“I just wanted to be her friend.”
Image: Elizabeth Olsen, left, and Aubrey Plaza, right in Ingrid Goes West. Credit: wantedgallerie.tumblr.com
Ingrid Goes West is a black comedy directed by Matt Spicer, starring Aubrey Plaza as a young woman who manages to become a part of a famous ‘Instagram influencer’s’ life.
I hadn’t seen this film advertised anywhere; rather, I had stumbled across it on Letterboxd, the bright movie poster reminiscent of those from the 80s catching my eye. I had added it to my watchlist, and it was only until it was uploaded to NowTV that I was able to finally watch it.
I am quite fond of Aubrey Plaza (I absolutely love her portrayal of April Ludgate in NBC’s Parks and Recreation), and so was eager to see her in this film. She did not disappoint; Plaza’s character is obsessive and spends the film lying about her life so that she can worm her way further and further into the life of Taylor, a social media superstar (played by Elizabeth Olsen).
The film begins with Ingrid (Plaza) spending time in a psychiatric facility, having been admitted for becoming something of an Instagram stalker. Upon being released, she becomes obsessed with Taylor and uses the inheritance money from her late mother in order to move to Los Angeles (arguably the Instagram influencer capitol of the world). In LA, Ingrid works on changing her appearance and personality so that she may become more like Taylor, in a bid to befriend her.
Ingrid Goes West boasts a compelling plot, some lovely visuals, and an interesting soundtrack (they had me at the cover of Rip it Up by Orange Juice).
Taylor flaunts a ‘perfect’ life on Instagram; she has a wonderful husband, a wonderful dog, a wonderful house. She enjoys eating out and reading good books. She is who everybody wishes they were. Ingrid Goes West highlights the reality behind these social media personas. We show the world what we want them to see- the delicious meal we just ate, the great day out we had with friends, the lovely weather, etc etc etc. We look at these Instagram posts with envy, and yet deep down we know that no life can really be that perfect all the time.
Ingrid Goes West makes you think, and perhaps re-evaluate, how you use social media. I tend to roll my eyes at articles and books that talk about being addicted to social media. I rarely post on Instagram (I used to post a lot more when I was younger but found it quite detrimental to one’s self-esteem), and try to avoid ‘Instagram influencers’. And yet I watch YouTube often and expose myself to video upon video detailing people’s gorgeous bedrooms or enviable study habits or wonderful fashion sense. In Ingrid Goes West, both Taylor and Ingrid are obsessed with their social media presence. To a lesser extent, many of us are too.
I am in the belief that if you use social media then you should watch Ingrid Goes West. You might find yourself changing some of your social media habits.
Pumpkin Films 