Plot: What’s it about?
Most of us have at least one active social media account. Some people have several, but there’s no denying that it has taken over our lives big time. I used to be so content with my old flip phone that I swore I’d never switch over and upgrade. Boy was I wrong as I use my phone multiple times a day. While nothing we’re doing is really crucial to our life, I don’t think I could live without my smart phone. Heck, even our President of the United States of America can’t seem to stop Tweeting. Say what you will about social media, it’s here to stay. The lead character in Ingrid Goes West features such a character who uses Instagram to essentially stalk and befriend a popular social media influencer.
Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) is angry at a friend (?) named Charlotte (Meredith Hagner) for not inviting her to her wedding. At Charlotte’s wedding, Ingrid walks up to her and curses at her all before spraying her in the face with mace. This little stunt leads Ingrid to a mental hospital for a short while. During her stay, Ingrid writes Charlotte and tells her how sorry she is, blaming her mother’s death for one of the reasons for her bad behavior. Ingrid is released and overhears some gossip at a grocery store one day about how Charlotte was never really friends with her and one social media like from Charlotte led Ingrid to think otherwise. Ingrid then sets her sites on Taylor Sloan (Elizabeth Olsen) after a slight social media exchange. Ingrid obviously reads too into this and decides to cash in her inheritance and travels to Los Angeles. She rents out a room from struggling screenwriter Dan (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who is also a Batman fanatic. Ingrid grows more obsessed with getting closer to Taylor that she even kidnaps her dog. She then uses this as a way to say she found her dog to return it and meet Taylor. As she arrives, Taylor and her husband, Ezra (Wyatt Russell) invite her to dinner at their house. The next night Taylor and Ingrid go driving to Joshua tree. Ingrid borrows Dan’s truck in return for promising to be back on time for him to go to a table read. Ingrid also agrees to play Cat woman since the other actress can’t. Sadly that doesn’t happen as Ingrid gets carried away while driving and sideswipes a guardrail, causing serious damage to Dan’s truck. This is all while Ingrid has lied to Taylor and her husband about who exactly she is and her relationship status (she said the truck belongs to her boyfriend). Indeed, Ingrid is digging herself into quite a hole. Things grow more complicated when Taylor’s brother, Niki (Billy Magnussen) enters the picture. He’s a recovering addict and something of a free spirit. Right away, Ingrid doesn’t like him. Eventually Niki steals Ingrid’s phone and discovers all her lies. He blackmails Ingrid or else he’ll tell Taylor who she really is. I won’t reveal any more, but things get bad.
I had only heard of this film briefly, but never saw a preview or anything. It wasn’t until a recent review surfaced online that prompted me to check it out. I’m sure glad I did as it really hooked me. I’ve been a big fan of Aubrey Plaza for a while now, and she turns in another strong performance her. This lead character is more than a little troubled, but I like that the film doesn’t shy away from that. It really doesn’t judge this character, instead just presenting her and letting the audience do the rest. It’s hard not to be put off by here, though as she continually lies and lies and gets herself deeper into a situation for which there can be no happy ending. Or at least we think. It’s always great to see a film with such a good story to tell without the use of heavy effects and explosions. This also (thankfully) lacks the often smug feel you get from Indy style films as well. It never becomes preachy about things, but simply lets the story play out. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I checked it out.
Video: How’s it look?
With the attractive California landscape at its disposal, the transfer looks quite nice. By no means is this a flashy or expensive film, but it’s well presented for what it is. The print is clean and fresh and colors are nice and attractive. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.40:1 ratio. I have really no complaints, this is simply a fine transfer.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track is about as good as it should be given the source material. There are some party scenes with music that kick things up, but mostly the vocals drive things here. Music, background noises and little touches all add up to a solid track that serves the film accurately.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Plaza and Matt Spicer (Director/Co-writer) sit down for a discussion over the film.
- Deleted Scenes – We get 3 clips here with optional commentary. All are largely forgettable and not missed.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Ingrid Goes West took me by surprise. I really enjoyed this one and the story kept me involved. It’s a story about a tragic case told pretty accurately and straightforward. It has a light (yet somehow dark) comedic tone, but never goes off the rails. Aubrey Plaza gives a great performance in the lead role as well. Recommended.
