“Sweat” by Magnus von Horn: the loneliness of a fitness influencer followed by 600,000 fans

Silvia (Magdalena Koleśnik, whose first major film role, it’s 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 to make it as believable as possible: “When I chose Magdalena Koleśnik, she did not have an Instagram account. She trained in a gym for a year and spent a lot of time online to understand her character.me”.

Magnus von Horn says that he is fascinated by “Emotional exhibitionists… without a doubt because I am the complete opposite of them. In social networks I am a passive observer of those who talk about their day to day life and their feelings…”. So much so that to build the history of Sweatshirt, explains that he followed the account of an athlete and influencer who had 600,000 followers on Instagram: “I was wondering who this woman was, outside of the networks. I considered making a movie about her. I wrote to her, but she never replied to me.” However, opportunity will be on your side : “One day, a bodybuilder he was following filmed himself having lunch with other colleagues. Suddenly, in the back of the room, he saw the trainer he was previously following. When the bodybuilder challenged her and everyone at his table greeted her, she immediately straightened up and blew kisses at the camera. That’s how my character was born.”

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

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 that she shares in the networks “Thank you my loves, for today’s session.” A virtual world that occupies a prominent place in his life with followers who do not hesitate to approach him on 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 his big apartment where white dominates, Silvia he unwraps gifts from brands and never leaves his phone where he is constantly posting messages. Anchored in her time, she is an entrepreneur who inspires 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 he will meet his stalker. The director revealed that the Rysiek’s character he was “Inspired by Ricardo López, the man who harassed the 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 girl’s life upside down by handing her a mirror that overwhelms her. She measures the emptiness of her life and her relationships, feeling misunderstood, even in her family circle.

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

With this little discussed topic, Magnus von Horn shows how difficult it is for influencers to reconcile public and private life, especially when they believe they are being authentic.

Gender : Dramatic comedy
Director : Magnus von Horn
Actors : Magdalena Kolesnik, Aleksandra Konieczna, Zbigniew Zamachowski
Country : Poland
Duration : 1h47
Departure : 06-15-2022
Distributor : 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…