Commentaires des utilisateurs

As a woman in my mid twenties recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, this film was deeply uncomfortable it irritated me, pulled me in, and wouldn't let go until the end.

It captures emptiness and distorted perception with unsettling precision. I saw myself in it and that recognition brought a mix of satisfaction, fear, disgust, and acceptance.

It's a complex, haunting portrayal of despair and chaos within a wounded or unstable mind.

A brilliant work. I'll never watch it again.

I kid you not when I say this is a psychological horror film. No, seriously.. it is. I don't think many films capture the flip side of motherhood with intricate detail, but Mary Bronstein's second directorial effort definitely does. It's everything that could possibly go wrong when you're a working mother with a husband who works at sea (..means being away for a reasonable amount of time). To make matters worse, the aforementioned "working mother" is a therapist (..I will NEVER understand how therapists lead normal lives.. well, what is NORMAL anymore, anyway?). She has to deal with clingy patients, an occasionally stiff supervisor (who she takes therapy from), a sick child (her own), a missing mother (her patient), a large hole in her house, an annoying parking manager, etctera.. the list is overbearing, and unbelievable I might add.

Rose Byrne plays the protagonist Linda -- I don't have words. It's a knockout performance no doubt, and one that's going to fetch plenty of accolades. You know, the film is set in Montauk (a little beach time) and I'm someone who's fond of the beach milieu in storytelling. But goodness me, I wasn't prepared for what the beach would bring in this movie. It even ends with the noise of the high tide -- something I usually find calming (amidst the chaos of life), but after what I bore witness to for 1h 50m, I just couldn't listen to it anymore. It didn't give me PEACE.. it gave me a PUNCH in the GUT. Wow, what a time to be alive.. and to be a PARENT.

There are some really good supporting acts here too. Check out the cast for some (likely and) unlikely names. Mary Bronstein's film also adds a bit of magical realism, and it also cleverly keeps Linda's daughter's face out of focus even when she's a constant presence. One can also sense some allegorical perspectives, what with the mom who abandons her baby, almost immediately reflective of Linda's own dismantling inner psyche. Her mind's turbulent like the ocean outdoors, she's often labeled an incompetent mother (which all mothers obviously would hate), and there's no semblance of a pause in her life. That's what felt the most AFFECTING. There are writing issues, but Byrne killed it.. absolutely killed it.

I need to start a list of all the films that have cemented the fact I will never have children. 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' would go somewhere near the top. This movie was nightmare fuel.

This is one of those rare movies where there's no real plot or story, and yet you're still captivated by every moment. You need to know what will happen next. And it feels like anything could happen next, which is great feeling.

The final sequence was an interesting one and something I had to do some reading about to fully get my head around. I liked it but it wasn't quite the knockout blow I was hoping the movie would end with.

This is exactly the kind of movie where a Q&A with the director afterwards at Fantastic Fest would be a treat. To get their first hand interpretations on what certain things meant would be priceless.

Overall though I really enjoyed 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'. It was unique and it gives you a lot to think about. Throw in some great performances and you have a pretty engrossing couple of hours. 7/10.

Damn. A mother whose daughter has some mysterious illness when her husband is not present and her home gets a big hole in her ceiling. That's the plot of this movie where a mother has to live her life and balance between being a professional therapist while she does her own therapy.

A downpour of troubles falls on her when we get to see her life. She has to be a mother, stay in a not-so-nice hotel, with troubling neighbor, her own patient having panic episodes and what not.

The entire movie is kind of a horror in its own way. How a simple mother facing all this on a day to day basis and needs to cope up. She is at the brink of explosion mentally.

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" hits brutally hard if you grow up in a dysfunctional family, live with a silent chronic illness, or know the desperation of needing help that simply never arrives.

You keep moving through life with a weight that grinds you down piece by piece-slowly and in a degrading, invisible way.

It lives inside you, eating you alive, yet you're still expected to be the strong one for everyone else: listening, supporting, holding them together while you feel hollowed out, with anxiety as your only loyal companion.

It's a condition almost impossible to grasp unless you've lived it for a prolonged time, and "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" captures it-right from its brilliantly subtle title-with astonishing accuracy.

It transforms the everyday workings of a collapsing mind into something both magnificently rendered and deeply unsettling, precisely because it feels so real.

Director Mary Bronstein, through an exceptional, skin-stripping performance from Rose Byrne as Linda, takes us on one of the most extreme and agonising cinematic journeys of the year.

The official plot tells us Linda is juggling her daughter's mysterious illness, an absent husband, a missing person, and a therapist who grows increasingly hostile.

But that description reduces something far more complex-and, honestly, difficult for me to summarise. These plot points aren't the story; they're pressure points, mirrors an internal psychological collapse that feels both intimate and volcanic.

The film hit me in a way very few do, it dredged up every burden I'm currently dragging behind me.

It resonated so deeply I found myself wishing someone were there to understand it with me, to hold my hand through it.

Its deliberate emotional architecture left me feeling its stress, exhaustion, empathy fatigue, and the kind of claustrophobic panic you simply can't ignore.

Bronstein leans heavily on stark, wordless close-ups that make even the smallest daily task feel crushing. The sound design turns Linda's anxiety into something almost physical-an unseen creature pacing just behind her.

Life isn't a fairytale. We're expected to keep functioning, keep producing, keep smiling, and never fail-but that relentlessness fractures the mind. Sanity becomes something you defend with tooth and nail.

Showing up at work, pretending everything is fine, performing normality: these become barricades you're desperate to vault over.

And you do eventually break, because this world isn't gentle-and even kindness is often misread as a threat. Take the motel neighbour James (A$AP Rocky), whose well-meaning attempts to connect only intensify Linda's unraveling.

Linda's environment reflects the stigma around mental illness-the inadequacy of institutions, the exhaustion of those meant to help-embodied perfectly by her unnamed therapist (a brilliant Conan O'Brien), whose detachment borders on cruel.

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" is a draining experience. I absolutely recommend it, but as someone who lives with many of the symptoms and emotional states depicted, I'd urge viewers to approach with care.

This film is an emotional rollercoaster-and it doesn't offer safety bars.

Our first MIFF 2025 film was the Sundance hit "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" - and wow. This is a devastatingly honest portrayal of motherhood, and that never-ending guilt parents seem to carry like a second skin. Mary Bronstein doesn't hold back; it's anxiety-inducing in the best possible way, the kind of film that has you gripping your seat and feeling your pulse in your ears.

Rose Byrne is phenomenal - so raw and vulnerable you almost feel like you're intruding on her private moments - and I adored A$AP Rocky's character, this unexpected, grounding presence in all the chaos. The whole thing is a full-tilt descent into madness, claustrophobic and relentless, but you can't look away. One of those films that leaves you wrung out but oddly grateful for the experience.

Stunning and deeply disturbing in the best way-Rose Byrne gives a career-best performance as Linda, a therapist/mother whose life collapses under her daughter's illness and endless pressure. You feel every ounce of her frustration, exhaustion, and rage; the way she lashes out at everyone (husband, doctors, even her own therapist) is painfully real. Beautifully made, psychologically intense, and so raw it almost hurts to watch. Only downsides: the dream-vs-reality blur can be confusing, and it's definitely not for everyone-mostly hits home for women (or people close to women) who've felt this kind of overwhelming burden. Still, an easy 9/10 for me.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is one of those 2025 psychological suspense films that tries so hard to be profound that it ends up dull instead of daring. It's not a terrible movie - the filmmaking is competent, the performances are solid - but it's the kind of project that mistakes ambiguity for depth and leaves audiences more detached than intrigued.

The story centers entirely on one woman's perspective, and while following her journey should have created intimacy and intensity, it instead becomes monotonous. We rarely see anyone else, which strips the story of dimension and tension. It's a one-character show that forgets how important interaction and pacing are in sustaining suspense. The idea that her mental health might be unraveling is an interesting setup, but the film never commits to whether she's truly unstable or simply misunderstood - it dances around the theme without ever landing a real emotional punch.

Where the movie really loses itself is in its attempt to be "artistic." The endless dreamlike sequences, floating orbs, fragmented flashbacks, and surreal imagery feel more like distractions than layers of meaning. These stylistic flourishes could've been powerful if they connected thematically, but instead they come off as arbitrary. It's as if the director wanted to prove this was a thinking person's thriller without providing anything to actually think about.

The script doesn't do the story any favors either. The dialogue feels sparse and disconnected, and the pacing drags under the weight of its own self-importance. The film wants to make a statement about perception and reality, but it never gives the viewer enough clarity or tension to invest in that concept. What should've been a gripping character study ends up as an exercise in endurance.

Rose Byrne gives a strong performance - grounded, layered, and quietly expressive. She's the reason this movie stays even remotely watchable. Christian Slater, meanwhile, does what he can with a strangely underwritten role that barely fits into the story. Everyone else fades into the background, as if they're just there to fill empty space rather than contribute to the narrative. It's one of those films where the casting feels off - like the puzzle pieces were close to fitting, but not quite right.

By the end, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You leaves you with more questions than satisfaction, and not in the good, thought-provoking way. It's a creative effort with good intentions, but it collapses under the weight of its own ambition. The concept could've been great, the execution is decent, but the experience is ultimately bland. It's fine for a one-time watch, but there's nothing here worth revisiting.

In an age where life's everyday challenges can test our wits, becoming overwhelmed is a real possibility when they pile up. Just ask Linda (Rose Byrne), a therapist who struggles to sincerely and sensitively assist her troubled patients. But that's just the start of her problems. She's also tending to a sick child (Delaney Quinn), the demands of which are considerable, both from the whiny, often-unappreciative youngster and her annoyingly insistent caregivers. To make matters worse, a burst pipe in the ceiling of her apartment has forced mother and child to move into a hotel, a stay that's become unexpectedly extended due to the lack of repair work by her inattentive landlord. And, through all of these ordeals, Linda is on her own, given that her unfeeling husband (Christian Slater) is frequently away on business. As a consequence, this palette of issues has forced Linda into therapy herself with a peer counselor (Conan O"Brien), whose incessant indifference not only offers little help, but also tends to exacerbate the stress in her life. Over time, the specific pressures associated with each of these incidents begin to snowball, making coping nearly impossible. And, as time passes, Linda feels as though she's losing herself and descending into her own personal madness. So what is she to do? That's what this intense offering from actress-writer-director Mary Bronstein seeks to explore. This exceedingly dark comedy-drama examines what a woman on the edge might go through as the breaking point approaches. There's an undeniably raw, edgy, realistic quality to this release, one that sometimes makes this a decidedly uncomfortable watch. The barrage of challenges to simply get through the day keeps coming at the protagonist (and, hence, viewers) relentlessly, presented here in nonstop fashion at breakneck speed. And it seems that, no matter what good faith efforts Linda makes to resolve her dilemmas, they're never enough, often exposing her to petty, undue criticism that, in turn, prompt undue, unfair and unfounded accusations of blame and shame. All of these foregoing attributes are routinely intensified by the picture's regular use of macabre comic relief, serving up laughs about incidents and subjects that many of us might genuinely feel guilty chuckling about. But this film's real standout asset is the superb performance turned in by Byrne, easily the best work of her career and handily worthy of awards consideration, capably backed by Quinn, O'Brien and other cast members in fine supporting portrayals. To be sure, "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" won't suit everyone, and even avid cinephiles may at times find their patience, tolerance and sensibilities sufficiently challenged. Nevertheless, this is one of those "sign of the times" pictures that unflinchingly exposes much of what's wrong with contemporary society and that we'd all be wise to take seriously if we ever hope to see improvement in a world where a lack of compassion, understanding and support are being allowed to run rampant. It's no wonder that so many of us might feel like kicking back under conditions like this. Indeed, maybe it's time we should all seek to grow some legs of our own.

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" is a stress inducing film. Our protagonist is constantly on edge, and the sound design is loud and unrelenting. There are no moments where the viewer can escape the pressure or take a breath from the relentless atmosphere.

The film carries a simmering tension that always feels like it is about to boil over. What makes this so effective is the incredible performance by Rose Byrne. I genuinely believe this is the best work I have seen from her. She is fully convincing and brings a compelling authenticity to the role.

Technically, the film uses two main methods to create its tense atmosphere. The first is the continual use of tight camera angles. The viewer is given almost no room to breathe as the frame often stays closely focused on Linda. We are placed directly in her situation. It is clever, but undeniably uncomfortable.

The second method is the lack of context. The film offers very little explanation and forces the audience to interpret the situation for themselves. Nothing is spoon fed, which lets us concentrate more on our protagonist's emotional experience.

I mentioned earlier the tension that seems on the verge of boiling over. I felt the film never quite reached the point it was building toward. I expected the character to spiral so far out of control that something unthinkable would occur, but it never reached that moment. The ending was a little disappointing in that sense.

However, the film is still a unique experience. Rose Byrne is exceptional, and she genuinely deserves recognition for her performance.

For the love of God, why is this movie categorized as a comedy?! It is a dark psychological drama, period. Not a dark comedy, not a thriller.

Rose Byrne delivers an amazing acting performance, but don't see this movie because you thought she was funny in Bridesmaids. You will be sorely disappointed.

79/100

The film unfolds as an intimate psychological study rather than a conventional narrative, focusing on emotional tension, unspoken trauma, and internal conflict. The script avoids obvious plot turns, instead letting discomfort and silence do the heavy lifting. It's slow, deliberate, and sometimes draining, but never empty - the restraint feels intentional, inviting the viewer to sit inside the character's mental state rather than observe it from a distance.

The acting is the film's strongest asset. The lead performance is controlled yet deeply expressive, relying on micro-gestures, timing, and emotional suppression rather than overt dramatics. Visually, the direction is minimalistic and grounded, using tight framing and subdued compositions to reinforce the claustrophobic mood. Sound and music are applied sparingly, functioning more as an extension of the character's psyche than as a tool for emotional manipulation.

What ultimately defines the film is its refusal to entertain in a traditional sense. It's not designed to comfort or please, which explains the lower entertainment score. Instead, it prioritizes psychological authenticity and emotional honesty. This is the kind of film that lingers quietly rather than loudly - unsettling, thoughtful, and deliberately restrained, making it a solid 79/100 for viewers who value introspective cinema over narrative momentum.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is one of those rare films that walks into your life quietly and then completely wrecks you in the best possible way. Mary Bronstein writes and directs with a raw, lived-in honesty that doesn't just tell a story - it pulls you straight into the emotional fire with her characters and refuses to let you look away. This is an intense, bruising, beautifully human film, and it leaves a mark.

Rose Byrne delivers one of her strongest dramatic performances in years. She balances heartbreak, rage, and resilience with such precision that even her silences feel dangerous or tender depending on the moment. Conan O'Brien, in a role unlike anything we've seen from him, is extraordinary - vulnerable, awkward, and surprisingly devastating. He proves he's far more than a comedian; he's an actor who can cut straight to the bone. Danielle MacDonald grounds the entire film with a deeply affecting warmth. Every scene she's in feels richer, heavier, more lived-in.

Bronstein's storytelling has this jagged rhythm - tender one second, explosive the next. She's unafraid to let characters be messy, contradictory, even unlikable, and that honesty is what makes the film so emotionally sharp. The tension simmers right at the surface, and when the film hits its biggest emotional beats, it feels like the air gets punched out of your lungs. The cinematography keeps everything uncomfortably close - handheld intimacy that makes you feel like you shouldn't be watching, but you can't pull your eyes away. And the score? Minimal, haunting, perfectly placed.

This is a film about pain, forgiveness, and the complicated knots we tie with the people we love. It's heavy, yes, but also strangely cathartic. By the end, you feel like you've been through something - something honest, something real.

Mary Bronstein has made one of the most emotionally gripping films of 2025. It's not always easy to watch, but it's impossible to forget.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You feels like it could be the breakaway hit of Sundance 2025. As with many of the films at the festival, I sat in on a press screening not knowing much about the movie beyond the brief blurb in the program. I chatted with the person seated next to me about the films we had seen and how we had both heard some good buzz about this film. The lights dimmed, and the first thing that appeared on the screen was the A24 logo. We immediately turned to each other, and expressed a mutual "Ahh!". Sure, they're behind a few clunkers, but in general, when I see that A24 is behind a project, I perk up. Their films are just plain different.

Writer and Director Mary Bronstein has presented a challenging portrayal of motherhood that is uncomfortable to watch. Shot almost entirely in close-ups, the atmosphere is claustrophobic, frenetic, and oppressive, with no lingering establishing shots to allow the viewer to orient themselves. We are forced into Linda's personal space, feeling almost like we're invading her privacy: the camera is focused on Linda in almost every shot. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is about challenging the audience to confront truths about motherhood, guilt, and the emotional divide between cultural expectations and personal reality. Imagine Nightbitch, but without the quirkiness.

The plot centers around Linda (Rose Byrne), a psychotherapist trying to balance her job with her 10 year old, nameless daughter who suffers from some sort of unnamed illness that demands she receive constant care and attention. The daughter is faceless throughout the film and connected to a feeding tube, the umbilical cord that Linda desperately wants to sever. The focus here isn't on the illness itself, but on Linda's emotional and physical exhaustion, and her growing resentment. Similar to the disturbing We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), the film explores the taboo subject of a mom who has never bonded with her child. Here, Linda is self-medicating with drugs and alcohol and making other questionable choices, all the while trying to counsel other people.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a film of metaphors and layers of emotional nuance. Early in the movie, Linda experiences a flood in her apartment that leaves a huge hole in the ceiling, forcing her to move into a cheap motel nearby. Despite her efforts to coordinate repairs, the hole simply isn't getting fixed. A recurring theme is Linda needing help and not getting any, and this huge hole in her life is just getting bigger. She keeps returning to the apartment, only to discover that no work has been done on the hole.

The movie also explores the theme of being "seen". Linda's interactions with others, including her therapist (a chillingly detached Conan O'Brien), reflect her frustration with being unable to find the support she needs, despite her constant pleas for help. Her husband is a ship's captain, off at sea, and offers no support. He can't understand why Linda isn't getting the ceiling fixed. The most grounded character in the film is her motel neighbor James (A$AP Rocky) who literally calls her out for being a neglectful mom. I guess he's the only person who does actually "see" her in the way we, as an audience do. James's confrontations with Linda are in stark contrast to the others who largely ignore or misunderstand her struggles.

It's difficult to convey the chaotic energy in this movie and the sense of being out of control. What if you don't feel the love towards your own offspring the way you are expected to? If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a film that tackles motherhood head on and offers no easy conclusions. It's an exhausting experience and I loved it. It's only January, but I'm sure this will be in my top ten list in December.

Mary Bronstein writes and directs this drama about motherhood and its more traumatic aspects, in which Rose Byrne delivers the best performance of her career. It's a calculated film that leads you exactly where it wants, but with a carefully crafted intelligence.

With her life falling apart around her, Linda tries to cope with her daughter's mysterious illness, her husband's absence, a missing person, and an increasingly strained relationship with her therapist.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You possesses an intensity that pulls you along the path of despair. Bryne's powerful performance captivates and conveys, with all its nuances, the anguish of complicated motherhood and the mental burden it carries. Ironically, the director knows how to further torment her protagonist with subtle intelligence, creating a completely claustrophobic environment around her.

It's a truly unsettling film, somewhat slow-paced, but very powerful in its portrayal of the protagonist's personal drama. While mothers may feel a stronger connection, for everyone else it's a compelling drama. It has its flaws, of course; it's not a completely flawless work. However, it's a journey that maintains suspense, primarily thanks to Rose Byrne's powerful performance, which carries the entire film on her shoulders with one of her best performances, and undoubtedly one of the best of the year.

Mary Bronstein's meticulous direction reveals an intriguing filmmaker. The actress also demonstrates intelligence in positioning the camera to follow her protagonist, allowing us to feel the complexity and torment that Linda experiences. The sound design is equally crucial to the film's staging: the backdrop of screams, despair, and weeping makes the viewing experience even more unsettling.

We're dealing with an intriguing drama that presents a story that will make you reconsider motherhood, but also appreciate it even more. It's a captivating film, one you must approach prepared to accept everything it presents, even its calculated way of making you feel uncomfortable despite your wishes. A good film with the unmistakable A24 touch.

A24 returns to the territory it masters with remarkable skill-the intimate, atmospheric, and emotionally potent cinema that first made me fall in love with the studio. And it does so with a captivating proposal.

The story is immersive, contemplative, and intense. The carefully crafted script manages to weave together everyday aspects of life, such as motherhood, work responsibilities, and family dynamics, without losing coherence. Mary Bronstein demonstrates a prodigious touch in directing, seamlessly connecting seemingly unrelated elements through parallels, metaphors, and dialogue.

Rose Byrne is the central pillar of the performance, carrying the full dramatic weight of the film. Her presence sustains the work almost entirely, delivering an emotional intensity rarely seen on screen. A performance worthy of recognition and any possible nomination.

The visual aspect naturally stands out. The cinematography, with its meticulous use of color and narrative style, reinforces the story and enhances the psychological depth, delivering introspective and emotional precision.

'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' is exhausting and gripping. Without a doubt, it's an experience no cinephile should miss.

Rose Byrne proves how resourceful an actor she can be when given the rare opportunity to shine on her own, and director/screenwriter Mary Bronstein provides her a high-wire act that teeters unpredictably between dark comedy and horror. This 2025 character study can be an exasperating, thoroughly dispiriting watch, but Byrne does consistently brave work as Linda, a stressed-out psychotherapist dealing with a needy daughter struggling with a food-related illness. In the midst of a long-gestating nervous breakdown, Linda faces several escalating challenges - a collapsed ceiling, a long-distance unsympathetic husband, her daughter's manipulative doctor (played by Bronstein herself), a mentally unstable patient dealing with new motherhood (an excellent Danielle Macdonald), a nasty hamster, and Linda's own judgmental therapist. In this latter role, Bronstein cast Conan O'Brien who delivers an unironic, strait-jacketed performance. The plot follows Linda in a familiar rut where she can't do anything right, only getting worse in making her desperate choices. The motel superintendent (solid work from ASAP Rocky) is the only character close to sympathetic in Linda's orbit, but he also suffers from her persistent self-loathing. Through it all and often in intense close-ups, Byrne is unafraid to show Linda's utter selfishness but in a manner that's more compelling than repellent. It's truly stellar work in a film almost too relentless in spotlighting her character's dark journey.

Make no mistake, Rose Byrne puts on a show. Other than that, spend 2 hours elsewhere. The themes of motherhood and anxiety on full display, without lacking any substantial plot or moments of comedic relief certainly not a dark comedy by any stretch of the imagination Completely and utterly fell short.

The narrative primarily centers on motherhood or more accurately, on mothers from all walks of life, striving to provide the best for their children, who selflessly sacrifice anything necessary to ensure their children's safety and well-being, all while juggling their professional, personal, and marital responsibilities.

Yet, their efforts are frequently met with harsh judgment from ignorant men and, at times, even from other ignorant women.

As a result, the suffocating guilt and the anxiety of being labeled a "bad mother" invade their consciousness like a relentless plague. Each day becomes a battle, and every attempt to meet their obligations drains their very will to live and breath, yet they persist, dutifully adhering to their responsibilities because they lack the 'privilege' to pause or take a break without the oppressive weight of stress incessantly looming over them.

The film not only presents these struggles with empathy and intricate detail but also critiques a society that often overlooks the turbulent mental states of mothers; a conversation we all need to engage in more actively by the way.

And all this is shown through Linda, a mother struggling to balance different aspects of her life while providing the "special" care and attention her daughter requires. Enacted exceptionally by Rose Byrne, who happens to command every frame she appears in; her vulnerabilities, fears, and the emotional turmoil that gnaws at her precious sanity are powerfully portrayed on screen.

Undoubtedly a class act!

What Mary Bronstein offers here is a balance of comedy, nightmare, and the reality and harshness of motherhood and the struggles. Bronstein doesn't shy away from displaying the insanity, struggles and hilarious dark moments of a woman dealing with her baby, toxic potential peers, and just the insane conflicts happening between one another. Her direction on the atmosphere, camerawork and the tone itself manages to flow pretty well.

Throughout, the writing does offer some pretty good anxiety-filled moments, distorted and hilarious at times as well. I do appreciate the narrative not following a predictable and cliche approach that the story could have been taken towards. However I do admit, some of the writing, particularly the first act, didn't grasp my attention or full on engagement at first, as it could be a bit stronger.

Performance wise, they are quite fantastic. Starters, I never really was big on Rose Byrne as I have disliked her previous movies (mainly Peter Rabbit ruined my perspective of it), but Bryne gives one of her best performances as an anxiety-filled and tense mother character. Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, and such were pretty good as well. However, A$AP Rocky's performance was kind of off-putting at times, which makes his character the weakest aspects throughout the movie.

Alongside with some good camerawork and production, the characters are interesting, as Bryne's character and her peers around makes it a driven experience. At the end, it isn't one of my favorite psychological drama movies but I do appreciate it a lot.

I saw this film at the Berlin Film Festival where it enjoyed a moderately enthusiastic reception by the audience on premiere night. "If I Had Legs..." depicts a challenging time in the life of a female therapist who struggles with a sick child, the child's teacher, her flat, a female patient, the absence of her spouse - who is in the Navy and on a long term assignment - as well as her own therapist (played almost completely emotionless by Conan O'Brien), and her demons and neuroses. However, what could have been a fascinating study of motherhood and the demands faced by modern women is little more than a cheap-looking indie drama that I found very difficult to sit through. The reason for that is that instead of delivering a realistic depiction of issues, the film primarily focuses on thrills and shock effects. It's basically one disturbing scene after the other. And because even that didn't seem to be enough for the director, she added unbelievably intrusive sound design that tries to put the viewer into a permanent state of alarm. But even this concept could have worked it the story would have been sound. It isn't though - everything seems incredibly contrived and unrealistic and bears no relation to the real world or the problems of real people. And none of the characters seem even remotely credible either. Their behaviour is completely devoid of logic, realism and humanity. Which leaves the dialogue, which also seemed extremely artificial to me. It was wonderful to see Conan O'Brien on the big screen, but even he was unlikable. Overall, this movie may be trying to sell itself as an ambitious, intellectual arthouse flick. But in reality, it's just 113 minutes of emotional waterboarding that left me feeling quite annoyed when it ended.

The plot is about a strong, smart, beautiful, competent, loving, hard-working woman failing. But, the commentary is that even the most capable woman can be set-up for failure by the impossible demands on women.

I think only a woman could make this movie because, from a male director, it would be criticism of the protagonist. But from a female director, it's a criticism of the expectations.

Rose Byrne does an excellent job and is the unwavering center of the story. She is mostly unlikeable but, considering her circumstances, one can't blame her. (even if society does anyway) I had not seen A$AP Rocky before and he was a highlight in a supporting role, adding some needed lightness. But his character didn't really add to the plot development. Conan O'Brien did a credible job of acting but was a bit of a distraction. People in the theater laughed out-loud at inappropriate times just because of who he is.

The mystical side of the movie kind of lost me - something to do with the universe and eyeballs and vaginal canals. (I think) Was the final scene a birth metaphor?

The technique of not showing some characters seemed more gimmicky than effective. I'm not even sure what was the point.

In summary, this critique of societal expectations on women is a worthy effort. Rose Byrne's acting is enough reason to watch it.