Alice, Darling
Directed by Mary Nighy
Written by Alanna Francis
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Charlie Carrick, Wunmi Mosaku, Kaniehtiio Horn
Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes
Rated R
Exclusively in AMC Theaters on January 20th

by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

If you’ve ever seen a loved one struggle in an emotionally abusive relationship, you know that it’s tough to see someone who you care about treated so badly, often unable to materially change their circumstances. And if you’ve ever been in an abusive relationship, you know that getting out—even just trying to—can be the scariest, hardest part.

Alice, Darling depicts facets of both experiences, with Alice (Anna Kendrick) lying to her abusive boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick), in order to go on a girls’ trip with her friends. While spending time with Alice, Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) slowly come to realize that she hasn’t been distant because of drama between them; she’s been under Simon’s control. He demands suggestive photos from Alice while she’s out with her friends, wakes her in the middle of the night, and belittles her all the time. He goes so far as to control what she eats, to the point that she’s developed an eating disorder.

I’ve probably mentioned this in many a review at this point, but I’m a sucker for friendships between women. All of my best friends growing up and throughout my life so far have been women, and there’s something about the friendships in Alice, Darling that really work. There’s tension between Alice and Tess at the beginning, and they’re able to resolve it because they’ve been friends for so long. They can be catty and mean to each other, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t care. Their friendship feels lived in, and I believe they care for each other. 

But unfortunately, once their friendship issues are resolved, Simon figures out where Alice is and shows up at the cabin. There’s a well-done dinner scene that dials up the tension. Simon controls Alice again, and it feels even worse now that we’ve seen her feel truly free—probably for the first time in a long time. He controls what she eats, insults her appearance, and tells her they have to leave first thing tomorrow morning. Watching Tess and Sophie see this scene play out is tough, and watching Alice go back into her shell is even worse.

There’s a subplot in which a teenage girl has gone missing in the town where Alice, Sophie, and Tess are staying. Eventually, all three women join the search party to look for the missing girl. This storyline doesn’t get fully resolved, but it feels true to life that there isn’t a simple answer to who killed her. It’s an interesting backdrop, reminding us that women and girls can be in danger pretty much anywhere they go.

While I think this movie might be a tad mismarketed—I don’t think this is a traditional thriller by any means—I do think it’s successful in the story that it’s trying to tell. The film is slow, but it doesn’t feel like there’s any wasted time. It feels lived in, filled out. To see Alice struggle with the box Simon keeps her in, trying to find who she is now that she’s able to spend time away from him, is powerful to watch. Sophie and Tess gently help Alice start to process the abuse and attempt to get her away from Simon, showing how friendship can save someone.

Anna Kendrick does a phenomenal job here, in both the subtle moments and the bigger ones. She pulls off the quiet anxiety as well as the panic that comes with knowing any wrong step could set off her abuser. Kaniehtiio Horn and Wunmi Mosaku are great as Alice’s friends, and I was so excited to see Mosaku, who I’ve previously seen and loved in In the Flesh. These feel like real women who I could be lifelong friends with, which isn’t always true in a film where there’s not a ton of backstory for the friends.

The cinematography in the movie is lovely. I got a real sense of the cabin beside the lake, a serene setting for what becomes quite tense when Simon arrives. But it feels lived in too, like a house the trio spent a lot of time in during summer breaks. I also found the editing very effective. Quick cuts keep us in Alice’s head when she’s overwhelmed with anxiety, and reminders of Simon’s abuse appear often throughout the first half of the film. These short clips serve to show us both what he’s done to Alice before and how she keeps herself in line with his demands even when he’s not around. 

This is a tight ninety-minute movie, and Alanna Francis’s script does a great job of building and relieving tension throughout. There’s enough drama here to keep audiences engaged while also giving us quieter moments to slow things down a bit. I really like Mary Nighy’s direction too. I’ll be keeping an eye out to see what they both do next.

There’s a more dramatic, gory version of this movie where the tension gets resolved by taking an ax—or maul as Sophie insists it’s called—to Simon’s face. But this movie is interested in the smaller moments, where a diversion can help Alice find the courage she needs. Where women can stand between their friend and her abuser, insisting that she deserves better. I would definitely watch a film where an abuser gets axed, but I quite liked this movie too.