CUFF 2026: Thanks for Nothing offers a dark look at the fragility of mental health
By Leigh Patrick, May 21 2026—
Editor’s Note: This review contains mentions of suicide and mental health struggles.
Stella Marie Markert’s debut feature film, Thanks for Nothing (Danke für Nichts), a love letter to girlhood, friendship and the intensity of growing up, made its Alberta premiere at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) on April 19.
A dark comedy highlighting the fragility of mental health and a broken welfare system, Thanks for Nothing feels like a patchwork of beloved movies such as The Virgin Suicides, Girl, Interrupted and Thirteen.
Markert tells the story of four girls on the brink of adulthood: Ricky (Safinaz Sattar), Katharina (Lea Drinda), Victoria (Sonja Weißer) and Malou (Zoe Stein). When Katharina tries to take her own life again, the other three band together to hide the attempt from the authorities, while offering her the support she needs. Within their apartment walls, the girls create an anarchic society, playing at being adults while navigating the emotional volatility of teenagers.
Katharina, who has always had “romantic notions” about death and a deep-seated hatred for adults, has set herself a deadline; she must kill herself before she turns 18. Her only solace is her best friends, whose lives are growing increasingly complicated. Ricky faces deportation while battling unrequited love. Malou’s inability to speak causes communication breakdowns with everyone she tries to meet. Victoria swings from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, turning on a dime. The four work with their corrupt social worker, Ballack, to prevent being split up and forced to grow up.
While the story feels eerily similar to an episode of Skins, the film’s attention to detail in its aesthetics is outstanding. Colour is used to typecast each character, summarizing each girl’s mental state. Katharina remains dressed in blue for most of the film and spends much of it in her blue room, while Victoria has a brightly coloured orange-and-red palette that shifts to stark white as she enters a depressive state.
Markert’s use of mirrors to visualize the depersonalization symptom of depression is well-suited, while the crosses on the wall provide a biting irony. In the context of the title Thanks for Nothing, these religious symbols underscore the hypocrisy of an authoritative structure that offers iconography instead of actual intervention.
The film could have leaned harder into the countdown aspect as time passes and visual nods to the time passing appear, but the idea of a deadline gets muddied by the constant shifting of the girls’ storylines. Though it is stylistically beautiful, content-wise it feels like an homage to other movies that explore the same delicate topics, using dark humour to navigate difficult emotions.
While not entirely original, Markert’s debut is a hauntingly vivid addition to the canon of coming-of-age cinema. The film is a standout selection at this year’s CUFF, which continues its run at the Globe Cinema downtown until April 26. For tickets and information, check out the CUFF website.