Alice, Darling (2022) Movie Review

Alice is underwater, watching the floating seaweed and murky light above her. She is not swimming back up for air, at least not yet. This scene is a visual metaphor for the state of Alice's mind in the movie "Alice, Darling," and it is evident that something is bothering her. Although Alice is in good company now, meeting her friends at a restaurant in the city, her mind is elsewhere. She is holding on to an abusive partner, Simon, a truth revealed through uncomfortable conversations, guilt trips, and anxious behavior like pulling out her hair and panic attacks. Her relationship’s red flags are as clear as flashing billboard signs for her worried friends, but Alice looks past these warnings as if they’re her partner’s love language.

In Mary Nighy’s feature debut "Alice, Darling," viewers are taken on a journey through the undertow of a bad romance. The telltale signs of a toxic relationship are obvious to outsiders, but Alice is still performing the mental gymnastics of justifying Simon's controlling demands to her body, attention, and time, interpreting them as love and affection. She is dug into a defensive position and unable to see the damage Simon's behavior has caused her. She fears asking for time for herself, and he suffocatingly clings to her skin.

Nighy balances the different perspectives of the situation as generously as she can. Almost every exchange or nervous glance from friend to friend or lover to lover feels like a hostage negotiation. What should be tender moments between the young couple are often cruel rounds of verbal and emotional abuse. The tension of the situation is baked within every confrontational staging between the pair, or how detached Alice looks and feels from her friends. Even when Simon isn't physically present in the scene, the fallout of his presence is visually evident, isolating Alice from those who truly care about her.

The murkiness in Alice’s relationship carries over to the film's aesthetics thanks to cinematographer Mike McLaughlin. Alice's world looks a little less bright than the one her friends live in, as if she only ever ventures out on overcast days. There's a warm tone to the girlfriend's cabin trip to the woods, but something still looks off, like the peace and serenity of the location are somehow missing. In a move that overcomplicates the already tense drama at hand, Alanna Francis’ script adds an element of danger to their trip through a subplot about a missing young woman. Alice becomes fixated on her, perhaps fatalistically so, and the mystery becomes an excuse for Simon to escalate his control over her. While this subplot may be intended to be a cautionary tale for Alice or something to entice her to escape, it doesn't quite pan out as effectively as her narrative journey with her friends.

As the movie's namesake, Anna Kendrick delivers a stunning departure from her usual bubbly screen presence. Alice tells her friends, "He wouldn't love me if he knew how bad I am," justifying her mistreatment repeatedly to them and herself. Kendrick's performance is powerful, portraying the distracted stare of a person who has to calculate every pro and con of what they say before they say it. She is overwhelmed by the pressure and unable to swim up for air, an SOS which Kendrick communicates through a range of reactions, from catatonic vacant stares to succumbing to heaving waves of a panic attack on the bathroom floor. She's fully committed to this story and her character.

In a sense, "Alice, Darling" is a cautionary tale for anyone who might find themselves in a toxic relationship. It's a reminder that love should never come at the cost of one's well-being, and that holding onto a partner who mistreats you is never worth the price. The film also underscores the importance of having a support system in place, people who care about you and will do whatever it takes to help you when you need it most.

Overall, Mary Nighy's directorial debut is a thoughtful and affecting exploration of a difficult subject. With strong performances from Anna Kendrick and the rest of the cast, and beautiful cinematography that effectively captures the murkiness of Alice's situation, "Alice, Darling" is a powerful drama that will leave a lasting impression on viewers. It's a film that speaks to the complexities of love and relationships, and the importance of recognising when it's time to swim up and get out.