MUBI released the trailer for the drama film Sweat, billed as “a shocking glimpse beneath the candy-colored surface of internet celebrity,” set to open in select theaters on June 18. The breakout second feature from writer-director Magnus von Horn, Sweat was an official selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. Told with the pulse-pounding intensity of a thriller, this riveting drama exposes the real-life repercussions of our digital culture.
Sweat is about three days in the life of Sylwia Zajac, a 30 year old fitness motivator living in Warsaw who has gained celebrity status due to her avid use of social media. She is self-made and hard working, on one hand keeping her own body in the best possible shape as well as inspiring thousands of others to do the same.
When an Instagram post where she confesses to feeling lonely goes viral, a stalker appears outside her apartment. Sylwia tries to ignore the stalker and stick to her busy schedule but when his attempts to contact her become more and more vulgar she finds it difficult to remain positive and smiling. At her mother’s birthday party she tries too hard to get attention and admiration from her family and ends up breaking down in tears. When the stalker returns to her street at night she gets a friend to beat him up. But his bloody and deformed face fills Sylwia with fear, never did she imagine that she could inspire such evil. She takes the stalker to the hospital in an attempt to make things right.
The next morning she has a live performance on Breakfast Television. To the last moment she doesn’t know what to expect from herself after the rough night. When the talk-show hosts start asking questions about her viral instagram post, Sylwia opens up and speaks from the heart. For a moment she knows exactly who she is and what’s important in life.
Sweat stars Magdalena Kolesnik, Julian Swiezewski, Aleksandra Konieczna and Zbigniew Zamachowski.
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