Director: Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt

Cast: Lea Mathilde Skar-Myren, Ane Dahl Torp, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth

The Ugly Stepsister is a 2025 Scandinavian dark-comedy horror film directed by Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt, a biting reimagining of the Cinderella fairy tale told from the perspective of the girl who never wins — where obsession with beauty turns grotesque and society's impossible standards are taken to their most extreme, literal conclusion.

What is The Ugly Stepsister about?

Elvira lives in the shadow of her radiant stepsister, trapped in a world where a woman's entire worth is measured by her physical appearance. When a royal ball promises the chance to win a prince's heart, Elvira refuses to accept her role as the one left behind. Driven by desperation and a hunger for acceptance she has never known, she begins making choices that grow increasingly drastic — each one a darker reflection of the pressures placed on women to conform, compete, and contort themselves into an ideal that shifts just out of reach. The story unfolds as social satire wrapped inside a horror frame, escalating from uncomfortable to genuinely disturbing as Elvira crosses lines she cannot uncross.

Cast & crew

Director Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt makes a striking feature debut with this project, drawing strong performances from her ensemble. Lea Mathilde Skar-Myren anchors the film as Elvira with raw vulnerability and dark humor. Ane Dahl Torp and Thea Sofie Loch Næss provide formidable supporting work, while Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, Malte Gårdinger, Ralph Carlsson, and Cecilia Forss round out a committed cast.

Context & significance

For Persian-speaking and diaspora viewers, The Ugly Stepsister lands with particular resonance — its central preoccupation with beauty as social currency, and the violence women do to themselves to meet those standards, echoes conversations deeply familiar across Iranian and Middle Eastern cultures. The film arrives from a Nordic co-production spanning Denmark, Norway, Poland, and Sweden, bringing a bold feminist horror sensibility rarely seen in fairy-tale retellings. It is available on K-Time with a full Persian dub, making it fully accessible without needing to read subtitles. Fans of genre-bending cinema that uses horror to expose real social pain will find this a rewarding and unsettling watch.

Where & how to watch

The Ugly Stepsister is available on K-Time with both Persian dub and Persian subtitles. Stream it on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start watching today and cancel anytime.