Review: Anna Kendrick Gives Poignant Performance in Abusive Relationship Drama ALICE, DARLING

I got the chance to watch the film Alice, Darling ahead of its release in theaters this past Friday, and I was impressed by the film’s story, acting, and very realistic relationships between its characters. The movie stars Anna Kendrick as Alice, a woman who is established in her career, in a relationship, and celebrating the year that she and her childhood best friends turn 30. On the surface, things seem ideal, but we see Alice unraveling as the story progresses.

There are hints in the beginning of the film that something is amiss in her life, when dinner with her friends is soured by her urgency to promptly attend to her phone, send pictures of herself in the restaurant bathroom, and get home in a timely manner. We see Alice rehearse telling her boyfriend Simon (Charlie Carrick) that she has to go out of town for work, covering up her real girls trip for her friend’s 30th birthday. Alice suffers silently, pulling out clumps of her hair, obsessively exercising, and eating disordered. Everything she hides builds the walls between her and her best friends, Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) and Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku), higher and thicker. You can see how far she has distanced herself, and you can feel her moving closer to them as the film moves forward, as trepidatious and mentally shrunken as she has become.

The small cast told an important and powerful story about mental and emotional abuse, and what to look out for, for ourselves and the people we care about. I loved the friendships in the film. They felt so authentic, and were such a beacon for Alice’s character to return to in the darkness she was almost lost to. While I love a good revenge story, this film didn’t go to extremes. It just simply played out in a way that gives hope to people in abusive situations, and I hope it is widely viewed to help someone out who may be suffering.

Anna Kendrick was incredible in her performance, and laid out her feelings and broken heart on the table. I hope she gets a nomination for her role, and I hope you get the chance to check out the film.

Alice, Darling is now playing exclusively in AMC Theaters nationwide.