Joey Magidson
Within moments of Her Private Hell beginning, you’ll know if the film is for you or not. After all, this is a Nicolas Winding Refn flick, with everything that comes within. Here, even more so than previously with his work, it’s all vibes, given that the plot is often hard to parse, if it’s even there. Now, a Refn movie will always look good, and when they work, they feel cool. This one does look good, but the coolness feels more like an act. So, while I can’t recommend it, I see a lot of the hatred that came out of the Cannes Film Festival and don’t quite get that. It’s lower level Refn, but the things that initially drew audiences to him are still there.
Her Private Hell is an endurance test, to be sure, though not one that’s without any redeeming qualities. If you can find Refn’s very particular wavelength, there’s a rhythm here, though it’s inconsistent. Refn is trying to make a fever dream, while dabbling in science fiction for the first time. It’s hard to argue that he’s successful, but I also find it harder to dismiss in the aftermath of having watched than I expected to, given the porous Cannes reaction. Is it flawed? Yes, deeply. Is it unwatchable? Not even close.
Taking place in a futuristic city, Elle (Sophie Thatcher) is an actress living in the Tower Hotel while making a new science fiction film. She’s joined by wannabe star and influencer in Hunter (Kristine Froseth), who seems to crave nothing but the spotlight. Also on hand as a co-star is her former lover Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), who is now her stepmother after marrying Elle’s father, the director Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott). Haunted by personal demons, getting through the movie production would prove hard enough for Elle, let alone when she witnesses a murder, likely by a serial killer known as the Leatherman.
At the same time, an American soldier in Private K (Charles Melton) has arrived in town searching for his missing daughter. Suspecting that she was a victim of Leatherman, he cuts a violent path through the fog filled city, searching for the killer. How these two stories intersect, or don’t, is best left discovered, but depending on your mileage with Refn, it’ll either prove fascinating or frustrating.
Charles Melton and Sophie Thatcher are the cast highlights. Melton doesn’t have much dialogue, but he has a presence to him that jives well with Refn’s vision. Much like how Ryan Gosling just fit in well with NWR, so too does Melton. As for Thatcher, her psychological issues give her more to do than the script initially seems to. Once again, it comes down to the look, which is very apt for the production. Kristine Froseth, Havana Rose Liu, and Dougray Scott are fine, though left more adrift by the flick. Supporting players here include Diego Calva, Parker Sawyers, and more.
Nicolas Winding Refn, working here with co-writer Esti Giordani, crafts something equally fascinating and frustrating, which I think he would wear as a badge of honor. There are elements of The Neon Demon here, as well as, perhaps surprisingly, bits that reminded me of Only God Forgives. Refn’s visuals, at times intentionally fuzzy and at other times deeply drenched in neons, is still very striking, as are the sudden bursts of violence. Refn the director is doing his greatest hits here, in a way. It’s Refn the writer, penning the screenplay with Giordani, that falls short, as the moviemaking storyline and the soldier storyline, held together by the killer Leatherman, is far too thin. Those hoping for a return to form, ala Bronson or Drive, will be disappointed, though at this point, those two feel like Refn outliers, as much as anything. A major problem here is the slack pacing, which, when combined with a nearly 110 minute running time, makes for a bit of a slog.
Her Private Hell will bug a lot of people, and I can’t blame them one bit, as it bugged me a bit, but I found more to think about afterwards than expected. Some folks will just dismiss it outright, while a select few will claim it’s an underrated Refn gem. Me? I’m somewhere in the middle, at best. This is a film desperate to be cool, unable to pull it off, but oddly hypnotic at times. So, it’s an interesting misfire, in the end. When it comes to Refn, these are becoming the norm, though I’m never not going to give him a chance.
SCORE: ★★1/2
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