It’s not uncommon for movies to cover subjects such as physical abuse in relationships, but seeing films cover psychological and emotional abuse is a little rarer. In her feature film debut, Mary Nighy (daughter of Bill Nighy) looks into the effects of such abuse in Alice, who’s in a relationship with abusive partner Simon. At first, their relationship looks nothing but typical, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, as the movie progresses, it’s easy to pick up on signs that something is not right. And as Alice and her two friends Tess and Sophie go out for a girls trip, all signs point to something being off about Alice and Simons relationship.
Alice, Darling handles its subject matter with such care, displaying the anxiety that comes as a result of her abusive relationship. The hair twirling, the pulling, and the constant checking of her phone hone the audience into the anxiety that Alice faces because of the abuse. They’re so subtle yet effective in displaying her mental state throughout the film, something that Anna Kendrick portrays perfectly. And, this film would be nothing without its standout performance from Anna Kendrick. An actress who’s been in the business for years, she continues to give amazing performance after amazing performance, and her role as Alice might possibly be her best yet. The nuance she applies to her performance, the layers she applies that allows the audience to understand Alice’s situation and character work flawlessly.
Another one of the strong aspects displayed throughout the film is the relationship between Alice and her other two friends, Tess and Sophie. The display of strong female friendship and bond between women is so beautifully shown here. Their relationship is shown as complex, yet it’s clear that they deeply care about her and show much concern for her wellbeing. Even though they have their arguments and disagreements, at the end of the day it is very clear that Sophie and Tess have Alice’s back. This is most clearly displayed at the very end of the film, the way the two friends support Alice and are defensive of Simon once they discover the truth displays the depth of female friendships. Though it would’ve been nice to have the two friends a little more fleshed out, their relationship with Alice is so integral to how the story plays out that it’s a little detail to overlook.
Even though the film has its shortcomings, it is a little slow and something holds it back from being an amazing film, the outstanding performances and strong writing are enough to overlook the small flaws one might have with the movie. It’s a film that will hit close to home for a lot of women, especially for women who’ve been in similar situations before but it tells an important story about abuse that some may find hard to spot; one that does not leave physical scars, but mental and emotional ones instead.
SCORE: 8/10
Awards Prospects: None
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Information
Director: Mary NIghy
Writer: Alanna Francis
DP: Mike McLaughlin
Composer: Owen Pallett
Length: 89 minutes
Distributor: Lionsgate
Release Date: Unknown
First Take Cinema