LADY LOW-KEY

No smartphone, no social media, no internet: 20-year-old Fily, a native of Vienna, has turned her back on the digital world and on wider society. As the oldest daughter of a politician who is currently running for mayor, Fily discovered the perils of unwanted attention at a young age. Now she has avoided the public sphere for years, getting by on various low-paying jobs and withdrawing into her little apartment, which is located in a comdemned building.

Fily fights the attempts to get her to move out, but when the power and phone lines are cut, her fury about the injustice of the modern world knows no bounds. Armed only with some chalk, she ventures forth to leave messages about inflation, the housing market and social inequality on buildings, pavements and streets. Some she signs with the name of her alter-ego: Lady Low-Key.

She doesn't know it, but her writings soon go viral online. When passersby stop Fily to talk to her, she realises just how much reach a particularl channel, @lady_lowkey, has garnered. Somebody is using her name to spread her messages across the internet, and traditional media outlets have begun to take note.

Before long, Fily's greatest fear becomes a reality when somebody publishes a photo of her online. She escapes to the countryside to stay with her grandmother, but it is only a brief respite. The account bearing her name begins posting polarising and offensive messages, and Fily returns to Vienna to do battle with the powerful digital opponent.

The tension on Vienna's streets is palpable. @lady_lowkey is feeding off the anger, taking increasingly extreme political positions and inciting disagreements and abuse. The account proves incredibly effective at channeling the anger of the voters and political parties soon attempt to harness it for their own purposes. Fily's mother, a successful conservative politician facing serious accusations of corruption, is able to benefit from these developments. Polling soon reveals her popularity is rocketing. Fily distrusts her mother and is certain that it is her party that is feeding the @lady_lowkey account in order to manipulate the upcoming elections.

Fily joins forces with a former classmate to find out who is behind the account. Why have they chosen to use her identity? And what do they hope to achieve? The friends' research takes them deep into the dark pit of modern-day social media.

When violence breaks out in her name, Fily is forced to face up to her biggest fear and go public. Her efforts to stem the violence fail, and she is forced to accept that there is no way to reclaim her name or her narrative. However, the disruption and turmoil unexpectedly leads to a tentative reconciliation between her and her family.

**An Interspot Film Production. Script development funded by the Austrian Film Institute. **