SISSY

Australia, 2022, 102 minutes, Colour.

Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett, Daniel Monks, Emily De Margheriti.

Directed by Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes.

There are certain advantages for reviewers in not necessarily knowing anything in detail about the film they are to preview. Which means that they are in for many surprises. That does not happen for the popular audience because there are the trailers, the posters, talk about the film, meaning that the audience goes in ready and expecting.

So, for this reviewer, no previous knowledge. However, of course, the title Sissy (apart from reminding film buffs of the German 1950s series on the Empress Elizabeth, Sissy, screening often on SBS), the only other Sissy is Sissy Spacek – and that did come to mind later.

Which means for the first half of the film, everything seems nice, the introduction to two little girls, best friends for life, Sissy and Emma, filmed together in home movies, declaring their friendship, marrying their treasure trove in a secret place. And, scenes from these home movies will recur throughout the whole film.

It will depend on our attitudes towards personalities seeking fame and followers on social media as to our response to Sissy as she grows into a young woman. Not only does she have a program, exerting her absolute charm full-on on screen, seeing herself as something of a therapist for her followers, advocating various products, and delighting in the number of followers and online comments. To those wary of online gurus, she begins to seem a bit much. She is glamorous, has a pink rope she places around herself for boundaries, and is into affirmation that she is loved.

So, where is this going? In a major scene, it actually goes to the local supermarket, Sissy, now professionally calling herself Cecilia online, is careless of others, knocking twice into a pregnant woman without too much worry, but the main thing, seeing Emma whom she has not met for years, Emma not holding Sissy in her memories much is Sissy would like. But, Sissy accepts an invitation to a party (one of those eager, noisy, semi-dark, loud music, drugs and drink parties). And, discovering that Emma is in relationship with another woman (who turns out to be a genuine psychologist doing a doctorate).

So far, so non-horror that the poster and the trailers highlight! It is when Sissy agrees to go with Emma and her friend, and friends, for an outing to the home of another woman from school, Alex, the tensions arise, criticism from Emma’s friends (though Emma always defends Sissy) about her exploiting products and running the danger of harming viewers. And, Alex is particularly disagreeable. (And, for those becoming a bit impatient for the horror, now begins – and a flashback to explain Alex’s injuries and animosity!.)

It is then that the memory of Sissy Spacek comes to mind, especially for her early and groundbreaking role as the disturbed teenager, Carrie, and the vengeance she wreaks. Sissy gets involved in all kinds of situations, loses it, continues to lose it, and there are a couple of twists to surprise us.

Sissy is a survivor, and Cecilia continues her charm outreach to her followers. Would a sequel showing us Cecilia’s coping/not coping in the future be in order? (Sissy is played effectively by Aisha Dee, Emma by Hannah Barlow who plays Emma, wrote the screenplay and co-directs.)

1. Portrait of Sissy? As a little girl, as a young adult, as a social media personality, narcissist, friendships, re-encountering Emma, and the consequences? Disintegration of a personality?
2. Filming in Canberra, homes, but travelling to the country, the coastal highway, the bush, the home, scenery, water, cliffs? The police precinct? The musical score?
3. Setting the tone, the home movie, Sissy and Emma, their age, friendship, chatting together, Best Friends in the locket, the burying of the memento box? The playing of the sequences right throughout the film? Part of Sissy’s consciousness – and Emma having forgotten? The further videos and memories, Sissy confronted by Alex, the taunts, Emma in the background, and, eventually, the audience seeing Sissy’s attack on Alex and the wound to her face?
4. Sissy becoming Cecilia, her pod cast, her seeing herself as a therapist, the promotion of various goods, her charm, rapport with the audience, all the hits, all the comments? Sissy basking in the warm response? The number of followers? Her continually looking at her phone, reinforcing the response of her followers?
5. The portrait of the personality on social media, doing good, but self-centred – and the awareness that Cecilia was more and more narcissistic (and one of the songs in the film, referring to Narcisa)?
6. Sissy, biracial, no explanations, no family? Living alone? Confidence, lacking in confidence? Reaffirming herself, especially that she was loved? The pink rope and the circle and boundaries? Going to the supermarket, looking at the products, her carelessness with the pregnant woman, pregnant, almost hitting her with the car, and her really not caring?
7. The encounter with Emma, initially avoiding it, at the checkout, Emma and her enthusiasm, their not having met for so many years, Emma persuading her to come to her party, Sissy deciding to go, the 20 somethings, the party, the rave, the enthusiasm, drink, drugs, Emma and her being stoned? The introduction to Tracy, Emma and Tracy as partners? Tracey’s background as a psychologist and doctoral student? The other friends, especially Fran and Jamie?
8. The invitation to come to the holiday house, Sissy accepting, her motivation, wanting love and acceptance, driving there, the others as passengers, the scenic route, the house? And Alex emerging? The relationship between Emma and Alex? The public scorning of Sissy? The reconciliation, Alex offering a truce, for Sissy to sleep on the couch? The meal sequences, the conversation, criticisms of Sissy and her product promotion, Jamie and the risks should anything happen, putting Sissy on the defensive?
9. Sissy and her dreams, mysterious characters, in the night, and dreaming of Alex?
10. Going on the excursion, Emma leaving the map, Sissy hiding, overhearing the conversation, the criticisms and denunciations? The others going to the water? Alex calling out Sissy, the confrontation, memories of the injury to her face, the flashbacks and the graphic scene? Alex taking the phone, recording the confrontation with Sissy, the fight between the two, Sissy hitting Alex with the ice cubes, grabbing the phone, cancelling the scene? Her dragging Alex into the bush, burying her, the ritual covering?
11. Jamie, his background, friends with the group, criticisms of Sissy, his crutches, falling, discovering Alex, hurrying away, the cliffs edge, the confrontation with Sissy, his falling over the cliff?
12. Sissy returning the house, the confrontation with Fr, the attack, the bath, the blood, hiding her onto the bed?
13. Driving away, Tracey hailing her down, the discussions between the two, speeding, sudden is stopping the car, the seatbelt, Tracy going through the windscreen, Sissy following her, crawling along the road, and driving over her?
14. The return to the house, Emma turning up, Emma having slipped into the water and carried downstream? Talking with Sissy, Sissy dying her hair and trimming it, Alex, recovering, all discovering’s body, returning to the house, mesh Emma approached by mistake? Her shock?
15. Contacting the police, the officer and his meat pie, the tracking device, his arriving at the house, seeing Alex confronting Sissy, shooting her?
16. Sissy saved, the final scenes, her going onto her pod cast, the admiration, her glamorous look, her future, the violent narcissist?