The Ugly Stepsister

...provides sufficient blood and gore, with a dash of sex and nudity, to make it an appealing ticket...

Feverishly funny, gruesomely gross and unrelenting in its satirical critique of both beauty standards and the designation of a cinematic “protagonist,”...

This Scandinavian reconfiguring of “Cinderella” isn’t interested in reclaiming or rehabilitating this archetype. Instead, Blichfeldt just wants to recognize the character in all her humanity and hubris.

...it’s effective as a grotesque spectacle.

...strap in for a ride to the dark side as The Ugly Stepsister supplies laughter, loathing, and buckets of dirty water, hoping to wash away the bloodstains and pains needed to appear sensational at the ball.

Blichfeldt revels in the grotesque and gory, pushing things to their limit, with an unmistakable sense of glee.