shaped their feelings about her and she knows how hard it is to break the stranglehold of her influence. Her bubble of peace is starting to burst and she can either fight back or lose everything again.
Jaime literally follows Alex off a cliff, but it’s Tracey (Yerin Ha) who finally pushes Cecilia over the edge. Taking a page from her enemy’s playbook, she creates a wound on her own arm in hopes of garnering some of the sympathy Alex has always claimed for herself. At first her ploy works. Tracey draws her a bath and tends to her wound, insisting everything will be ok once they talk it all out. But when Tracey implies that the attack was justified because of Cecilia’s original sin, she realizes that she’ll never escape the shadow of Alex’s manipulation. No matter what she does–no matter what story she tells–she’ll never be able to change the narrative. The only way to escape Alex’s abuse is to kill her followers.
Faced with inevitable discovery, Cecilia uses her massive audience to begin damage control. She recognizes the value of a facial wound and punches herself repeatedly until her nose is bloody and her forehead is bruised. Using her appearance as proof, she records a video accusing Alex of assault. After years spent cultivating a trusted following, Cecilia knows that the truth isn’t important. There is value in victimhood and the only thing that matters is what you can make people believe. Though they once ruined her life, Alex’s mean-girl tactics now offer Cecilia protection.
Her Legacy
Barlow and Senes conclude the film with a bloody battle for influence. Cecilia murders Fran and holds Emma hostage in a delusional attempt to recreate their childhood memories. When Alex rises from her shallow grave, she crawls back to the party and attempts to kill Cecilia once and for all. But blinded by her injury, she mistakenly bludgeons Emma to death instead. Cowering on the floor, Cecilia turns on the camera and records this vicious attack. The world now sees the true Alex—a sadistic girl who will do anything to destroy her chosen target. It’s a perfect encapsulation of this toxic friendship and a clear way to show who is truly to blame. Cecilia may have delivered the killing blows, but it’s Alex’s influence that caused each confrontation. She may have tied Emma to a chair, but Alex has trapped her in a toxic friendship for 12 years.
Cecilia emerges with her reputation intact and a new claim to victimhood. She’s finally mastered Alex’s game and found power in surviving a horrifying crime. But rather than tear others down, Cecilia uses her platform for good. She reminds others that they are loved. They are enough. They are trying their best. Ironically, this is advice that could have saved Alex. Her cruelty stems from a deeply held fear that her friends will turn away if she doesn’t force them to love her and a need to trick the world into believing she is enough. If she could let go of her need to control the perceptions of others–both online and in reality–she might have been able to create imperfect but real friendships like the one she tried to steal from Cecilia.
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