The Ugly Stepsister is a darkly satirical, at times bloody/gut-wrenching, retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. The 2025 Norwegian film is a costume drama that is beautifully dressed with eye-catching set pieces and grand locations, though as it progresses, it dips into body horror and mutilation. The film has gained a lot of praise since its release, including an Oscar nomination- so fittingly, those masters of ultimate cinematic editions, Second Sight, have stepped in to release the film. 

The release comes in three different versions- stand-alone UHD or Blu-ray versions, or a limited boxed edition featuring a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Ann Bembi. A one hundred and twenty page book with Cinderella’s Stepsister by Emilie Blichfeldt, storyboard comparisons and new essays by BJ Colangelo, Michelle Kisner, Kimberly Leszak, Jolene Marie Richardson, Katie Rife and Amber T. And six collectors' art cards. As we’ve come to expect from a Second Sight release, all three versions take in a great selection of on-disc extras- both new & archive.

The Ugly Stepsister (Den stygge stesøsteren ) was directed and written by the northern Norway-born Emilie Blichfeldt.  This is her debut feature, though she has five other shorts to her name, which include Smed ( 2013) a documentary regarding a blacksmith, and Sara's Intimate Confessions (2018), which once again tackles themes of femininity/social pressure.

The film has a runtime of one hour and forty-nine minutes, and to be honest, in places it feels its length and some. You see, first and foremost, this is elegantly presented period drama- yes, there are elements of horrific and grotesque, but really, these don’t fully appear/ sink in until much later in the film. Let's put my cards on the table- I'm not a fan of straight costume drama- so my criticisms on this side of things are purely personal.

The picture opens in one of its many fairy tale fantasy scenes, as our lead, Elvira(Lea Myren), daydreams of a handsome prince taking her in his arms, after she falls in the woods. She jolts back into reality, and she is hanging out the back of a crowded/ cluttered carriage.

Her destination is the grand house of her florid complexion and grey side burned step farther- she, her younger sister, and mother Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp) are moving in. From the off, it’s clear  Elvira is belittled by both her mother and stepfather, with only her blond-haired stepsister Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) initially attempting any form of kindness, though she still clearly looks down at her, as she is far from conventionally beautiful, being the ugly stepsister.

But the tide starts to shift for Elvira – firstly, her nasty stepfather dies, then a rider appears declaring that the nearby prince is having a grand ball- inviting all eligible young women to attend. Though with the death of her stepfather, the family are broke, so she must get the prince, or at least another rich man, to save the family.

Elvira's  Rebekka mother is somewhat of a mutilative bitch/ whose only interested in saving her own skin. So, she first takes her daughter to get a nose job, gets eyelashes sewn in, and attends a finishing school. And Elvira herself decides to swallow a tapeworm to reduce her weight.

As I mentioned, the first hour and a bit really plays much like a straight/ if slightly twisted costume drama- come fairy tale. It’s only the last thirty or so minutes that really pulled me, as we kick into the horror side of things, with a very brutal/winch-inducing solution to the classic Cinderella slipper situation, which will have your jaw well and truly dropping.

I certainly admire/respect what Ms Blichfeldt has done with The Ugly Stepsister. The cast is all very good, as is the period detail, and it's statically swipes at the lengths some women go to be ‘beautiful’. But I’m afraid for myself, it was just too weighted on the costume drama side of things to fully pull me in/engage me.

Moving onto the extras side of things, and as we’ve come to expect from Second Sight, we get a true bumper crop of things. First off, we have two new commentary tracks- one with director Emilie Blichfeldt and Filmmaker Patrik Syversen, and one with film journalist Meagan Navarro. I played the first of these, and it’s an interesting enough director's track. They begin by touching on the short film Emilie made as a test run for the feature. She talks about how she created her story by blending the different versions of the Cinderella story. They discuss the tone and style of the film's dream sequences, and how she wanted the whole thing to feel dangerous and unsafe. She chats about writing the film's script, and is unsure how it would turn out. Later on, they discuss the ball- how she wanted it to look Peter Greenaway-like, it took two days to shoot, etc. We find out the film had a twenty-eight-day shoot, and more.

Moving on to the rest of the extras, most of which are new/exclusive to this release, we have. This Is My Ball (34.29)  new interview with director Emilie Blichfeldt. Generational Trauma (19.08) interview with actor Lea Myren. Take Up Space ( 14.33) interview with actor Thea Sofie Loch Næss. Character and Gore ( 18.00) interview with effects artist Thomas Foldberg. The Beauty of Ugly (11.12) The Effects of The Ugly Stepsister. A Cinderella Story ( 18.02) Kat Hughes on The Ugly Stepsister. Deleted Scene (3.11) Short Films: How Do You Like My Hair? ( 10.48) and Sara’s Intimate Confessions ( 21.53).

If you have a penchant for darker-hued/ satirical takes on the costume drama form, or enjoy slower-burning body horror with an elegant presentation, then The Ugly Stepsister will appeal.