the loneliness of a fitness influencer followed by 600,000 fans

Sylvia (Magdalena Koleśnik, whose first major role in the cinema, is beautiful, energetic. She is the sports coach of the moment. Thanks to her 600,000 subscribers, the influencer is courted by brands. But behind the virtual success, the very real loneliness cannot be shared with anyone.

This sports coach character, the director wanted it as credible as possible: “When I chose Magdalena Koleśnik, she didn’t have an Instagram account. She trained in a gym for a year, and she spent a lot of time on the networks to understand her character.e”.

Magnus von Horn says he is fascinated by “emotional exhibitionists… no doubt because I am the opposite of them. On social networks, I am a passive observer of those who talk about their daily lives and their feelings…”. So much so that to construct the history of Sweatshirt, he explains that he followed the account of an athlete and influencer who had 600,000 followers on Instagram: “I wondered who this woman was, outside of the networks. I considered making a film about her. I wrote to her, but she never answered me”. Yet chance will be on his side : “One day, a bodybuilder I was following filmed himself having lunch with other colleagues. Suddenly, in the back of the room, he saw the coach I was following previously. When the bodybuilder challenged and everyone at her table waved to her, she immediately straightened up and blew kisses towards the camera. Thus was born my character”.

The film tells three days in the life of the influencer from Sylwia’s subjective point of view, her daily life, her banality. Three days that will transform her, connect her more to who she really is. “For Sweat, I wanted the camera to be always mobile. She is intimately connected with Sylwia. She follows her moods explains the director.

Sylwia’s world has two facets: on the one hand, her sports sessions where she is adored by her fans. Always in search of performance, she conveys the positive image of an inspiring young woman who shares on the networks “thank you my darlings, for today’s session”. A virtual world that occupies a prominent place in his life with followers who do not hesitate to approach him in the street to take a selfie and chat. During sports sessions with very colorful images, the camera quickly moves from one shot to another, revealing the intensity, even the euphoria of these collective practices.

Back in her big apartment where white dominates, sylvia unwraps gifts from brands and never leaves her phone on which she constantly posts messages. Anchored in her time, she is a businesswoman who serves as an inspiration to those who dream of her way of life. When Sylwia is at home, she is alone. Beside her, her dog is the center of all her attention.

It is during a walk with Jackson that she will meet her stalker. The director revealed that the character of Rysiek he was “inspired by Ricardo Lopez, the man who harassed singer Bjork. He recorded himself for hours, recounting his life and detailing how he planned to kill the singer”.

Rysiek films himself in intimate and pathetic scenes that he shares with the influencer. He exposes his life, his own loneliness, like Sylwia. The meeting with Rysiek turns the young woman’s life upside down by handing her a mirror that overwhelms her. She measures the emptiness of her life and her relationships, feeling misunderstood, including in her family circle.

The film ends with an awareness of its weaknesses and the limits of social networks.

With this seldom-discussed subject, Magnus von Horn shows how difficult it is for influencers to reconcile public and private life, especially when they think they are being authentic.

Gender : Drama
Director : Magnus von Horn
Actors : Magdalena Kolesnik, Aleksandra Konieczna, Zbigniew Zamachowski
Country : Poland
Duration : 1h47
Exit : 15-06-2022
Distributer : ARP Distribution

Synopsis : Sylwia is beautiful, athletic, energetic. She is the sports coach of the moment. With 600,000 subscribers, she is an influencer and courted by brands. But behind virtual success, loneliness, very real, don’t share with anyone…