It felt like a matter of time before Instagram became the focal point of a contemporary drama – but it was hard to envisage a film quite so dark as Ingrid Goes West. And yet this never compromises the humour, making for a real treat – released in cinemas on November 17th. We had the pleasure of meeting the man behind it too, sitting down with director Matt Spicer.

We ask Spicer what it was about this particular project that made him certain he wanted to direct, and how much changed in the story over the course of production, such is the ever-changing landscape of social media. He also speaks about the title role of Ingrid (played by Aubrey Plaza) and how they went about ensuring we were always on her side, in what is a flawed, fragile character. Finally we ask if Scorsese’s The King of Comedy was an inspiration at all, and discuss this incident that occured on set, that left the director injured.

Watch the full interview below…

Synopsis

Following the death of her mother and a series of self-inflicted setbacks, young Ingrid Thorburn escapes a humdrum existence by moving out West to befriend her Instagram obsession, a Los Angeles socialite named Taylor Sloane. After a quick bond is forged between these unlikeliest of buddies, the facade begins to crack in both women’s lives — with comically malicious results.

Ingrid Goes West is released on November 17th, and you can read our review of the film here.