Insectasy is screening as part of the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival.
In Angus Silver’s Insectasy, we have Sadie (Tirion Healy). Sadie is a receptionist at a doctor’s office, where she daydreams listlessly. In the evening, she meets up with a group of friends, where she is the only single person. She zones out, not interested in their conversations. The only thing that animates her, seemingly, are erotic audiotapes which she listens to while being intimate, alone in her bedroom. Alone, save for some creepy crawlies whose movements on her skin stimulate her. In short, she has an insect fetish.
Aside from its central premise being less provocative than the film might think it is, Insectasy operates on a peculiar energy that is inviting even as its characters are off-putting. Sadie’s friend group are so absorbed in their romantic lives that they barely pay attention to her; nor her them, as their relationships are pitifully banal. The cute guy that Sadie eyes at work (Emmett Roiko) turns out to be a complete empty vessel, barely able to hold a conversation, let alone listen to Sadie and respond appropriately. Her most curious encounter is with the pet store clerk who drinks on the job and proclaims that all men are perverts (and that women are incapable of perversion). It is fitting that talking with this woman, Honey (Lyndall Huber), is the interpersonal interaction that makes Sadie feel the most alive, as the pet store is akin to an adult toy store for Sadie.
There is a motif of perversity in the film, but it is only explored long enough for Sadie to feel some amount of shame regarding her kink. Characters mention in passing ideas related to the desensitization of sexual fetishes, and that following them requires the person to more deeply explore non-normative sexual modes. One character offers to provide Sadie this in the form of “exotic specimens.” It is all a bit silly, in presentation if not in concept. The film treats sexuality like the subject of offbeat comedy, for the most part. At one point, a character describes what he wants to do with Sadie sexually, and it is one long punchline. At the same time, the film initially treats Sadie’s sexuality seriously. She is a confused, somewhat aimless character who is most expressive when she is alone and comfortable pleasing herself. Outside of her bedroom, though, the film’s tone interprets sex like it is cringe comedy.
Using sex as fodder for comedy is not a bad thing (although I frequently find attempts at doing so to be superficial and uninspired—here, at least, there is an unusual hook to hang the jokes on). However, the film is laying track for Sadie to have a meaningful arc when it comes to her sexuality. By the end of the film, she has seemingly changed her mentality regarding her “perversion.” This change isn’t really earned, because most of the content regarding sexuality is treated as unserious. If the film wants us to take Sadie’s sexual preferences seriously, then the film has to take them seriously first. The film doesn’t fully commit to that project. It wants to provoke, without having much of interest to say about sex.
IMDb and TMDB both label the film a “Drama,” so there is the possibility that I have completely misread the tone. But it felt like the film was fighting me when I took the character’s kink seriously and tried to incorporate it into my understanding of the character’s psychology.
More broadly, Silver’s focus is unclear. Sex and relationships are the topic, but what the script has to say about them are scattered. Sadie’s friend Genevieve (Kelsey Thompson) spirals through fringe conspiracy theories as a result of a breakup. Honey has broad pronouncements about how men view women, but her bold statements are contradicted by later actions (which, again, treat sex like a punchline). At one point, Sadie initiates a heist against another pet shop clerk, stealing a rare insect egg sac. In the end, Sadie performs a remarkable evolution that is informed more by fantasy imagery than anything else; the narrative doesn’t pose concrete reasons for why her character would change.
Aside from indulging in a quirky logline (she does WHAT with WHAT!? She puts THAT THERE?!), Insectasy is a mood piece desperately searching for deeper meaning. I couldn’t find it, and I watched it all the way to the “shocking” final image (which, incidentally, is also a punchline at the expense of Sadie’s character).
Insectasy: C+
As always, thanks for reading!
—Alex Brannan (Letterboxd)
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