Alice, Darling

Movie Review

Directed by Mary Nighy’s film Alice, Darling is an intimate and painful examination of a woman and the impact her increasingly strained relationship has on her life. With the plot in mind, it would have been easy for Nighy and screenwriter Alana Francis to take a heavier, more sinister approach. Fortunately, though, Alice, Darling is a decent and penetrating character study that's also a great showcase for Anna Kendrick's talents. Anna Kendrick is best known for her comedy-musical roles, but her latest feature Alice Darling reminds audiences of the Oscar-nominated performer.

On the surface, Alice Anna Kendrick has it all: a steady job, two best friends to gossip with at wine bars, and a sexy, attentive boyfriend, Simon, played by Charlie Carrick. However, it soon becomes clear that there is more to the story, from the way Alice carefully rehearses what she is going to say to Simon, to her tendency to forcefully pull his hair. When Alice's friends Tess (played by Konihatio Horn) and Sophie (played by Wunmi Mosaku) invite her on a girls' trip to a beach house, Alice's carefully constructed façade of an ideal relationship begins to unravel. Soon, the question becomes whether Tess and Sophie can save Alice from a situation she is unwilling to accept.

As Alice Darling shows, abusive relationships don't always leave visible scars. The script doesn't show its hand right away, choosing instead to slowly unravel the horrors of Alice and Simon's relationship. Allusions occur in moments when Alice is alone, meaning Kendrick must bring the audience into Alice's inner life with minimal dialogue and action. She does it exceptionally well, and it's not long before the audience is on Alice's side, eagerly awaiting the moment she escapes Simon's clutches. There's something to be said for a movie that shines a light on emotional toxicity. Many viewers may not recognize Simon's tactics as abusive, and Alice, Darling handles the subject with the sensitive touch it deserves.

Francis chooses to avoid Alice's situation with a plot involving a girl who goes missing in the town where the women go on vacation. As this thread reaches its midpoint, it's a bit hard to justify. Its inclusion is one of Alice, Darling's weaker elements. This is probably the closest the film comes to being honest with the themes it aims to explore. In the end, however, Francis and Nighy manage to orchestrate the plot's resolution to a palpable and unsettling effect. And it doesn't take too far away from Alice's journey and the development of the relationships that matter most here - the relationships she has with her own friends. Alice, Darling doesn't give much development to Tess and Sophie, but Horne and Mossaku's performances go a long way in fostering the impression of a deep and strong friendship. Mossaku's kind and compassionate Sophie tugs at the heartstrings trying to get through to Alice, while Horne has to examine some of Tess's prickly traits as the character digs deeper into Alice's shocking behavior. Alice, Darling paints a stunningly realistic portrait of female friendship.

Undoubtedly, however, the high point of Alice, Darling is Kendrick's performance. Although she plays the rest of the cast well, the actor's best moments come when Alice is alone. Kendrick portrays Alice's fragile and anxious fears with remarkable ingenuity, reconnecting with the person she once was in the moments when Alice begins to unravel, and the audience truly feels that these events are real. As the infamous Simon, Carrick portrays his subtle manipulations in a deeply disturbing way. To his credit, he doesn't elevate his performance into a caricature of an emotionally abusive lover. Carrick normalizes things, thus forcing the audience to deal with Alice's destruction.

Alice, Darling Knows when the story ends, ends after an hour and a half. While this leaves the future of its eponymous heroine unclear, Nighy gives viewers an idea of what will happen in her future. In a way, the uncertainty of how Alice will proceed is as strong as all the elements that came before. Some discomfort with the missing girl subplot Alice, Darling is a nuanced look at a delicate subject, and Kendrick's devastating performance at its center is sure to spark conversation among viewers.

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