“The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia” - A Sunshiny YouTuber Noir
The more desperate a person gets, the faster their lives seem to unravel. All it takes is one seemingly small stumble before the entire world comes tumbling down. The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia puts the audience in the shoes of a woman who’s in the middle of making that one mistake that will send her down a path she may very well never recover from. Despite its limited budget, director/co-writer Chris Beier has created a sunshine noir that delivers on the thrills it promises.
Seemingly in a different lifetime, Cecilia (Jo Schaeffer) was a big-time YouTube star. She was on large stages at YouTube conventions, making a living, and feeling on top of the world. Now she’s delivering packages for an Amazon-like company while trying to recapture her fifteen minutes of fame. Cecilia has debts she can’t pay and, in a moment of utter desperation, decides to blackmail a local drug dealer (Sam Stinson). As one might imagine, this plan backfires and Cecilia finds herself answering to drug dealers far more powerful and unrelenting.
WetDenim Productions
It’s no surprise that the world of YouTube personalities makes a great foundation for a crime thriller. Internet fame is fleeting for most, and there’s no surefire way to hold onto it. Tastes change quickly and those who aren’t dexterous enough to keep up will fall by the wayside. The cult of personality that must exist to begin a career in the field in the first place is compelling, but we rarely see this end of the spectrum, where an individual is frantic to hold onto something that was never intended to last. Cecilia is a mesmerizing character in the sense that we are able to see what she once had. Its absence packs a far heftier punch and explains why she’s so ready and willing to be reckless. Part of gaining YouTube fame is a willingness to do anything for the sake of the story that can be your next video. While it doesn’t seem like Cecilia’s brand of YouTube was of the “Storytime” variety, it’s not a stretch to assume that she’ll do whatever it takes to make fame last even a second longer.
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia is a sunshiny noir where no one is able to hide in the shadows. The film takes place in the bordertown of Laredo, Texas, and really revels in the big, open spaces the state has to offer. While drone shots can feel gimmicky in a lot of indie films, the overhead shot is used to powerful effect in this film. We get a bird’s-eye view in some of Cecilia’s most stressful moments, when she’s crossing large swaths of landscape in dangerous situations as she pursues that ever-elusive bundle of money that will solve all of her problems. This gives the audience the true sensation of how desperate, lonely, and audacious Cecilia’s willing to be, even if we can see the threat peeking out from the corner of the screen.
WetDenim Productions
The final scene of The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia is a powerful moment for Cecilia the character and for the audience, who has spent the last 80 minutes tagging along on her journey. Without spoiling it, the scene provides the heartbreaking realization that, after all this, after all she risked and went through, it still wasn’t enough. Money was only part of the problem, and now that she’s taken that stressor out of her life, she has to face the fact that she doesn’t believe in herself. Without belief, she can have all the money in the world and still not be happy. The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia is a cautionary tale of sorts, one whose ending keeps the heart racing.
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