“Be the Boss Babe you’ve always wanted to be!” Hungry for power and acceptance within the Bevlon community, Sofi recruits more members into the pyramid scheme by throwing a killer recruitment party. However, when blood stains the fluffy pink carpet, Sofi has to choose between her friends or her downline. Kassy Gascho’s #BOSSBABE takes an absurd look into how capitalism weaponizes female friendships for capital gain. – Vincenzo Nappi
With what can only be described as an outlandish, avant-garde fever dream, Kassy Gascho’s #BOSSBABE is a film not for the faint of art. The purposefully tacky tale pulls no punches as it parodies the MLM industry and the women that fuel it; the self-made boss babes that keep their own schedules, work their own hours, set their own prices and definitely aren’t laying the brickwork for that perfect pyramid scheme.
The short is shamelessly over-acted, ardently over the top and purposefully campy, making it far more a dark comedy than a horror. Even though, the murder, malice, and evil intent of the characters do shine through, with the aforementioned themes being the cornerstone of the short. A lot of the dark humour will be wasted on those watching who have no personal history with MLMs and their shady practices, though I’m sure that most of the content can be understood through context.
#BOSSBABE does a lot right but is not going to be to the tastes of everyone. The acting is more theatrical than film, as are the set, props, makeup–pretty much the entire production feels more like something that was planned for a theatre stage than the silver screen. Still, this definitely adds a playful quality to the short, making it a fun and lighthearted romp with truly fashionable eyewear.
Did I enjoy the film? Yes, I genuinely had a lot of fun with it, though I do think this is because I dealt with family involved with MLM scams for years and got all of the inside jokes. It is very much flamboyant and maybe a bit much for some viewers. The film has already had its premiere at Fantasia Film Festival and will be doing its round through the festival circuit for the rest of 2023. Try and catch it at a local festival. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid.
