Movie #7 : Alice, Darling

TW: Abusive Relationship, Disordered Eating

 "Alice, Darling" starring Anna Kendrick as Alice was released late 2022 and was directed by Mary Nighy. I have not heard of Mary Nighy before, but I feel like I can always trust that a movie directed by a woman about women will always be good. And I was right with this film. This was another movie I watched on my flight home from France. The flight was 10 hours, so I had a lot of time.

This film follows Alice, an almost 30-year-old woman dating a slightly older man named Simon. Simon is an artist who comes off as charming and kind. Alice has two friends named Tess and Sophie. For Tess' 30th birthday, Sophia invites Alice and Tess to come to her parents' lake house while they were away. It had been a while since they had last got together. Alice decided to lie to Simon, in fear of his reaction, to go to the house. Alice begins to eat disorderly and pulling out clumps of hair. During this trip, she sees flashbacks of conversations she has with Simon, and it affects the way she is with her friends. 

This movie leads to a very impactful climax and speaks on verbally abusive relationships. It shows how a toxic relationship can totally change someone's entire life and personality. I need more people to watch this film to be able to understand what it is like to be in an abusive relationship and also see how it affects those around them. "Alice, Darling" also shows how important have good friends are. Friends that will support you and protect you. Friends that love you and want the best for you. 

"Alice, Darling" may come off as boring to some viewers, probably men, but I didn't find it boring. It started off a bit slow, but I think that was to show how abusive relationships can be hard to notice. The idea to also have the conversations come back in flashbacks was a choice I loved. As a viewer, you weren't watching the exact situation happen, you were seeing what happened in Alice's point of view and listening to the words and moments that affected her the most. 

Alice's friends Tess and Sophie, represent the two different ways that those around you would react. Sophie is a gentler person who tries to come from a place of understanding. She tries to help Alice by coming to her calmly. This can be a great way to help someone and, in my opinion, the better way. Yet, it can lead to a lot of tiptoeing around the real problem if not ultimately confronted. Tess, on the other hand, is all about confrontation. She is more forceful with Alice about her problems which can be unhelpful by leading to anger and resentment from the friend which is what happened with Alice. But it can help unfold the issue immediately.

Overall, I think that many women should watch this film. It is beautifully done and very moving. Maybe not the best idea to watch on a plane though!