Alice, Darling (2022)
Alice, Darling is a poignant psychological drama about a woman played by Anna Kendrick who is stuck in a toxic relationship.
The film is the debut feature of British director Mary Nighy, who previously directed three episodes of the excellent British detective series Traces.
The screenplay for Alice, Darling was written by Alanna Francis, and seems to come from a place that feels very real.
Perhaps because this is not a standard story of a man who verbally abuses his wife or beats her up before returning to his best behavior.
Instead, Simon (Charlie Carrick, very convincing) has taken up permanent residence in Alice's head. He, the talented but insecure artist, constantly checks in on her, even when she is out to dinner with friends. He has also talked her into an inferiority complex. It’s a subtle form of emotional abuse, that not everyone will recognize as such.
However, this doesn’t mean that Alice is without her faults. When she wants to go away for a week with her two best friends, Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) and Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku), she knows that Simon won’t approve, so she lies that it's for work. During the trip, Alice feels cornered by her friends, who sense there is something going on with her, and lashes out at them.
As a result, Alice’s relationship with Tess and Sophie also threatens to become toxic. But eventually an intervention is staged.
Anyone who has ever experienced a toxic relationship up close will recognize a lot of what’s going on, both on and under the surface. Kendrick is excellent in the role of Alice, who has panic attacks and sometimes tries to rip out her hair out in fits of desperation.
The actress, who received an Oscar nomination for her work in the comedy-drama Up in the Air (2009) and then played many comedic roles, shows us that she is definitely ready for the more dramatic parts.
I think that when the movie premiered in Toronto last year, there was hope that Alice, Darling would become part of the Awards conversation, but I guess that didn’t happen, maybe because other female centered movies like Women Talking, Tár and (initially) She Said garnered more attention.
Alice, Darling is still an auspicious start to the feature film career of Mary Nighy, who in a clear case of ‘apples’ and ‘trees’ is indeed Bill Nighy’s daughter.
Perhaps they can make their next movie together?!
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