The wine incident is just the first of many stunts both Thomas and Signe will pull to draw attention from one another: exaggerating one’s role in an emergency, a faked allergy, an exhibition of repurposed stolen art, a self-aggrandizing magazine interview, developing an addiction to a Russian drug that causes a devastating skin condition, other health problems, an ill-fated modeling stint. The one-upmanship spirals quickly out of control, but remorse is in short supply. Borgli’s screenplay is about a tale of two narcissists: stylish but hollow, beautiful but grotesque up close. We follow Signe’s journey more than Thomas, and in her head, any setback or opportunity almost immediately leads to illusions of grandeur. It’s a bleak preview of a dark headspace that always sees herself as the victim or hero and everyone else as her adoring public.
In addition to the couple’s hijinks, Borgli’s movie satirizes the modern-day selfie-driven quest for viral fame and fortune. Every awful thing done for attention becomes an opportunity to capitalize on what happens. Like the addiction she develops, a product of her insatiable lust for attention, Signe can’t or won’t stop herself from self-destruction, careening off the rails at full speed. However, this movie’s dark humor is itself a litmus test. Do you laugh when a person in the wrong meets the consequences of their actions? Or do you find their story tragic? Is it funny to watch a couple treat each other so poorly, or is that just part of the punchline? How viewers feel about these mean-spirited antics may affect whether they enjoy the film and Borgli’s sense of humor.
Thankfully for Borgli, his star Kujath Thorp is entirely in on the jokes and looks to revel in Signe’s brand of chaos. It’s permission to misbehave. Signe interrupts a conversation and asks why it’s not about her; she will act hurt for sympathy and lie so many times she loses track. Even behind layers of a prosthesis, Kujath Thorp keeps up some veneer of cool girl detachment while her character is committed to acting out in the worst way possible. She pushes the movie’s edgy humor through her galactic level of self-absorption. “Sick of Myself” works as well as it does due to Kujath Thorp’s charismatic performance.