Ingrid Goes West Movie Review (2017)
A dark psychological comedy about a lonely woman who moves to Los Angeles to insert herself into the life of her Instagram obsession, Ingrid Goes West turns social-media stalking into a compelling and unsettling story of loneliness, validation, and the blurred line between following someone and actually knowing them.
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When you think about stalker films, most of them are creepy and heavily in someone’s space. In Fatal Attraction, Alex develops an obsession and gives in to her worst instincts (that poor bunny!), and in Disturbia, Kale has a growing sense of what he may have seen his neighbor do, but they aren’t all like that. In Back To The Future, Peeping Tom George is played off as innocent and sweet as he stares into Lorraine’s window from the tree, and in Misery, Annie just happens to be the one to save Paul before realizing who he is. But now, with the internet and everyone’s overinvolvement in sharing, social media has upped the potential.
Ingrid Goes West follows Ingrid, a twentysomething who recently had a major falling out with a friend that led to her spending time in a psychiatric institution. Once released and having lost her mother, she receives a large amount of money from her mother’s estate. Spending most of her time liking posts on Instagram, she discovers Taylor Sloane, an influencer living in Los Angeles. Knowing that she no longer has a comfortable social space in her current city, she moves to LA to try to become friends with Taylor.
As movies go, this one does an excellent job of keeping you both entertained and uncomfortable from beginning to end. The choices that Ingrid makes are only understandable because you are experiencing everything from her perspective, and you get it, but in a satirically disturbing way.
This is a hugely timely movie, what with the social media craze. Twenty years ago, knowing what someone ate for breakfast was fairly intimate, but now people get paid to share that information with you. We know where people shop for clothes and go on vacation without ever asking because that is the beauty and the curse of social media. And while it has become a huge part of our culture, it takes just one person to turn the tables.
Aubrey Plaza is incredibly compelling as Ingrid, a lonely and unhinged woman who wants attention. She’s magnetic in the role, and you continually wonder what she’ll do next because you kind of like her. You shouldn’t, but with Plaza at the helm, you can’t help it.
The rest of the ensemble is great, with Elizabeth Olsen, Wyatt Russell, and Billy Magnussen filling in major roles, but it is O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Dan – a genuinely lovable guy who is also Ingrid’s landlord – who brings a welcome sweetness to the story. Without Dan grounding the film, I’m not sure it would have played as well.
Ingrid Goes West is a topical film that demonstrates the absurd nature of social media and what can happen when a lonely, compulsive person uses it in unexpected ways. I have to mention that I am not a fan of the ending, but that’s probably because I was looking for something tidier and gentler. But that’s not what this movie is, and I completely understand why they didn’t go with my choice. Theirs definitely makes a larger statement.
Runtime: 97 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Available: Free on Netflix, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
