WassupKaylee
2024 · 20m · France
Directed by Pepi Ginsberg
Genres: coming-of-age, drama, satire
Tones: darkly comic, tender, tense
A 17-year-old prank-video influencer moves into a social media content house and struggles to fit in — until an intense new friendship offers the chance of viral fame.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
The premise screams algorithm-bait until it doesn't—Ginsberg treats influencer culture with enough ambivalence that you're never sure if she's mocking it or mourning it, which is exactly the kind of productive tension most shorts bungle.
A assured formal control over tonal register: the film moves between mockumentary grotesquerie and genuine vulnerability without losing its shape, positioning itself in a lineage of satires that trust the audience's discomfort.
The alchemy is in how Ginsberg lets the camera linger on small moments of real connection between the girls while the rest of the world is performing—one unguarded glance does more work than any monologue could.
Reviews
It's simultaneously a tender coming-of-age story, tense near-tragedy and witty critique of viral video culture. Stylistically, it's the opposite of The Pass's quiet precision, embracing a more dynamic handheld camera, quicker cuts and lots of on-screen chat texts.
Festivals
- SXSW Film Festival 2025, World premiere
- Palm Springs ShortFest 2025, Selection
- Dokufest, Selection
- Vimeo Staff Picks 2026, Staff Pick Premiere