"Herself" Film Review

Actress and writer Clare Dunne makes a stunning debut in this flawed, yet powerful tearjerker.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

---

"Herself" is a wonderful debut. Everyone is at their best in this film, especially Harriet Walter ("Killing Eve") and Clare Dunne. "Herself" is about a young woman named Sandra (Dunne) who finally escapes her abusive marriage, but has to take care of and find housing for her two daughters. She eventually decides that the best course of action would be to build her own house.

The first three minutes are loaded with information. We get to see just how close she is to her two daughters, and we learn that she has been ready for an escape for a long time. A serious event happens as well in those three minutes, which haunts her for the rest of the movie.

The best part of "Herself" is truly the acting. Clare Dunne is wonderful, and the child actresses that play her two daughters are extremely talented. Harriet Walter is also a standout, and it's so nice to see her in something after adoring her in "Killing Eve." The emotional bond that these two women form is beautiful. Dunne's performance nearly made me cry multiple times (that's not including the time I did cry).

The bonds she forms with the other characters is indeed beautiful but is almost too perfect in some cases. Each relationship with the other characters is almost identical. So, even though the relationships are portrayed wonderfully, they fall flat due to the fact that they seem copy-and-pasted.

In general, this film does become a bit predictable. The writing falls flat throughout the second act and they ask for a bit too much of the viewer. One can only suspend their disbelief so much, and the longer the second act drags on, the less and less you can believe what's happening. The third act picks back up; however, and goes back to being a (tad predictable) beautiful, heart-wrenching story.

The ending also a predictable trope used in many movies like this one (very minor spoiler ahead). Something bad happens, and we get into the cliche of "reflecting on what has happened to motivational music, knowing that things will be better." I can understand why it was done, and I definitely still felt the emotion, but at the same time, it was a bit of a letdown.

The emotion that is conveyed in this film is wonderful. You get to know Sandra as a person through her highs and lows, through good relationships and bad relationships. You really get to see how much she really cares about her daughters and the trauma that she has because of her husband.

The directing is nothing new and revolutionary, but it doesn't need to be. It is wonderfully directed, with the flashbacks to the initial trauma we see on the screen being well earned. I know flashbacks can sometimes be something every moviegoer dreads, but this film uses them to its advantage.

This film is a wonderful emotional journey to take with the main character. The acting is above average, and the writing is mostly quite strong. Despite the occasional flat writing and some relationships being unrealistic, this film has a lot of heart. You can tell this was meticulously created by Dunne, and as a debut, she deserves a standing ovation. If you want an emotional movie with an uplifting message and strongly developed characters, then this one is for you.

81/100

Enjoyment: A

"Herself" is now streaming for free on Prime Video.