So I recently watched the new 2025 Norwegian film called “The Ugly Stepsister”, and I can honestly say - I loved it. It’s one of the best fairy tale reimaginings I’ve seen in years. I’d even put it right up there with Maleficent (2014), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Into the Woods (2014).
What surprises me is that while everyone’s busy dragging the new Snow White (2025) remake for being a total flop, barely anyone is talking about “The Ugly Stepsister” (2025). That kind of sucks because this movie has something to say. So here I am, writing about it because I think it deserves way more attention.
Why This Film Hit Me Personally
Right from the title, you can probably guess this isn’t the usual Cinderella story. This time, it’s not told from Cinderella’s point of view. Instead, it follows one of the stepsisters, which is a fresh take. And honestly? I love that. Growing up, I was always a little annoyed at how this particular fairy tale just made the stepsisters and their mom look like flat-out evil people. Like, we never got their side of the story. What made them act that way? Were they always like this?
I also hated how the stepsisters were drawn in the old Disney animated movie - weird, rude, and basically jokes. It sent this awful message: if a girl isn’t “pretty,” then she must be mean or cruel. Even worse, I remember boys calling me things like “Cinderella’s stepsister” just because I didn’t fit the beauty standard. That kind of stuff sticks with you.
Later, I learned about the Brothers Grimm version of the story (called "Aschenputtel") where the stepsisters cut off their toes and heels to fit into the slipper. That’s when I realized maybe they were victims, too pressured by the same system that lifted Cinderella.
Finally, The Stepsisters Get Their Story
In “The Ugly Stepsister” (2025), directed and written by Emilie Blichfeldt, we finally get a version of the story that feels raw, real, and painfully honest. It leans into body horror - and yeah, it’s intense like an amazing “The Substance” (2024) movie - but that’s what makes such movies so powerful. You see the cost of trying to meet impossible beauty standards, and it hits hard.
The film also looks incredible. The costumes, the era, the setup, the cinematography - everything is beautifully done. The cast is also really solid. So let me break it down for you.
[Spoiler warning: If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you might want to stop reading here. I’ll be talking about a lot of the plot.]
Meet the Main Characters
The movie starts with two sisters, Elvira and Alma, and their mother, Rebekka. They’re heading to a kingdom called Swedlandia. Elvira is dreamy and romantic, reading poems by Prince Julian, hoping she might marry him one day.
When they arrive, they’re greeted by an older man named Otto and his beautiful daughter Agnes, who is from his first marriage. Agnes’s birth mother has passed away.
Rebekka marries Otto, hoping to gain wealth and status. But then Otto dies on their wedding night, and surprise - he was broke. He married Rebekka for her money.
Beauty, Pressure, and Pain
Now broke herself, Rebekka wants one of her daughters to marry rich. She picks Elvira because Alma is still too young. But she reminds Elvira that people don’t think she’s beautiful - and that she probably has no chance with the prince. [I know, that's harsh.]
Soon, they get invited to the royal ball. To “fix” Elvira, Rebekka puts her through painful beauty treatments - kind of like DIY plastic surgery. There’s a horrifying scene where the surgeon uses a chisel and a mallet to reshape her nose. Due to this, Elvira is made to wear a metal snout and wait for her nose to get to "proper shape".
She also starts taking lessons to become more “ladylike” and learns how to present herself to men like Prince Julian. [That already sounds rough, but it gets worse.]
Her dance teacher, Madame Vanja, is cruel and constantly insults her. Elvira starts to resent Agnes, who seems to be effortlessly beautiful and talented.
At home, Elvira is barely fed, so she can lose weight. When Agnes questions Rebekka about spending money on surgeries instead of Otto’s funeral, Rebekka smugly tells Agnes that everything doesn’t need money and that she is giving Agnes’ old clothes to Alma and Elvira, which she doesn’t wear anyway.
The Tapeworm Egg
In a heartbreaking scene, Elvira talks to another teacher, Madame Sophie, and tells how she feels about her body. Madame Sophie gives her a tapeworm egg, which she can swallow to lose weight. That way, she can eat whatever she wants, and the tapeworm will eat the food instead of her body storing it. And once she gets thin and beautiful, she can take the antidote. She tells about this to her sister when they are alone in the woods.
Her sister warns Elvira about the dangers it can have on her body. [I loved Alma in this movie - she’s the only one who truly cares.]
Elvira doesn’t listen to her, and so Alma leaves her alone in the woods. Here, Elvira has an awkward run-in with Prince Julian while he’s peeing. [Yeah, not a great first impression.]
He and his friends say awful things about women, calling them “virgins” and “w****s.” One even asks if the Prince would sleep with Elvira, and the Prince says, “I don’t want to f*** that.” [This has to be the most shallowest Prince I have ever seen! But gotta say, this is a more realistic portrayal than the age-old fake romanticized portrayal of “Prince Charming” shown to girls.]
Elvira is stung by his words, but still keeps dreaming about him, which just shows how desperate she is for validation and a change to her present situation. [And honestly, what else could a girl do in a time like that - when women were told that looks were all that mattered and their whole future depended on who they married?]
When Cinderella Gets Her Name
That night, Elvira catches Agnes having anal sex with Isak, the stable boy. She tells Rebekka, who punishes Agnes by making her a servant. From then on, everyone calls her “Cinderella.”
Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
As the ball gets closer, Elvira goes through more horror - more surgeries, more starvation, more shame. Her hair starts falling out. The tapeworm is growing inside her.
Agnes tries to stay strong, even when she’s harassed by a creepy dressmaker during a dress fitting. The pervy guy gives Elvira a gown, but when he sees Agnes, he immediately starts making gross comments and inappropriate moves toward her. She spits at him and on the floor - disgusted. But instead of defending her, Rebekka tells Agnes to clean it up.
The dress fitting ended with the dressmaker giving Elvira a beautiful wig to cover her falling hair. This makes her happy and feels more confident.
But later that night, Elvira sees Agnes in a beautiful dress. She rips it to shreds out of jealousy.
There’s a haunting moment where Agnes cries over her father’s rotting body, and her dead mother’s spirit appears. She gives her magical shoes and a warning: be home by midnight.
It’s a nod to the popular fairy godmother scene from the fairy tale, but way darker. Even the silkworms on her father’s body help fix the dress.
That Ball Scene Was Something Else
At the ball, men stare at the girls like meat. They pass shallow comments about their looks and bodies. Elvira gets the most attention from all the men, including Prince Julian. She becomes his first choice for dance. [Gentle reminder: This was the same girl he said he wouldn't f***! Weird, right?]
But then a veiled Agnes enters the room, and suddenly all eyes are on her. The prince drops Elvira like she’s nothing and dances with Agnes. [RED FLAG! That felt real. That’s how fragile people’s love, praise, attraction, and admiration can be when it’s only based on looks.]
All this makes Elvira upset, and she escapes to another room, where she vomits up tapeworm eggs. Her mother still forces her to dance and engage with other men in the ballroom. Hungry and exhausted, Elvira continues dancing, and during it, she gets a glimpse of veiled Agnes.
The Shoe, The Cuts, The Regret
As midnight hits, Agnes runs off and loses a shoe. Back at home, things take a dark turn. Elvira knows the prince will go around trying the shoe on every girl in the kingdom to find his so-called “dream woman.” And she realizes this is her one last shot.
Instead of giving up, Elvira gets desperate. She grabs Agnes and beats her, forcing her to hand over the other slipper. [It’s hard to watch. All that pain, pressure, and hunger has pushed her to the edge.]
She tries to put the shoe on herself, but her foot’s too big. In a panic, she starts cutting off her toes to make it fit. [It’s bloody and awful.]
Rebekka and Alma find her. Rebekka says to Elvira that she cut the wrong toe as the Prince had the left shoe. Cold as ever, she sedates Elvira and finishes the job while Alma watches, horrified.
In the morning, a wounded Elvira hears the trumpets. Prince Julian has arrived. Elvira, now crawling and barely conscious, falls down a flight of stairs. She broke her nose and tooth, only to realize that it was too late. Agnes fits the shoe and leaves with the Prince. All of Elvira’s pain and sacrifice? For nothing…
One Final Break ~ and a New Start
In the final scenes, Alma helps Elvira take the antidote, and it makes her vomit up the giant tapeworm. It’s disgusting but kind of freeing. She and Alma decide to leave their toxic mom behind. Rebekka starts sleeping with a new man she met at the ball.
Alma gently helps Elvira onto a horse, and they ride away together. That moment gave me chills. It felt like hope… They finally left the place that saw them as a burden…
Why This Version of Cinderella Matters
The “Ugly Stepsister” (2025) is not your typical fairy tale. It’s messy, ugly, and raw - but in the best way. It shows the real damage of chasing beauty and the pain of never feeling good enough. The use of body horror makes it hit harder.
The characters - Elvira, Agnes, Rebekka, Prince Julian, and Alma - all feel human. They’re flawed and complicated.
If you’re tired of the same old pretty fairy tales and want something that makes you think, go watch this movie. Just don’t eat before watching. Bye!