Ingrid Goes West
Aubrey Plaza’s reign as Hollywood’s queen of surliness continues. 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 (Elizabeth Olsen). 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. Ingrid Goes West doesn’t give its protagonist much depth beyond “Instagram lunatic,” and this grave mishandling of her mental health is its fatal flaw.
by Ciara Dolan