Alice, Darling

I get the low ratings. People want their breath taken away, getting excited and entertained. Well, this movie is true to life, and life rarely does any of these. At least not in a good way when you live with an abuser. It sucks all happiness out of you and makes your life anxious and miserable. The movie is kind of slow and uneventful so the hidden emotions can sink in and open your eyes. It's subtle, but spot-on. The three girls are all stellar! The abuser feels flat and hollow, because that's what abusers are - fake and pretending, until they think they've got you and show their real face. I have to admit, I did not enjoy the movie. It's not really meant to be enjoyed. But I enjoyed the superb acting, the setting, the genuine friendship and love, the little gestures. Anna Kendrick is killing it! And the supporting cast too! Remember to just be kind to each other. You don't know what the person in front of you might be going through or dealing with.

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free thoughts, please follow my blog to read my full review :)

"Alice, Darling brilliantly tackles the sensitive topic of abusive relationships. Alanna Francis' script stands out with a profound, respectful look into an emotionally disturbed Anna Kendrick - career-best performance - but also into the genuine best of female friendship.

A non-exploitative look into how psychological violence can be as traumatic as any other kind of physical abuse, as well as how insanely difficult it is to leave such a toxic relationship.

Mary Nighy cannot escape the subgenre's formulaic boundaries, but she should be proud of such an enlightening, impactful feature directorial debut."

Rating: B+

You're with a man who's very subtly coercive, in a relationship that's vile and corrosive, playing tricks with how you think, makes you wither, narrow, shrink, this is no way to spend your days, no life to live. Time with friends gives you a chance to float, reflect, of how your mind has crashed and burned, become a wreck, with their help they catch your fall, assist the break with a large maul, evict the poison from your heart, with great effect.

I thought Anna Kendrick was amazing as the mentally anguished and tortured Alice, who's fairy-tale romance had turned out to be anything but, as she finds out what friendship and love really can be, when those close truly care.

I know this film will not appeal to everyone but it's worth a watch for the performance Anna Kendrick gives as Alice, a young woman who's very spirit is being eroded by a controlling abusive partner. Her female friends can see it but she is too consumed in his critiques & criticisms to reflect on their effects, until a girls week away. Wunmi Mosaku and Kaniehtiio Horn, as Sophie and Tess, provide a warm contrasting environment to the stilted & cold one Alice lives within and give her the reminder she needs of how free life should be. Nicely done for a first film & the camera work was beautifully observed & intimate.

Alice, Darling (2022) is a movie my wife and I saw in theaters last night. The storyline follows a group of friends who decide to go on a girl trip to celebrate one of their birthdays. One of the friends, Alice, has a psychological and verbally abusive boyfriend she needs to lie to, to go on the trip. She spends the entire trip scares to death he will find out about the trip. As her friends discover what's bothering her they will do their best to help her overcome her fears.

This movie is directed by Mary Nighy (Traces) in her major motion picture directorial debut and stars Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Kaniehtiio Horn (Possessor), Charlie Carrick (Deep Water) and Wunmi Mosaku (His House).

The storyline for this had a lot of potential and the cast is outstanding and delivers strong performances. The chemistry between the cast was tremendous and felt authentic. You could feel the anxiety oozing through the screen and the friends genuine desperation to help their friend. However, there were decisions throughout the picture by both the friends and Alice that didn't feel realistic and was frustrating. The subplot of Angela missing was under utilized, and while a metaphor, could have had a better conclusion that was more impactful and less subtle. There's a sex scene in here that's the strangest thing I've ever seen. The ending was solid but I thought they'd show more of the husbands abusive ways in an explosive climax.

Overall, this is an okay movie with some redeeming elements but didn't push the envelope as far as I thought it would. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing it once.