From first time director Mary Nighy comes Alice, Darling. Alice (Anna Kendrick) is not okay and she hasn’t been for some time. Stuck in a psychologically abusive relationship with her boyfriend Simon (Charlie Carrick), she finds herself at a breaking point. When she goes away for vacation with her two friends Tess (Kaniehetiio Horn) and Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku), Alice is forced to realize that something needs to change.

There isn’t much to say about this little indie film. The performances were very well done, particularly in the case of Kendrick. Worlds apart from her usual type of roles, the way in which she portrayed the broken Alice was ballsy. I appreciated the places she allowed herself to go and I thought it was a true enough depiction of someone dealing with similar situations.

With a runtime of an hour and a half, the story is very much what you see is what you get. At times I wish certain scenes had been fleshed out more. This would have prevented some key parts to be less rushed. Maybe some more background as to how Alice and Simon met or the first time he started gaslighting her would have added extra insight. I was pleased with the way it all came together in the end though, even if it was tied up neatly with a bow.

Filmed in the beautiful countryside of Ontario, Alice, Darling is an important watch due to its sensitive subject matter. Had it been a little longer, I think it would have packed even more of a punch, but I still enjoyed it.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️