A great horror satire that nails the world of beauty pyramid schemes, Kassy Gascho’s #BOSSBABE ventures into the absurd. Her film is rife with talent that we should see more of down the line if the promise of this fun short is met.
Desperate to climb the ranks of Bevlon, a #girlboss pyramid scheme, Sofi throws a recruitment party for a few girlfriends. When one of her guests suddenly drops dead, Sofi and her friends must decide what matters more-their friendship or their downline.
We all see the posts on social media of influencers promoting the latest beauty brand, or even the woman at the end of the street that has an Avon or Scentsy account so that they can earn that little bit extra each month. What gets forgotten about, though, is how they are recruited and the pressure that is involved from top to bottom.
Kassy Gascho wastes no time in #BOSSBABE to inform us what kind of film she throws our way. We are seemingly thrown into a different time period with recordings and VHSs getting shipped off to new recruits. It is all very light in presentation, but you sense not everything is as it should be. There is an undercurrent of strain with all of the characters at all times. Be it Sofi getting more irked at hearing about Levi’s downline or Dani feeling the intense sales pitch that is being forced upon her. This is a tension that only escalates to dramatic proportions by the finale.
The entire cast nails the stereotypical feel of young women faking it until they make it. The forced smiles are sometimes painful to watch as you see the desperation in their eyes first to get Dani on board and then to figure out how they can turn tragedy into money. These cringe-inducing moments get topped off with little lines here and there, such as Sofi querying that if a fellow seller was missing, what would happen to their downline?
You find yourself cackling at these little moments in #BOSSBABE as you have seen them many times before. Be it on social media or reality TV; some people are just out to get one up on or beat those around them. Competition never ends, and none of these young women are fully prepared to let reality take control, and even when they do, it doesn’t last for long.
Daft throughout, #BOSSBABE takes its fun premise and fully runs with it. Over the top, in fact, unapologetically so, you can’t help but like short films like this.
★★★ 1/2
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal from July 20th through August 9th.
For more of our coverage of Fantasia 2023, please see below:
Transylvanie (Short)
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