Pretty Hurts And So Do I

starring: KIM SANDWICH & CAROLINE RICH

Bullied for being ugly, Mallory is hit by a bus, and the resulting surgery transforms how she looks. Rebranding herself as ‘Amanda’ she returns to school determined to get revenge on her bullies - Janis, Kenzie and Blair.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is how you do a YA revenge / bullying story. We are never shown too much of the nastiness. This is much more about how Mallory decides to get her revenge, and whether in single mindedly pursuing this she is in danger of becoming a mean girl herself

Its slick, it's sassy, it has something to say, the shots are thought through, there are clever moments like the short sharp zooms into the school, the music adds to the story, it looks gorgeous.

If this is the future of verticals I LIKE IT

@kimsandwichx is brilliant as Mallory, she has some awesome breaking the 4th wall moments, has to carry the whole thing, and keep us onside. She nails it. So good.

Which means she needs a good Nemesis which @carolinearich provides, whose entitled Blair rules the school with an iron fist

Love @karastobie is frankly terrifying as Kenzie, and @royalrcarter brings the humour as stroppy wannabe influencer Janis

And Shahadah Keyonna provides the much needed heart and moral compass as Gemma

(Thankfully @atwistofficial operate in the modern world so we have a diverse cast)

Some viewers may long for more romance, @jakernuttall l as Jackson doesn't have loads to do, but makes the most of his limited screen time

All in all it's so well put together, and has a satisfying end.

Good work team.

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

This is more about Amanda/Mallory vs Blair, but love interest Jackson comes through, and does say he is fed up of all the mean girl nonsense. Hurrah! He also wastes no time throwing Kenzie out the restaurant. Good work that man.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

I am actually more scared of Kenzie because she would END you. But Blair is the brains of the outfit. And I didn’t think she would break so quickly from her ‘new leaf’ and go for poor Gemma yet again.

😂 Comedy gold:

Oh the wonderful boy on the bleachers who whoops on his own at Amanda’s speech in the gym. Love him.

🎺 Unsung hero:

The colour yellow - never seen so much yellow on screen in a vertical before. Also the music which is superb, particularly liked the spaghetti western sound for the Amanda-Blair face off.

✍🏼 DETAILS

Director: Mike Hoy | 2026

Available on aTwist