Sweat

Synopsis

Life for fitness guru Sylwia is non-stop. The division between professional and personal is one that she can little afford. After all, as an influencer, her followers demand to know about every moment of her existence. But though she has a huge following, Sylwia appears to have no one close to her, a fact made clear in a teary online confession about being single. Coming so close to a major national TV appearance, could this revelation threaten her profile? Or is it in fact just another stunt by someone who recognises that bad publicity is an oxymoron in our mediated age? Van Horn’s glacial, distanced camera captures Sylwia’s world of neon and spandex to chilling effect. But as the film progresses, the filmmaker questions any easy judgement about Sylwia’s profession and life choices. The resulting film is one of the first to fully engage with the Insta-age in a meaningful way and asks an age-old question question: what price fame?