Alice, Darling

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.

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"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+

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.

Loved this movie and a great debut for director Mary Nighy. The film creates a real sense of what it must be like for the abused party when the abuser is a controlling, manipulator. There were Great performances too from The three main characters who demonstrate the spirit of friendship as the became increasingly aware of what was really going on. It just goes to show that a psychological drama does not need to be extreme or violent and that the damage and trauma of control and manipulation can be subtle and unseen.

It's a mystery to me why the early reviews on IMDB have been so negative about this movie.

Alice, Darling is a surprisingly accurate portrayal of coercive abuse. Coercive abuse and control is the slow erosion of the victim's sense of self. There's no dramatic set-up with explosive drama or thrilling moments, which understandably can leave audiences wanting

Throughout the movie there are subtle cues of abuse. To an outsider the abuse is so insignificant it's not detectable. Leaving the victim thinking the reason for the abuse is their fault

This movie pays homage to the victims of abuse, empathetically and with great consideration. Alice, Darling is probably more for victims and their loved ones, than for a general audience. This could be the reason for the low score. It could serve as an introduction to those who are interested in coercive abuse

The actors does a great job of conveying the confusing reality of abuse, for the victim and those around her. The pacing could at times seem slow but it goes with the general theme of realism, rather than entertainment. In my opinion, the run-time was perfect. Any longer and the movie could've easily been a drudge fest. The dialogue is well-written and there must have been a lot of research involved.

It's not a movie that delves into absolutes, which makes it even more realistic

A well worth watch.