Herself – An Uplifting Family Drama (Early Review)

Some of the most compelling stories are rooted in tragedy. The problem with that is finding the fine line between eliciting emotion without being exploitative. Debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Herself is a powerful story of one overcoming their tragic circumstances and powering through enough to make a life for themselves. If anything, the film is a story of the power of the human spirit that works thanks to the spectacular lead performance by Clare Dunne who also happened to co-write the script. While certainly not an easy watch at times, it is also one that is sure to inspire and uplift audiences along the way. Over the course of its relatively short running time, clocking in at around the 90 minute mark, the film pull audiences in and doesn’t let go while also packing a considerable emotional punch by the end.

As mentioned, Herself follows a woman named Sandra (Dunne), a young mother who escaped the clutches of her abusive husband Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson) and set out to make a life for herself and her two young daughters Emma (Ruby Rose O’Hara) and Molly (Molly McCann). To do so, she would have to fight back against the broken housing system. Her plan was to build her own home. This was a testing experience for Sandra. Despite her desperation to move forward with her life, she was still held back from her past as she continued to suffer from the trauma inflicted upon her by the hands of her ex-husband (via flashbacks that were definitely not easy to watch). Nevertheless, she persisted as she had two children whom she loved and had to support. Being essentially a single mother of two young children living in an unstable living situation with an ex-husband on the horizon presented its own set of challenges but Sandra was up to the task.

Sandra’s sheer determination in the face of her trauma was necessary but also infectious to watch. Instead of trying to find a place to live for herself and her family which clearly wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, she took matters into her own hands. However, getting it done would be easier said than done. If not for the kindness of the few people in her life (and a few strangers), her dream would never have had a chance to be realized. Meanwhile, the big question was whether or not Sandra and her family would make it to the finish line. Regardless, she was a character that was very easy to root as we as viewers want her to succeed and find happiness as she has been through more than enough turmoil (though she may not have been alone). While the film featured plenty of doom and gloom, there were also a fair share of wholesome, lighter moments such as those between Sandra and her daughters and also the owner of a house she cleaned, an elderly (but don’t treat her like one) woman and retired doctor named Peggy (Walter).

Ultimately, the best part of Herself was the aforementioned spectacular performance by Dunne as Sandra. She absolutely leaves herself out there both physically and emotionally on screen, showing her range and vulnerability as a damaged yet flawed woman. Along with her likability and relatability, she was incredibly compelling to watch as she commanded the screen. Her arc over the course of the film was not only uplifting but also powerful as she finally took control of her life. In the end, it was all about her and her children for better or worse. Other standout performances included of course Walter’s scene-stealing performance as Peggy and Hill as Aido Deveney.

At the end of the day, Herself is set to be one the first uplifting films of 2021, making Clare Dunne a name worth keeping an eye on.

still courtesy of Amazon Studios

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.