Sissy

There was no shortage of excellent Australian films released this year. If 2021 was a particularly great year for documentaries (which accounted for half of my Top 10, including three of the top five), 2022 boasts a more particular highlight: films about rivers. By coincidence, three of the titles below contemplate rivers historically, ecologically and spiritually.But it’s not all beautiful streams of flowing water – there’s also witches, criminals and the scum of the universe (social media influencers). As usual, films…

Australia has made a name for itself in horror for its suitably outlandish and bloody tales, often cementing themselves in the nation’s very real isolation from the rest of the world. There have been several big hits from the antipodean cinema with the likes of Wolf Creek and Wyrmwood, but a new satirical horror film Sissy is currently feasting as the world turns its eyes to the smart slasher flick. The Shudder original had screenings at both SXSW and the Sydney Film Festival but is now a streaming hit. If you’ve ever…

Sissy, a very sassy and diabolically entertaining new Australian horror movie from director-writing team Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes, puts in its satirical crosshairs two things once believed to be good for humankind, but now widely regarded as evidence of our continued descent into self-inflicted destruction: social media and the wellness industry.Cecilia, AKA Sissy (Aisha Dee), is an influencer and self-professed “mental health advocate” desperate to keep the likes and engagements coming. The film’s sardonic commentary…

‘Hey there! How are you!” hollers Sissy Spacek, as if she has just come across an old friend in the shopping mall. We’ve never met; I’m half an hour late for our video meeting and in a cold sweat. She is totally chilled and chuckles kindly at my incompetence.Spacek has been one of my favourite actors for half a century. From the off, she starred in a series of fabulous films made by great directors: as 15-year-old Holly, who goes on a killing spree with her boyfriend in Terrence Malick’s brilliant debut Badlands; as the…