SISSY (2022)

Aisha Dee stars in the 2022 queer Australian horror film SISSY.

SISSY

2022. Australia.

 Director: Hannah Barlow & Kane Senes

Screenplay: Hannah Barlow & Kane Senes

 Starring: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha & Lucy Barrett

In SISSY, the title character Cecilia thrives off of the validation she receives as a social media influencer and hides behind the positive persona she has created to help others. Cecilia preaches self-love and care, though it is clear from the beginning she is using social media to escape her own personal demons.

While out shopping, Cecilia (Dee) bumps into Emma (Hannah Barlow), her childhood best friend that she hasn’t seen in years, and is invited to her very queer bachelorette weekend getaway at a cabin in the woods. When they arrive Cecilia’s childhood bully, Alex (Emily De Margheriti), is there. Both are triggered and forced to deal with their past. Unfortunately, Alex decides to keep bullying Cecilia and it’s not long before the social media influencer snaps.

When asked about the crafting of SISSY, writing/directing duo Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes spoke of revisiting horror films of the past for inspiration, especially films with cabin in the woods type settings. However, ultimately their two biggest influences were CARRIE (1976) and the Australian classic comedy MURIEL’S WEDDING (1994).

“If Muriel started seeking revenge on the high school bullies at the midpoint, we wouldn’t be able to make Sissy because it would have already been made.” Barlow stated to The Curb in 2022.

The bullying in Cecilia’s past makes her a semi-sympathetic character, much like Carrie and Muriel, so this separates her from the queer and queer-coded villains of cinematic history. She’s complicated. Additionally, because SISSY includes a number of other queer characters that are processing life’s ups and downs in a presumably healthy way, a balance also exists in the film’s representation of queerness.

You can find SISSY streaming on Shudder and AMC, for rent/purchase on AppleTV, and also available on DVD.