The Rebrand – Movie Review (3/5)

THE REBRAND is a queer horror-comedy found footage mockumentary. It deals with cancel culture and influencers gone wild. It’s deliciously wacky and even quite scary at times. Read our full The Rebrand (2024) movie review here!

THE REBRAND is a new horror-comedy with queer main characters and lots of tongue-in-cheek dark comedy. Actually, it’s not so much about LGBTQ+ people but rather about the world of influencers and their risk of getting into trouble.

This is made as a found footage mockumentary, which gives it a nice twist. One that tends to make it feel more personal and downright terrifying at times. We follow the photographer from start to finish and she goes through quite an ordeal. Also, the runtime is just 78 minutes, which is good.

Continue reading our The Rebrand (2024) movie review below. It’s currently playing at film festivals worldwide.

A sick and wild power dynamic

In The Rebrand, we follow the two queer influencers trying to make a comeback after an unfortunate event that resulted in them being canceled. Of course, the recipe for a comeback is a documentary about their next step in life.

To help document this, we have the very pregnant videographer Nicole (Naomi Silver-Vézina), who is in dire need of making as much money as possible to keep her apartment.

She goes to their home, which is a cabin in the woods (yeah, I know!), to document the “redemption” of this lesbian influencer couple. Their names are Thistle (Nancy Webb) and Blaire (Andi E. McQueen), but they have an agenda that slowly starts rearing its sinister head.

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Nicole does her best to navigate the unsettling and very unhealthy dynamic between the two influencers. One is the psychotic content-queen Thistle (Nancy Webb) while the other is her codependent, heartthrob financée Blaire (Andi E McQueen).

Watching this story unfold really is like watching a trainwreck.

You can see the danger, but simply have to sit back and let it happen. Such is the nature of the “fly-on-the-wall” documentary style used to explore the toxic relationship and social media culture that comes crashing together in The Rebrand.

It’s funny to watch, but also gets extremely scary for our very pregnant videographer. Not least thanks to the opening and closing scenes that feature Tranna Wintour.

The horror of influencers and cancel culture

What happens to our two queer influencers in The Rebrand could easily be called cancel culture. Of course, whenever someone is the “victim” of cancel culture, it’s often due to their own poor choices or wrongful actions.

Also, most of those who are affected by cancel culture tend to come back on track again later. Especially men who have been affected by cancel culture. Not least due to the counterweight of those who are anti-woke and anti-cancel culture.

Never mind that the people who were canceled are usually responsible for it themselves. In The Rebrand, this is exactly the case. That’s why the story in this movie focuses on how them being canceled was indeed due to their own actions.

Including the very lackluster attempt at doing an apology video, which seems to dig them deeper into their cancelation. However, influencers who know how to work their base tend to find a way back.

Much like politicians, who also know how to talk to their fans or base in a way that resonates with them.

Watch The Rebrand (2024) when you get the chance

Director Kaye Adelaide is also the co-writer of the screenplay alongside one of its stars, Nancy Webb (“Thistle” in the movie). The two have created a wacky story that works remarkably well because it goes all-in on showing the dark side of the influencer world.

Produced by Mariel Sharp (True Sweetheart Films) without outside funding, this was made on a shoestring budget of around $5000. Created thanks to a team of three fantastic cast members and six crew members, The Rebrand is a true work of passion. And it comes across on the screen!

MORE FROM THE SAME PRODUCTION COMPANY

Check out the movie Bleed With Me from 2020 >

The Rebrand came fresh from its win as Best Feature at the Queer Fear Film Festival to Europe for the highly anticipated LUND Fantastic Film Festival. Kaye Adelaide’s unhinged mockumentary is the kind of movie you’ll definitely want to check out when you get the chance.

The Rebrand was screened at Lund Fantastic Film Festival on October 29, 2024.

Details

Director: Kaye Adelaide
Writers: Kaye Adelaide & Nancy Webb
Cast: Naomi Silver-Vézina, Nancy Webb, Andi E McQueen