Sweat

Good movie, but at the end I had a perception of a good idea a little badly developed. Some points of this world of web celebrities could be better explored. However, the director was sutil and soft in certains points of views, as in the triviality of relationships, in the loneliness and in the corrosive relation with the protagonist's mother.

I liked the trailer. I have pretty good experience of being able to determine from the trailer whether a film is worth seeing. It didn't dissappoint. It's not usual to see Warsaw in a contemporary film - I've never been there, now I can imagine what it's like. The trailer portrays a beautiful young 'influencer' who is really lonely and sad and you go out of curiosity to see what this film has to say about social media and 'popularity' plus it is a colourful film filled with energetic music.

This is a European film as opposed to British or American. It has a clear narrative but allows time to show intimacy or lack of it in human relationships before grabbing you by the neck and hurtling you though a tonne of plot like Amazon or Netflix.

Apart from making me think about the world of social media and 'oversharing', I was intrigued by the relationhip between Sylwia and her family. The tough, critical catholic mother who provides no comfort in her time of need, who would have grown up in a totally differnt world to the one Sylwia is living in and therefore has no sympathy for her troubles. It is not just about not having a partner, there is no intimacy from her family and oddly, going against the grain of what you might think this film is going to be about, she gets that connection from her audience.

I think I have a problem with art movies, when I watch French movies, cannes choices or other festival films, I don't know what I say after finishing. For example in this movie, what was the main thing? I cannot decide, life of influencer? Beautiful girl with mother problems? Too much social media? I think after movie, yo have to watch online conversation with director and casting. It is really more enlightening than movie.

Raising but not wholly dealing with a range of issues, this could be a good film to discuss with a group of friends that have all seen it.

Over and above the brutal "fitness" regime, being an always-on Instagram influencer looks like *very* hard work, and this film (and the lead actor) illustrates that excellently, in my view. Where I'm less sure about it is in the handling of the various side-issues... for example her relationship with her mother and the mall conversation with the schoolfriend - the latter was quite affecting but then they seemed to just "move on". Also, I'm sure that someone that glamorous and high-profile would attract more than one stalker... and I'm unsure about the handling of her culpability in what happens to him.

Nevertheless, it was more interesting than I expected and had a nice circular arc between the opening and closing scenes. Worth a look.

Sweat: Sylwia (Magdalena Kolesnik) is a Fitness Trainer and Instagram Influencer. While she does suffer from the attention of a real life and online stalker/creep some of her colleagues aren't much better. Her family, in particular her mother, don't realise how real online harassment can become. The constant pressure of trying to smile all the time - a sponsor is concerned when Sylwia cries on a vid - takes it out of her. Even when going upstairs she posts selfie vids. Sylwia is not a victim though, neither is she a narcissist. A very human film with great performances from Magdalena and her dog, Jackson. Written & Directed by Magnus von Horn. 8/10.