Frustrated with social media wellness trends that lack results, Deni orders the Butter Knife: a literal knife to carve out the body - and life - she wants to have.
Deni is in a lot of pain - physically she's recovering from a crash she was in weeks before, but emotionally she's reeling from the death of her mother to cancer two years ago. A social media obsessor, she has been trying her ideal lifestyle and happiness to her health/weight, and orders the Butter Knife as the next effort to finally get the wellness that she wants. When the box arrives, Deni opens it to find the Butter Knife is a literal knife. She calls customer service who make her seem like the crazy one for being weirded out. Her sister, Nicole, criticizes her for relying on wellness trends instead of actual medical advice.
Deni compares herself to her favorite influencer, Gina, who also lost her mom to cancer years before.
Tossing the box out, she resumes her IG and TikTok scrolling wellness obsession - moving on to other fads: Health Teas, Cleanses, Pills, Meditation, Crystals, etc... the results are vomiting, diarrhea, pain, sleepless nights, and embarrassment - but no weight loss, no better sense of self or happiness.
Fishing the Butter Knife box out from the trash and following the package and tutorial, Deni begins to literally carve out pounds of flesh from her body. It is gruesome, bloody, and damaging. The end result is objectively horrifying - but to Deni, the results are perfect. In the final moments, we discover that Deni and Gina are one.
Kelly Nygaard began her directing career in the commercial world, creating spots for brands FIAT, Redvines, and The Donor Network. She found her strength in both emotional and comedic work - receiving recognition as an emerging director for Shoot Magazine’s Director Showcase for her short for Ad Council, and an Addy Award for her PSA for Stop the Bleed. Branching her commercial experience with her love for narrative work, Kelly has directed short films for Netflix and Comedy Central. Most recently, Kelly directed “Vasectopia” as part of the film Give Me An A - a fiery response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
