Alice, Darling: Film Review
Anna Kendrick has been off my radar for a while but she comes back with a bang in the poignant drama Alice, Darling.
She portrays the titular Alice, who is being psychologically abused by her boyfriend, the British artist Simon (Charlie Carrick). She is slowly pulling away from her two best friends – Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) – and becoming a shell of her former self because she is constantly terrified of being bad and letting him down. For Tess’ birthday, they go to a remote holiday home for a week and the truth comes out.
I’m not speaking from experience, but from what I can tell this is a staggeringly honest and authentic depiction of emotional abuse. I had read about it but I’d never really understood what it looked like before so I’m glad this film exists to shine a light on it. It was heartbreaking witnessing what this abuse was doing to Alice’s mental health and self-esteem. This film helped me truly appreciate why it’s so difficult to recognise the abuse for what it is and tell others.
Alice, Darling is also a beautiful story about female friendship. Sophie and Tess know something is wrong with their best friend but are helpless as she keeps pushing them away and getting defensive. They’ve been friends since childhood and the deep bond they share is apparent in the moving way they look at each other, particularly near the end. Tess has no qualms about calling Alice out to understand her behaviour and the way Sophie says more with her eyes than her mouth is very poignant.
Kendrick is on career-best form here. We don’t get to see her in dramatic roles very often, and as much as I like her comedy and musical work, I would like to see her explore deeper, vulnerable characters more. She has openly spoken in interviews about her personal connection to the material and you can sense that she has a deep understanding of who Alice is.
Alice, Darling is a quietly powerful depiction of psychological abuse and a moving portrayal of female friendship.
In selected cinemas from Friday 20th January